The General Optical Council (GOC) has announced that Ulster and Cardiff will be the first universities to provide undergraduate qualifications under new education and training requirements.
They will begin to teach the adapted qualifications, leading to MOptom awards, to the first students in September 2023. They will continue to deliver the BSc optometry course to the last cohort of students, who began in September 2022.
Providers of existing GOC-approved qualifications are required to submit detailed plans of how their adapted qualifications will meet the new requirements, with the GOC reviewing the changes. The standards set out the knowledge, skills and behaviours an optometrist must demonstrate.
Trainees will acquire a single qualification leading to specialist entry to the GOC register in the relevant category, rather than the present system of two approved qualifications gained either at the same time or one after the other. The updated qualifications will still be subject to routine quality assurance processes.
Samara Morgan, GOC head of education development, said: “This is an exciting time for us as we begin to see how providers of existing GOC-approved qualifications will adapt to meet the new education and training requirements.
“The adapted qualifications will ensure that all optical professionals continue to be equipped to deliver eyecare services in a rapidly changing landscape and meet the needs of patients in the future.”
Professor Kathryn Saunders, academic lead for optometry at Ulster University, said: “We look forward to commencing the new MOptom programme in September 2023 and to maintaining and enhancing Ulster University’s reputation as a provider of high-quality optometric education.”
Professor John Wild, head of the school of optometry and vision sciences at Cardiff University, said: “The school is delighted that the new MOptom qualification, commencing in September 2023, is one of the first to be noted by the GOC.
“This is an outstanding achievement for the school and is a further indication of Cardiff University as a leader of optometric education and research in Wales, the UK and internationally.”