Visits
Guidance on visits, including assessments and outstanding competencies.
Visit one
Visit one
Your first visit will be around six weeks after you enrol on the Scheme.
The visit will last up to two hours, and will take place remotely.
During this visit, your assessor will:
- assess 12 competencies (visit one framework) by reviewing your evidence and asking you questions
- check how you have completed your logbook and reflective learning portfolio so far
- ensure you and your supervisor are clear on your roles and on preparation for future visits.
After your visit, you will receive your report and action plan. It will show which competencies you have achieved, not achieved and not been assessed on, and will include the evidence you need at your next visit.
You should discuss and put the plan into practice with your supervisor.
Visit one recommended patient encounter numbers
We suggest that you should have achieved a minimum of 30 patient encounters by visit one, made up of at least:
- 10 refractions
- 10 dispenses
- 3 contact lenses (fits, aftercares or teaches).
These numbers are only for guidance. If you have not reached these numbers, your assessor will discuss this with you, either when planning, or during your visit.
Visit two
Visit two
Your second visit will take place face-to-face, roughly three months after visit one.
This will be a longer visit, lasting up to four hours.
During the visit, your assessor will:
- discuss your assessment plan with you
- assess a further 26 competencies (visit two framework) by reviewing your evidence and asking you questions
- directly observe you interacting with a patient or performing a clinical skill on a patient or a simulated patient, for some competencies
- carry out a check of your patient records and anonymised patient records
- check your logbook and reflective learning portfolio
- review your performance with you and your supervisor and agree an action plan.
After your visit, you will receive your report and action plan. It will show which competencies you have achieved, not achieved and not been assessed on, and will include the evidence you need at your next visit.
You should discuss and put the plan into practice with your supervisor.
Visit two recommended patient encounter numbers
We suggest that you should have achieved a minimum of 175 patient encounters by visit two, made up of at least:
- 85 refractions, including one under-seven
- 25 dispenses, including one under-seven
- 30 contact lenses (fits, aftercares or teaches)
- 1 other
These numbers are only for guidance. If you have not reached these numbers, your assessor will discuss this with you, either when planning, or during your visit.
Visit three
Visit three
Your third visit will be face-to-face in your practice and will last up to four hours.
During the visit, your assessor will:
- discuss your assessment plan with you,
- assess a further 28 competencies (see visit three framework) by reviewing your evidence and asking you questions
- for some of these competencies, directly observe you interacting with a patient or performing a clinical skill on a patient or a simulated patient
- check your logbook and reflective learning portfolio
- review your performance with you and your supervisor and agree an action plan
- agree the date of your fourth visit and decide whether this should be face-to-face or remote.
After your visit, you will receive your report and action plan. It will show which competencies you have achieved, not achieved and not been assessed on, and will include the evidence you need at your next visit.
You should discuss and put the plan into practice with your supervisor.
Visit three recommended patient encounter numbers
We suggest that you should have achieved a minimum of 400 patient encounters by visit three, made up of at least:
- 225 refractions, including three under-sevens
- 50 dispenses, including three under-sevens
- 65 contact lenses (fits, aftercares or teaches)
- 5 others.
These numbers are only for guidance. If you have not reached these numbers, your assessor will discuss this with you, either when planning, or during your visit.
Visit four
Visit four
Visit four will either be virtual or face-to-face. If one or more of the compulsory pieces of direct observation evidence were not signed off in visit three, and there is no suitable alternative way of assessing the competency, then visit four will be a face-to-face visit in practice. Otherwise, the visit will be remote.
If you need to do your Visit four away from work, then it will be necessary to arrange an Assessment 4B, lasting up to 15 minutes within one week of your Visit four. At this, you will need to be in work so you have access to your records for an authenticity check as detailed above.
During the visit, your assessor will:
- discuss your assessment plan with you
- assess a further nine competencies (see visit four framework) by reviewing your evidence and asking you questions
- check your logbook and reflective learning portfolio
- carry out a check of your patient records and anonymised patient records
- check that you have completed the HES requirement
- review your performance and, if there are still outstanding competencies by the end of the visit, agree an action plan with you and your supervisor.
Summary table
| VISIT ONE | VISIT TWO | VISIT THREE | VISIT FOUR | |
| Suggested patient encounters | Minimum of 30 patient encounters before Visit one, including at least:
| Minimum of 175 patient encounters before Visit two, including at least:
| Minimum of 400 patient encounters by Visit three, made up of at least:
| Work towards completing all the required patient encounters and characteristics for Stage One. The total for sign off:
|
| When | About six weeks after you enrol on the Scheme | About four months after enrolling | About six months after enrolling | Seven months+ (if needed and decided by your assessor) |
| Where | Remotely (online) | Face-to-face in your practice | Face-to-face in your practice | Either virtual or face-to-face depending on outstanding competencies |
| Duration | Up to two hours | Up to four hours | Up to four hours | Up to 3.25 hours for a remote visit and up to 3.5 hours for a face-to-face visit |
| During the visit | Your assessor will:
| Your assessor will:
| Your assessor will:
| Your assessor will:
|
| After the visit | You will receive your report and action plan. It will show:
| You will receive your report and action plan. It will show:
| You will receive your report and action plan. It will show:
| You will receive your report and action plan. It will show:
|