New Postgraduate Diploma in the Advanced Practice of Clinical Eyecare
The Optometry Discipline at the School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences in TU Dublin is proud to have commenced its new Postgraduate Diploma in the Advanced Practice of Clinical Eyecare this week, kicking off with the first online lecture in Module 1 (Acute and Emergency Eyecare) on Tuesday 28th January. The first students to study the programme were welcomed by Programme Coordinator and Head of Optometry Declan Hovenden, Module Coordinator Dr. Michael Moore, as well as Dr. Catriona Barrett and Dr. Matt Sheehan who will lead following modules in Glaucoma and Cataract Care. The programme will run on a part-time basis over two years.
The delivery of this programme, the first of its kind in Ireland, is the culmination of several years of planning and designing the programme, academic validation, and course content development. The motivation for all of this work has been the ambition to see improvement in how eyecare is delivered in Ireland and to empower eyecare professionals, particularly Optometrists, to expand their scope of practice and better serve their patients.
The programme is designed to:
- be Fit for the Irish context i.e. the eyecare and healthcare ecosystem within which we practice and deliver eyecare
- be Future Focussed – preparing graduates to be prepared to adapt to the ever-changing healthcare landscape including initiatives like Slaintecare, new technologies, and expanded scope of practice
- be Faithful to the values and quality of eyecare in Ireland, particularly the high-standard optometric care that has been delivered to the Irish public for decades
- Follow the principles and pillars of Advanced Practice as set out by the HSE Advanced Practice Framework and to embed these into each module.
- put patients First: a patient-centric approach is a guiding principle underpinning the entire programme.