When did you first find out about this profession?
I took a completely different path than most people would have taken – I didn’t go to university, so I got a job straight after graduating. I worked as a paramedic in later years and it was at this point that I realised I wanted to continue working in the medical field.
I did an Access to Higher Education course on Access to Medicine and Allied Health Professions and one of the modules was on optics which sparked my interest in the field even more, so I applied to Bradford University and was lucky enough to be accepted onto the Optometry course.
What was your main reason for wanting to become an optometrist?
What interested me most was biology. There is so much to learn about the nervous system and the brain, and I was intrigued by how much an eye exam can tell us. I think most people would say the sense they fear most about losing is their sight. There is nothing more amazing than your vision. So if I can help people maintain or improve their vision, that’s very rewarding.
What are your thoughts on pre-registration and what advice would you give to students looking to enter the workforce?
Make sure you find a pre-registration supervisor you trust and get along with. It’s important to work with someone who has your best interests in mind. I was lucky in my pre-registration supervisor, who was also an assessor for the Optometrists’ Association and seemed to know the clinical ophthalmology department at Kansky inside and out. He was always happy to help with any questions I had.
There is no greater gift than sight, and helping people maintain or improve their vision is extremely rewarding.
Why did you choose to work from home after completing your pre-registration placement?
Home health care has been something I’ve been interested in since my freshman year of college. In class, we had talks on various careers, one of which was about home health care. I feel that my previous experience as a paramedic has helped me in my work as a home health optometrist, because I’m used to visiting people’s homes, respecting their property, and making them feel at ease.
My number one goal has always been to help people, and it’s extremely rewarding to help people who would otherwise struggle to get services. People who can’t leave their homes end up making their lives centered around their sight.
Now that it’s in practice, is working from home meeting your expectations?
It’s a much more physically demanding job than I expected – driving a car, setting up an office in every house we visit, completing exams and, if you’re taking on the role of super optometrist, dispensing medications too.
One benefit I didn’t expect was the gratitude from patients – most of the patients I see are incredibly grateful and say that if we hadn’t come to see them, they wouldn’t have been able to get the test to improve their vision or give them peace of mind.
My number one goal has always been to help people, and helping people who would otherwise struggle to access services has been extremely rewarding.
What area of optometry are you particularly interested in?
Macular degeneration. It’s a disease that we see very often and how debilitating it can be. Unfortunately, unless you’re in this profession and have family or friends who have experienced it, you may not have heard of it, but it’s a very common disease and it has serious effects.
Be prepared, switch off, and keep an open mind
Any advice for getting used to pre-registration?
The first few months before registration are the hardest. It feels overwhelming at first because you have to progress very fast, speed everything up and be more accurate. Keep a positive mindset. Surround yourself with good people in the same position, family and friends who support you. I am especially grateful to my parents and my partner Daniel. Be open to anything, but remember that optometry has many different roles: hospital, downtown and home-based.
Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you started your optometry practice?
From the outside, you think of all the good things: “I can help someone improve their vision.” But sometimes there’s nothing you can do. The first few times, you can go crazy because you want to help everyone. It’s something you have to be prepared to face someone and tell them they’re no longer at the legal limit to drive. It’s not always smooth sailing and there are going to be hard days, but that’s not a reason to give up on this profession. Medicine is improving, there’s more help and treatment than ever before, and I think it’s going to continue to improve.
How do you balance study, work, socializing and having time for yourself?
You need the ability to switch off. If you think too much about what happened that day or what’s going to happen, you can get in your own head and create what-if scenarios that will never come true. I love playing basketball, and when I’m on the court, I’m not thinking about anything else, so that definitely helps.