Reflections on sight loss - RNIB

Career focus
Ophthalmic nursing:
A degree of change
While the advantage of professional development in ophthalmic nursing is
clear, the education path doesn’t always benefit from the same clarity.
Sarah Underwood reports that a change for the better is on the horizon
As the number of patients attending hospital
eye clinics escalates, it may seem fair to
assume that the number of suitably qualified
ophthalmic nurses who can meet their needs
is rising in proportion. In fact, this is not the
case, but the discrepancy is beginning to be
addressed by nursing degrees and
post-graduate masters courses designed for
continued professional development (CPD) in
ophthalmic nursing.
At the moment, the baseline for higher
education is low. There are only a handful of
master’s level nursing courses with
ophthalmic elements offered across the UK,
potential candidates frequently have funding
issues and may have to study in their own
time, hospitals have varying commitments to
professional development, there is no
automatic promotion for those gaining a
masters degree and, at the other end of the
spectrum, no requirement for qualified nurses
working in hospital eye clinics to have
specialist ophthalmic qualifications.
A wide variance
Mary Shaw, a senior lecturer at Manchester
University and a practising ophthalmic nurse,
says: “CPD varies widely across the UK. Some
nurses have good access to degree level
courses, then little support to go on to
masters courses, even though the Nursing and
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Midwifery Council recommends that people in
advanced roles should be educated to master’s
level.”
“Opticians can develop the
necessary skills, but it may come
down to ophthalmic nurses to
actually carry out treatment”
Yvonne Needham, a senior lecturer at the
University of Hull who has a master’s degree
with an ophthalmic focus from Manchester
Metropolitan University, and is helping to
develop an advanced practice MSc with an
ophthalmic pathway at Hull, adds: “Everyone
in ophthalmic nursing should have the basic
information and knowledge delivered by a first
degree. Beyond that, education to master’s
level means nurses can better synthesise
information and put information together to
find patient solutions when things are not
straightforward.”
Demand for skills
While some nurses seek CPD opportunities,
the development of ophthalmic services and
advances in ophthalmic nursing in themselves
demand higher levels of education. Needham
notes expanding glaucoma services in
response to guidelines on treatment from the