How did you get your job?
I studied a three-year orthoptics course as a second degree and graduated with a BMedSci Orthoptics. After graduation, I worked for a year in an orthoptist role before moving into my current senior orthoptist position at Leeds NHS Trust.
What's a typical working day like?
I see a variety of patients of different ages in the orthoptic clinic. We run various clinics jointly with our colleagues, such as ophthalmologists and optometrists, as well as independent orthoptic clinics.
I normally start work at 8am (great for beating morning traffic) and finish somewhere between 4pm and 6pm. The schedule for clinics during the week is varied and there is a good mix of different types of patients.
I work closely with my colleagues and currently work in quite a large team, which is great as everybody has different levels and areas of experience. We also cover paediatric community clinics, as well as working in the main hospital.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Seeing patients is probably the part I enjoy the most; in paediatrics especially, it can really make your day to see a child enjoying their appointment. Also, in orthoptics we are able to improve outcomes in a large proportion of cases, which is very satisfying.
You can have a good work-life balance and there are also plenty of further development and study opportunities when you progress in your career.
What are the challenges?
There is a lot to learn, even after you graduate, so you have to be active in keeping up your own professional development and taking responsibility for your own learning. Membership of the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) is useful for this. Working in a varied team with different schedules also needs some flexibility and willingness to adapt.