One store. Many milestones.

Learning while studying

When Oliver joined Specsavers as an optical assistant in 2017, he was also starting university. Since then, he’s progressed from optical assistant to optometrist, completed his pre-registration year and recently achieved his Independent Prescribing qualification. Along the way, he’s remained part of the same store team.

For Oliver, working in store alongside his degree helped him develop skills that supported him throughout university and into pre-reg.

"Working in store was a great way to build my confidence with dispensing skills which helped a lot in university. It was also really helpful to break out of my shell a bit and develop my communication skills so I was prepared for pre-reg."

The value of a supportive team

After graduating, Oliver accepted a pre-registration position at the store where he had already spent years learning and developing. Pre-reg can be a busy and challenging time, but having the support of a familiar team helped.

"Pre-reg is always a difficult and busy time. Working in a store where I felt comfortable and had the support of my colleagues made all the difference."

Looking back, Oliver says staying with the same team throughout his journey has played an important role in his development.

"Having the consistency of working in the same team throughout this journey has made it easier to learn new things and kept me ready for new opportunities."

Expanding clinical skills

Most recently, Oliver completed his Independent Prescribing qualification.

For him, the qualification creates more opportunities to support patients with eye conditions closer to home.

"Independent prescribing opens up so many more options for managing eye conditions and patients really appreciate the convenience of being managed locally."

As part of the qualification, he also completed a clinical placement within the hospital eye service.

"The clinical placement was an opportunity to see things from a new perspective in the hospital eye service."

Sharing what he's learned

Oliver has also had opportunities to support pre-registration optometrists as a secondary supervisor.

"I have had the opportunity to supervise a handful of times and found it enjoyable. It's a great way to share the knowledge I have built over the years."

A reminder of how far he's come

One of the highlights of Oliver's career has been being recognised by patients who have followed his journey over the years.

"Recently I have enjoyed being recognised by patients who I have seen as both an OA and an optometrist. It feels good to be remembered and reminds me how far I have come since starting here."

His advice to students and newly qualified optometrists is to embrace new experiences and challenges.

"It is great to break out of your comfort zone. There is a lot to learn from situations which at first seem uncomfortable or daunting. Building confidence and