Q+A with UTS Orthoptics student

During my time in Orthoptics, I’ve done quite a few placements to date.  I've gone to Mount Druitt Hospital, Bankstown Hospital, Blacktown, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney Eye Hospital, and then a lot of little private clinics like Hunter Street, McCorey Street and Nepean Valley Eye Surgeons. Every week, you're based in a new place, but then there are a few places which you go to at least 4 times, and they're your major block assessments. It's great because you really get a great mix of everything.

I think the biggest highlight was when I was at Mount Druitt Hospital. That was actually my major assessment place, and it's a stroke ward.  On this particular placement we treat people that have just had a stroke, and assess their vision. It’s been a real high-point for me because I didn't know I was interested in stroke. In the minute I was kind of hesitant, but I think I've learnt the most out of it, because you're working with people that are injured and providing them support. Whereas all the other placements I’ve been to, everyone's fine, fit, and healthy and getting check-ups. At the stroke ward I’m presented with patients who have complete vision loss, or double vision. It was really interesting and I think I've learnt a lot!

The benefits of a practice-based degree are that I already feel like I'm ready to start working. I'm not going to hesitate and think "I don't know how to do it."

Where I suppose other universities, they're all theory-based. I've spoken to a lot of supervisors on placements, and they're telling me that when they did their degrees, it was more theory-based, and when they started working, they had to learn on the job.            

From my experience so far, I feel the UTS approach is the best way to learn because when you're just observing, you can watch all you like, but it's different when you start doing it.            

On placements, you can't just sit down and say, "oh, it’s okay, the supervisor will take care of me." You have to work for yourself, work it out, and you feel happier with yourself when you do it.

My future career goal is to become an interactive Orthoptist, one that continues to work in conjunction with many other health professionals for the benefit of my future patients.

A piece of advice for future students looking to study a master’s degree at UTS Orthoptics is to practice a lot! 

Don't just rely on the set practical 2-hour time that exposes you to the equipment and resources. Keep coming back into UTS outside of your regular hours, stay back, practice and keep revising because you're not just ‘learning’ content to pass the test. You are learning what you will actually be practising in your career and you have to keep on top of it. You have to keep everything fresh. Don't just learn something in your first year semester and think you can forget it. You have to keep revising. Even now in second year, I'm going over my first year content