Paul joined us at Optical Express in 2016, working as an optometrist in our state of the art clinic in Aberdeen. Now active within the Clinical Services team, which provides day-to-day support and guidance to all Optical Express optometrists and surgeons, he enjoys a varied role which is split between supporting optometry teams from our head office in Glasgow and delivering eye care services to patients from our clinic.
“I work in Clinical Services some days of the week and in other days we come into the clinic. Clinical Services can range from working on the hotline, so optometrists from across the company can email in or phone in asking for clinical advice,” Paul explains. This mixture of responsibilities, ranging from delivering high-quality patient care to providing guidance and support to eye care professionals, means that his working days are both challenging and stimulating. “You’re kept on your toes and I don’t think anyone ever gets complacent. There’s always something you can be doing or something else you can be learning,” he says.
Since joining us in 2016, Paul has been continuously impressed by the advanced equipment that is available at Optical Express. Ranging from OCTs and IOL Masters to Pentacam systems, every clinic is fitted with advanced technology to ensure that all optometrists can cater a full spectrum of vision problems and deliver outstanding clinical outcomes to patients. “I work with the best technology I have seen, better than I think in some hospitals. I didn’t even know about some of these ones when studying at university, so coming here and seeing what is actually available to assess the eye, it makes my job very interesting,” he comments.
Optical Express’s increased focus on sustainability in recent years is a development that Paul fully supports. Finding that patients are becoming more and more environmentally-conscious, he is delighted to be in a position where he can help them make more informed and sustainable vision correction choices. “I think there’s been a lot of positive changes at Optical Express. We now have recycling centres in each clinic and there’s also a big push on educating patients,” Paul says. “I’ve had patients that ask me ‘What can we do to change or help combat environmental change?’. That’s a really good alleyway we can go down to discuss surgery because that is an option, another avenue they can explore to help combat climate change,” he continues.
What would Paul say to an optometrist who is considering a career at Optical Express? “I think you’ll really enjoy it. It’s a steep learning curve, but when you do learn and you’re comfortable in your job, I think it’s a great place to work to be completely honest. Work-life balance is good, particularly working in head office is great because you’ve got Glasgow City Centre at your doorstep. As soon as you finish work you can go for a beer with colleagues or you’re a stone’s throw away from the gym.” Are you ready to take on a new challenge? From enjoying a varied working day to being able to maintain a healthy work-life balance, you’ll find a career at Optical Express more satisfying than you ever imagined. View our latest vacancies now and develop your career with the UK’s leading refractive surgery provider.
