ABDO student revision booster at the NRC

Katharine with fellow student, Emelye, and ABDO’s Dean Dunning

Now in its eighth year, the 2024 ABDO Student Revision Event – held on 13 and 14 February at the ABDO National Resource Centre (NRC) – proved once again the value of face-to-face, practical revision support for final-year FBDO students.

Sponsored by Stepper UK, the ABDO Student Revision Event is designed to help students prepare for Unit 12 of the Level 6 Diploma in Ophthalmic Dispensing (2015 syllabus) and includes a number of workshops specifically tailored to each of the examination sections.

Organised by Miranda Richardson, ABDO head of professional qualifications and education, it is the only revision event delivered by the ABDO Examinations Department utilising the skills and expertise of ABDO practical examiners. This was also the first year the event was held at the Association’s own state-of-the-art training and education facility in Birmingham.

Informative and confidence-building

One of the attendees was Katharine Martin, a third-year student studying the BSc Honours degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing at ABDO College.

“I jumped at the chance to secure a place for the revision event when we were first informed about it last November,” said Katharine, who works for Specsavers in her home town of Doncaster. “I absolutely loved it.”

“The event was really informative and I came away feeling a lot more confident and prepared for the FQEs in the summer,” Katharine continued. “We covered each section of the exams in great detail – and the examiners were available throughout to answer students’ questions or offer support and advice. All of the examiners were friendly, welcoming and approachable, which is so important when dealing with nervous third-year students.”

Katharine also praised the “relaxed with a calm atmosphere” of the event – highlighting a Q&A session on the Professional Qualifying Portfolio run by Miranda Richardson.

“This was particularly educational and an invaluable opportunity for students to ask questions about their case records in preparation for submission on 31 March,” she explained.

With lunchboxes provided on both days, along with a selection of homemade cakes, sweet treats (including vegan options) and fruit, the students were well catered for.

“We certainly weren’t left feeling hungry,” Katharine added. “I was amazed at the choice and felt that a lot of time and effort had gone into planning the event for us all. We were also able to rehydrate as a water dispenser was available, and enjoy complimentary hot drinks throughout the day via the machines.

“I would highly recommend future third-year students attend this event. It has helped me gain clarity into what is expected of me on exam day, and how best to prepare between now and the summer when I sit my practical exams,” Katharine concluded.

Students upbeat and engaged

Miranda Richardson commented: “It was lovely to deliver the event at the ABDO NRC, and both lectures and practical workshops over the two days worked very well. I would like to thank the examiners and staff at the NRC, who were all instrumental in delivering a relaxed but informative event. The students were a pleasure to work alongside; very engaged and professional and a credit to their training institutes. They used all the time available in each section to help in preparation of their FQEs.”

ABDO president Daryl Newsome, who supported the event as a practical examiner, added: “The students were engaged and the atmosphere was genuinely very upbeat. I have never done one of these events when I haven’t learned something from the students whilst also trying to help them revise their syllabus.

“My advice to these students going forwards is to get involved with their profession, commit to life-long learning, be a proud dispensing optician, challenge anything the think is wrong, and be ambassadors for ABDO. I thank Miranda and Dean for producing another fantastic experience for all involved, and wish all students the best of luck for their examinations in the summer,” added Daryl.

The next ABDO Student Revision Event will take place in February 2025.