Daniel Green qualified as a dispensing optician (DO) in 2018 and has worked for Specsavers for ten years. He is also an optometry clinical tutor at the University of Manchester.
What do you start with every day?
The great thing about my role is the variety, no two days are ever the same. Depending on whether I’m delivering training, I could be hands on in a dispensing lab giving training and support, or I could be logging into a video call to work through some Sag formulas (for calculating the thickness of lenses). My role also sees me develop engaging Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions for the Specsavers’ annual Professional Advancement Conference (PAC) as well as our mini-PAC events.
What do you love about your job?
Sharing my passion for optics and igniting that in others is something I love doing. The best part of my job is when I’m delivering training and workshops for Cert 4, which is an optical dispensing qualification. It’s great to see the moments when it clicks for someone and for to be able to support colleagues to achieve more in an industry I enjoy.
I really enjoy our PAC and Mini-PAC events. I never thought of myself as someone who could stand up in front of so many people, but now it’s one of my favourite parts of the job. Supporting colleagues in their learning and development, and sharing experience, is so important to me. You also get to have a good catch-up with people.
What are some of the challenges?
The biggest (and best) challenge for me is to constantly push for more for myself, supporting our colleagues and for my students to be able to continually have a path to develop into. I have always been someone who thinks ‘what can I do next?’ So to be able to influence and create those pathways with such a forward-thinking company is great.
What do you do to wrap up the day and prepare for the next one?
My role tends to see me working on a course or project for periods of time. Often, the next day I’ve had an idea on how to improve it further. I also draw on my experience from being a student on many of the courses that I now run, to build and develop them for the benefit of participants.