Healthcare Assistants and Nursing Associates
Follow a number of different progression paths in a clinical environment
Healthcare Assistants (HCA’s) play a crucial role in supporting the delivery of patient care at Optical Express. Whether you are performing diagnostic testing, working as a laser technician or as part of our theatre team working directly with highly skilled Theatre Practitioners and Ophthalmic Surgeons, a career as a HCA with Optical Express is both exciting and rewarding.
Operating in our state of the art clinics across the UK and Ireland, our clinical teams are crucial to our patients’ visual outcomes and to the success of Optical Express. If you’re looking for a role that will help you continue to learn and progress, then a career as a HCA could be the stepping stone you need.
At Optical Express we’re proud of the career path we offer our teams. HCA’s can follow a number of different progression paths in a clinical environment, thanks to our learning and development programmes and the formal qualifications on offer.
The future of the clinical support workforce is set to continue to develop and change. At Optical Express, we are at the forefront of this development and, as an organisation we are ensuring that through significant investment and training, all employees have a clear pathway for progression.
We welcome applications from Registered Nursing Associates and will support you to become trained in ophthalmic theatre practice through our quality education and training programmes, specifically designed for the modern ophthalmic environment.
A Nursing Associate is a member of the nursing team that helps bridge the gap between health and Care Assistants and Registered Nurses. Nursing Associates work with people of all ages, in a variety of settings in health and social care.
The role contributes to the core work of nursing, freeing up Registered Nurses to focus on more complex clinical care. This is a stand-alone role that also provides a progression route into graduate level nursing.
Theatre Associates at Optical Express are Health Care Assistants who have completed an extensive training programme to enhance their skillset. The aim is for Theatre Associates to provide a bridge between a HCA and the Registered Practitioner.
Theatre Associates take on higher levels of responsibility and extended scope of practice subject to a robust competency training plan. The purpose of the role is to provide a high quality, safe and supportive environment in order to care for patients within the perioperative environment to meet identified care needs.
Theatre Associates within Optical Express will practice in the scrub role, directly assisting the surgeon to the same standard as a Registered Practitioner for a range of elective surgical procedures.
As a HCA at Optical Express, you will have the opportunity to complete our brand new qualification which has been launched for ophthalmic support staff. The Advanced Professional Ophthalmic Care Diploma (Level 5) will recognise the skills of Healthcare Assistants and nursing staff who work with Ophthalmic Surgeons to deliver advanced eye care.
The diploma has been designed and delivered in partnership with Healthcare Skills Training International and accredited by EduQual. This qualification is internationally recognised, allowing those who qualify to take their skills around the world.
The Advanced Professional Ophthalmic Care Diploma (Level 5) has been specifically created to meet the needs of support staff for modern ophthalmic care providers. The qualification is tailored to meet the requirements of colleagues at both Optical Express and ACES and is the first of its kind for independent providers in the UK.
To complete the diploma you will need to complete a competency-based training programme, supplemented by e-learning and formal assessments. The qualification can be achieved at your own pace, and you will have the support of mentors and the clinical education team.
