Developing clinical placements for the optometrists of the future

Developing clinical placements for the optometrists of the future

Martyn Jones, head of curriculum development at the College of Optometrists, explains the benefits of the upcoming CLiP placements. He tells OT  what work is taking place to support universities and employers.

Facilitated by the College of Optometrists, Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP) placements will replace the pre-registration year for trainee optometrists. Under the GOC’s new education training (ETR) requirements. The College of Optometrists is working with 12 of the 15 Optometry programmes in the UK to deliver CLiP. With the first placements expected to take place in early 2026. Applications opening in the early months of 2025.

With just over a year to go until the first students embark on applying for CLiP placements, OT spoke to Martyn Jones, head of curriculum development at the College of Optometrists, about the benefits of this new approach to optometry education.

Traditionally, optometry students train for three or four years before graduating and beginning their pre-reg placement. This changes under the CLiP system. What is the earliest students will be being sent out on placement?

It will be at a similar stage in their studies to now, in the third or fourth year of the degree. In order to organise a system in which all CLiP placements follow a defined schedule, with only two start dates per year, it was agreed that universities would organise their programmes on one of two models.

In the first model, the student begins their placement after the first semester of their third year (starting in placement January or February) and will return to study for the last half of their fourth year after completing their placement.

The other model is for the student to begin their placement in their fourth year (starting in placement July or August) and finish near the end of the degree, with just final assessments to complete.