The General Optical Council (GOC) has appointed a new Chair and Deputy Chairs to oversee its CET (Continuing Education and Training) panel of approvers.
Kathy Morrison will be replacing Gordon Carson as the Chair of CET Approvers. She is the joint Programme Director of Optometry in NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and works as an independent prescribing optometrist in the community. She has previously taught at undergraduate level at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Andrew J Elder Smith will be joining as a Deputy Chair of CET Approvers. He currently works as a clinical tutor at the universities of Bradford and Manchester and as a contact lens specialist optometrist at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. He ran his own practice for 18 years and, since selling it, has worked as a professional services consultant to several contact lens manufacturers developing and running training programmes and CET materials.
Catherine Porter will be joining as a Deputy Chair of CET Approvers. She is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester and has been training undergraduate optometrists for nearly 20 years. She holds a PGCert in Higher Education and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Catherine frequently delivers CET to qualified optometrists as well as teaching on courses to help pre-registration optometrists pass their Common Final Assessment.
Gordon Carson will be leaving his post as Chair of CET Approvers after joining as the Chair in 2004. He will remain in his post until the end of this year to handover his role to Kathy.
Paying tribute to Gordon, GOC Chair Gareth Hadley said, “Gordon has made a seminal contribution to professional training and development over the past 14 years. We are grateful for all he has done to maintain and drive forward standards of eye care and we wish him well for the future.
“Our new appointees have a wealth of experience and expertise, and I’m confident they will continue Gordon’s fine work as the optical professions change in the future.”