Balancing clinical excellence and business growth - Sejal's relationship with CPC's

Sejal Patel is the sole resident optometrist in her store as well as being the optom partner and an Independent Prescriber. She’s passionate about growing her practice and supporting pre-reg students. But managing all that alone? That’s where her close working relationship with Clinical Performance Consultants (CPCs) makes the difference.

“When I first took on a pre-reg, I realised how much I didn’t know. Like how to structure their learning, what best practice looked like, and how to balance my own clinic time. CPCs were a lifeline. They shared documents, answered my endless questions, and even helped me implement my IP qualification into practice.

When my second pre-reg started, I felt back to square one. How do I supervise two pre-regs while running my own business? CPCs stepped in and created a rota that changed everything. It allowed me to manage my time effectively, ensuring both pre-regs got the exposure they needed; not just in testing, but on the shop floor too. They also came into the store to train pre-regs on equipment, making sure they were confident and competent.

As the only resident optom in my store, I rely on CPCs as my sounding board. They’re qualified optoms who’ve run their own practices, so they understand the clinical and commercial challenges. We talk about clinical efficiency, outcomes, and conversions, because at the end of the day, we’re a business and need to sustain KPIs. They even host webinars to engage teams on topics like conversion and handovers and send a monthly newsletter with upcoming professional development dates. Even if they don’t have an answer immediately, they’ll find out for me. They’re my go-to people for anything optom or clinic-related.

Working with CPCs has taught me how to work smarter, not harder. They bring leadership, visibility, and regional insight, sharing ideas from other stores to solve common challenges. If you’re an optom who loves helping others, improving clinical standards, and making a real impact, becoming a CPC could be the perfect next step.