Nikita Nandoskar
The course is goal-orientated and provides a strong platform for you to enter the workforce.
Tell us about yourself
I was born and raised in Sydney and I have not yet found a more perfect balance of beach, bushland and brunch! While growing up my interests shifted between dancing, painting, swimming and archery – yet my love for health science remained strong.
While completing my Bachelor’s degree in Medical Sciences, I also worked in hospitality, retail and accounting, which helped me understand my passion for working with people. It was not until I became a volunteer at St John Ambulance Service that I knew my interests and skills could be combined into a career.
What are you passionate about?
I have always had an interest in human vision and its intricacies and wanted to work in a field that could constantly teach me new things. I also enjoy meeting new people and have a passion for increasing access to health services for disadvantaged communities. I believe patient education is a critical part of the treatment process and being able to encourage people to take initiative with their own eye health is extremely rewarding. It is crazy to see how many people think glasses are the only solution to improving vision and I’d love to play a role in clearing this misconception.
What inspired you to study a Master of Orthoptics?
I wanted to refine my clinical skills and enter a field of expertise where I could treat and educate patients about topics I found interesting. After conducting some research and getting in touch with current clinicians, I discovered that Orthoptics could offer me opportunities for one on one patient interactions, job satisfaction and the flexibility to grow and travel within an evolving field.
Why did you choose to study at UTS?
UTS is focussed on developing future industry leaders and being a young university, their passion for including the latest eye health research into our course work was inspiring and exciting. The university emphasises the importance of evidence-based learning and understands the value of hands-on experience.
What is the most rewarding aspect of the course?
By far the most rewarding aspect of my course was the opportunity to travel to Darwin for placement. UTS allowed me to delve into my interests by conducting a 4-week placement at Royal Darwin Hospital. I was exposed to rare and interesting ocular cases, given a unique perspective on the impact of COVID-19 and encouraged to feel a part of the Ophthalmic team!
What do you hope to achieve in the future?
I hope to enter the hospital setting and contribute towards bridging the gap in rural Australian eye health care. This would also allow me to work with leading eye specialists, increase the exposure of our niche field and constantly challenge me to improve my skills. Our clinicians offer a unique expertise and so I would like to encourage health professionals to consider our role in patient management.
What advice do you have for students who are considering the Master of Orthoptics?
The course is goal-orientated and provides a strong platform for you to enter the workforce. There is a large variety of opportunities within the profession and a growing demand for our skills in this digital era.
My name is Nikita and I'm studying the Master of Orthoptics at UTS. I grew up in Sydney and I've always had an interest in science. I studied all the way through high school and I did my undergraduate in medical science. So I've always had a passion for that field.
My understanding of Orthoptics was that it's a form of eye therapy. And since doing the course, I've learned that the field's much broader than that, and they deal with pre and post-operative care and lots of diagnostic roles as well. The role is also expanded to treating pathological conditions in eyecare. Orthoptics has been a really exciting experience.
The profession allows me to merge my two interests in science and patient care. I get to work with the patients one-on-one and it's a really good field for me to be able to give back to the community, through helping people.
My interest in Orthoptics first sparked when my brother was receiving treatment as a child, as I continued the course, it was really interesting to see how the pathology behind his condition and how we treat children is through games and through fun activities but it's actually a way to maintain the child's vision.
The master of orthoptics is a two year postgraduate course. They combine your theoretical classes with placement while you're completing the course. So it's a really good way to apply what you're learning in the classroom into the field almost immediately.
I am passionate about rural and remote patient care. I had the opportunity recently to go to Royal Darwin hospital for placement. And in the month that I was there, we were able to treat patients as if we were clinicians and supported by the entire hospital staff. And it was a really wonderful opportunity to see conditions that you wouldn't necessarily see in a metropolitan setting like Sydney.
The job prospects for orthoptics range, from research to working in private clinics or in public hospitals and for Orthoptists at the moment with an ageing population, there's an increasing demand for us in the field.
My advice to students, if they have an interest in patient care and an interest in science, this is a beautiful way to merge those two industries and, uh, definitely apply.
Find out more about studying Orthoptics at UTS
