A new direction for optometry placement provision

The FTY 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’s updated Education and Training Requirements, optometry programmes across the UK have moved to a single, integrated route to registration. In Scotland, this means students now follow a coherent five‑year master’s programme where academic learning and clinical practice are fully connected.

The emphasis shifts from task‑based completion to developing:

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

Foundation Training Year at a glance

The new FTY placement model has been introduced to support this shift. This short animation introduces why Scotland’s approach is evolving and the role of the FTY within it.  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: