GCU updated qualification approved

Samara Morgan

The General Optical Council (GOC) has noted that Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) will be the first to deliver an integrated optometry and independent prescribing qualification under the GOC’s new education and training requirements.

From September 2024, students will be able to earn a Master of Optometry with Independent prescribing.

Providers of existing GOC-approved qualifications are required to submit detailed plans of how their adapted qualifications will meet the new education and training requirements, with the GOC reviewing and noting these changes.

The updated qualification will still be subject to the GOC’s routine quality assurance processes to ensure they satisfy the GOC’s requirements.

Samara Morgan, GOC head of education and CPD development, said: “We are pleased to note GCU’s integrated qualification which will offer optical students a seamless journey to gaining both an undergraduate and specialty qualification. We continue to work with remaining providers to ensure a smooth transition so that optical students are equipped to adapt to changes in delivering eye care services and meet the future needs of patients.”

Professor Gunter Loffler, Head of Department of Vision Sciences at GCU, said: “We are delighted to have received regulatory approval for our new Master of Optometry with Independent Prescribing programme. Students enrolling onto it in September 2024 will undertake a 5-year programme of study, which integrates entry-level and IP placements. Upon successful completion, students will be able to register with the GOC as Optometrists with IP specialty.

“This is the culmination of several years of planning and collaboration with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), who will provide support for students throughout their placement periods, and the Scottish Government. We are particularly excited by the inclusion of IP into the under-graduate training, which the GOC enabled through their education review. We see this as an opportunity to equip graduates with the skills that will allow them to provide advanced eye-care to the benefit of patients across all communities in Scotland.”