Becoming a dispensing optician or optometrist gives you a range of options for your career. Some people may enjoy the clinical side of the role, while others may like to focus on management and retail. If you would like to have control over all aspects of the business, have you thought about running your own optical practice? You can discover more about running a practice at the ABDO Become an Independent Optician twilight session. This event is free of charge…
If your school or college is putting on a careers fair, it's worth thinking about what to ask before you go. A careers fair gives you the chance to speak to someone already working in a role. It's a great chance to get an inside take on a number of different jobs. Planning your questions ahead can help so what should you ask? Here are some ideas to get you thinking. Before you go, look at the list of attendees.…
May and June are stressful months if you have exams, and anxiety can hold you back from doing your best in your exams. Read on for some simple tips to help you stay on top of anxiety. Remember, it's normal to feel stressed and anxious about exams. Even if your friends and classmates seem calm, they are probably nervous inside. A little bit of adrenaline can help your performance, but you also need some tools to help you stay cool.…
Exams are starting and the pressure is hotting up to keep on revising. Here are some tips on how to revise when time is short. Use any spare moments for revision. Make the most of bus trips or the moments while you are waiting for the kettle to boil.Practise regularly - every day is better than once a week. Keep cards of key facts in your pocket or bag so you can review them regularly. Arrange your revision into short…
By Mark Nevey, FBDO The pressures of studying can be challenging at the best of times and working towards the DO diploma or degree is no different. When challenges present themselves in your personal life, it can make studying feel even harder. However, support is always at hand. I experienced such a challenge first-hand when I undertook the second year of my DO diploma at ABDO College and my wife and I discovered that we were pregnant with our first…
By Mark Nevey FBDO on behalf of ABDO College In a previous artucle, we discussed some of the ways to overcome having a weakness in written English. We focused specifically on when English is your second language, or if you have dyslexia. In this issue, we look at tips on how to deal with maths when you’ve always struggled with it. In some ways, having difficulties with the maths involved in the DO course can be more detrimental to your…
By Mark Nevey FBDO on behalf of ABDO College When you begin studying for a new vocation, there is inevitably a certain amount of writing involved, and courses at ABDO College are no different. Whilst some people thrive on writing tasks, it’s fair to say that many find it a chore. For some, faced with a first essay, it can seem an impossible task. Dyslexia sufferers or students with English as their second language may find the prospect daunting. Anxiety…
Deepali is a student dispensing optician (DO) with Specsavers, and is in the final year of her ophthalmic dispensing course at ABDO College. She combines a full time job with online study and block release. Read on to find out more about her day. As a student DO, I spend my day dispensing a variety of patients, from elderly to children. Within that, I dispense a variety of prescription lenses such a single vision, varifocals, occupational lenses and bifocals. I also…
Matthew is a student dispensing optician (DO) in the final year of his ophthalmic dispensing course at ABDO College. Read on to find out about life as a DO and how Matthew combines study with work. I would say there is no typical day as a dispensing optician. Of course, there is routine in terms of dispensing patients after their eye examination, checking spectacles ensuring they meet British standards, assessing why a patient is not getting on with their spectacles…
Luke works in practice as a dispensing optician (DO) in an opticians practice, dispensing spectacles and pre-testing patients before their eye examination. He is also studying to become an optometrist on block release. Read on to find out more about his day. What do you start with every day? I wake up at 6:30am, go for a short run and then come home and eat breakfast, the most important meal of the day! I watch the news on TV before getting…