Optometrist

Optometrist Isla Hills needs to have an education programme in order to maintain her registration. Picture / Graeme Sedal

Name: Isla Hills
Age: 29
Role: Optometrist, Mortimer Hirst Optometrists, Auckland
Working hours: 40 hours
Average pay: start at $50,000, up to $70,000, then own business
Qualifications: Bachelor of Optometry (Auckland University)

Describe how you got this job?

When I was a new graduate I applied for a few different jobs and accepted this one and have been here ever since. Most people find their first job while studying for their final year of optometry studies.

Describe what you do?

It is quite a varied job. We do vision testing and provide glasses and contact lenses to correct vision. But also optometrists need to check the health of patient's eyes. It is very important these days and the qualification is changing scope a little, incorporating extra training about ocular therapeutics, that is medications to treat all kinds of eye conditions. That is at the fledgling stage in New Zealand at the moment.

What have you had to do to succeed at this job?

You constantly have to keep up with your continuing education, not just to be a good optometrist but to maintain your registration. It involves attending conferences and other training seminars in the evenings to keep up with what is new: new contact or spectacle lenses or ophthalmologists lecturing about eye diseases. You need to be somebody who is confident communicating with all types of people, young or old, and different language barriers, because to do an effective job you have to know what the patient is talking about.

What sort of training or experience do you need?

You need to be registered with the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board. The Bachelor of Optometry is the recognised qualification for that and in New Zealand you do that at Auckland University. When I did my degree it was four years. It is becoming a five-year degree because of the ocular therapeutic training. You need good marks to get onto the course as it is quite competitive. At the university there is an intermediate year and from the marks achieved in that year of science, students are chosen for the course. If you have done science at school, you are likely to get higher marks. Some course places are available for graduates.
What skills and qualities do you need?

Good attention to detail and a caring side. It is a health care profession, so you need empathy with people and to be willing to spend time with people. If you are dealing with a person who has a sight-threatening condition they like you to spend time and explain how it will affect them in the future.

Best part of the job?

Everyone considers their vision to be very important in their everyday activities, so correcting their vision so they can live their life the way they want and also being proactive about eye health gives a high level of satisfaction as you are making a difference for people.

Most challenging part?

Sometimes communication, just finding the best solution for your patient's needs. It does require a bit of thought sometimes, it is not as easy as you'd think.

How do you define success in this job?

If you feel you have picked up on an eye condition that might have gone unnoticed and might lead to poor vision or blindness you feel you have really helped somebody.

What are your career hopes for future?

My ultimate goal is to have my own practice.

If I wanted a job like yours how would I go about it, and what qualifications would I need?

Enrol for the Bachelor of Optometry. Most students do have a part-time job in a practice or during the holidays and it builds contacts in the industry and gives them experience.

People who are looking for a new graduate often contact the department directly. You don't normally see the jobs advertised in the paper. Ads are in the industry magazine New Zealand Optics and the New Zealand Association of Optometrists newsletter.

What advice would you have for someone contemplating a career like yours?

The optometry department at the university has a booklet about the career and degree and careers services would have that. Otherwise contact an optometrist and see what is involved. At school it's best to pursue science so you have a grounding in chemistry, biology and physics.