Teaching and training

The Optometry team provide teaching and training to:

Undergraduate Optometry Orthoptic, nursing and medical students, Pre-registration optometrists, Qualified optometrists and Ophthalmologists
Members of the Optometry team are registered pre-registration supervisors and/or examiners with the College of Optometrists and at present 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
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 one working day, from Monday to Friday.

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 one working day placement.

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].

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.

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