Teaching and training

Normally we provide teaching and training to:

• Undergraduate Optometry students
• Undergraduate Orthoptic students
• Undergraduate nursing students
• Undergraduate medical students
• Pre-registration optometrists
• Qualified optometrists
• Ophthalmologists

Tim Hunter, Consultant Optometrist (Head of Optometry), Alison Weston, Principal Optometrist, and other members of the Optometry team are registered pre-registration supervisors and/or examiners with the College of Optometrists and we employ a pre-registration optometrist.

We are responsible for the professional training and continuing professional development of our optometry staff.

• Provide supervision and training for junior and pre-registration optometrists .
• Provide peer review meetings for our optometric staff
• Organised refresher courses and specialist courses for community optometrists and ophthalmologists
• Provide supervision and training for registered optometrists on higher qualification placements
• Provide supervision and training for trainee doctors, nurses and orthoptists

Student placements

We have previously offered a very limited number of student work experience opportunities in the Optometry department for students interested in pursuing a career in Optometry.

We would strongly recommend that you should always look at work experience in a community optometry practice as that is more reflective of the role most optometrists do – hospital optometry is a relatively specialised role. There is more information on a career in optometry on the College of Optometrists website.

When available, student work placements would only open to those who are at least 15 years old and live or study in the Leeds area. Work placements would be in a shadowing or observation capacity only for a maximum of two working days.

If you live within Leeds, have already had work experience in community optometry practice and are interested in a student work placement in the Optometry department, to see what Hospital optometry is all about, then you can make an application for a maximum of 2 working days placement.

Step 1

Contact the Optometry department by email, letter or telephone, remember you must be at least 15 years of age and reside or study in the Leeds area.

Our department email address is [email protected].

Step 2

If the Head of Optometry agrees to consider your work experience placement, he will send you all the work experience placement application forms, which you must complete and return to the Optometry department, along with proof of entitlement to work in the UK and specified identity documents. You can either send paper or electronic copies to the Head of Optometry directly. Remember to retain copies for your own records.

Step 3

The Head of Optometry will agree the work placement details with you and subsequently confirm this by sending you an email or letter.

You will be given an appointment to attend our work experience induction session provide by our Organisational Learning department which will be several days or weeks prior to the work placement.

Please be aware that this placement will be as an observer in our clinics only.

Pre-registration Optometrist

Information for potential applicants for the pre-registration period

The Optometry department at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust employs a Pre-registration Optometrist annually, on a fixed term thirteen month training contract, usually from August to the end of September of the following year.

The Pre-registration period is spent primarily working in the eye department at St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds. However as Optometry services are provided at St. James’s University Hospital, Seacroft Hospital and Wharfedale General Hospital, there is a possibility that some clinics may be held at these sites.

The Pre-registration Optometrist working under the joint supervision of Tim Hunter, Consultant Optometrist (Head of Optometry), Specialist Optometrists and their colleagues, gains experience in a range of optometric techniques in preparation for the competency assessments and the OSCEs (Observed Structured Clinical Examination) of the Pre registration Period of the College of Optometrists.

Opportunity is given to attend weekly Orthoptic and Ophthalmology clinics, community optometric practice (where available) and our own Dispensing section.

Tutorials are arranged as required and attendance at Ophthalmology teaching sessions is encouraged.

Successful applicants for the post must have a BSc (Hons) degree in Optometry of 2:2 or higher and General Optical Council (GOC) student registration. Prior experience in community and hospital optometry practice is extremely desirable.

This post is for a thirteen month fixed term contract and is dependent on candidates achieving a 2:2 BSc (Hons) degree or higher in Optometry in order to register for the PRP.

This post is normally advertised online through the electronic NHS jobs website at www.jobs.nhs.uk in August, a year prior to the post itself commencing.

Applications for this post should be submitted through the electronic NHS jobs website at www.jobs.nhs.uk

Please be aware that we do not accept applications via any other route.

Informal enquiries about our pre-registration optometrist year can be made through our department email address:

[email protected]

Sample Timetable (subject to change)