What makes Scotland’s model different?

Scotland’s approach goes beyond the UK wide regulatory changes, introducing a distinctive, nationally supported model with several key differences: 

✔️ Independent Prescribing embedded from the outset 

Independent Prescribing (IP) is fully embedded within the undergraduate curriculum. 

Students: 

• build prescribing knowledge and skills progressively across all five years
• graduate and register as IP qualified optometrists

This is a major point of difference from other UK nations. 

✔️ A student-based, not employee-based training model 

During the FTY, students remain enrolled as university students rather than employees in practice.  This positions the year clearly as a supported educational experience, not employment.  

This is a significant structural difference from traditional models elsewhere in the UK. 

✔️ Scottish Government funded bursary 

As the FTY is a student-based year, the Scottish Government provides funding to support the fifth-year placements. This: 

• supports protected development time
• removes the need for students to be employed during training
• enables national coordination of placements 

✔️ A nationally coordinated placement year 

The FTY is: 

• nationally coordinated
• supported by NES
• delivered through approved placement providers across Scotland  

This ensures a structured, quality assured national model rather than individual arrangements between graduates and employers.