A new direction for optometry placement provision

The Foundation Training Year represents a significant shift in how optometry placements will be delivered in Scotland. It is built around a clear ambition:

This ambition will be realised through a model that:

• • • embeds learning within real clinical practice,
    • strengthens the link between academic learning and patient care, and
    • develops optometrists who are confident, capable and ready to contribute from day one.

What’s changing and why it matters

Following the GOC changes, optometry courses in the UK have moved to a single, integrated route to registration. This marks a significant shift.

Rather than separating academic study from clinical training, optometry students in Scotland now follow one coherent five‑year master’s programme, where learning and practice are woven together throughout.

The focus moves away from task completion and towards developing:

• • • clinical reasoning and decision‑making,
    • professional judgement, and
    • the ability to respond to increasingly complex patient needs.

Foundation Training Year at a glance

To support this change, a new model of placement provision has been introduced; the Foundation Training Year. This short animation introduces why optometry placement provision in Scotland is evolving, and the role the FTY will play. It’s the first in a series of short videos that will explore what these changes mean in practice, for students, supervisors, and the wider optometry profession.

🎥 Let’s take a look at how Scotland is transforming optometry placement provision: