Forty new optometrists have entered the workforce as part of the first cohort of optometry students graduating from the Doctor of Optometry program at The University of Western Australia (UWA) in December 2023.
Professor Allison McKendrick teaches optometry to UWA Doctor of Optometry students
As the graduates read their Declaration of Professional Dedication, they solemnly promised to ‘practice the art and science of optometry with due care and with the conduct becoming of an optometrist’. An air of excitement and anticipation filled the room as the students celebrated their graduation, and rightly so given that the program boasted a 100 per cent employment rate for graduates with 90 per cent of them choosing to remain in Western Australia.
The Lions Eye Institute, a pivotal foundation partner, supports the program educating Western Australia’s future optometrists. The first cohort commenced their post-graduate Doctor of Optometry studies in 2021, the course being the country’s newest optometry training course and a first in Western Australia.
The program features an innovative curriculum, outback and overseas clinical placements and opportunities to collaborate with the Lions Eye Institute as a foundation partner. This is one of the key factors that sets the program apart, making it a joint venture between optometry and ophthalmology. Optometric research is also embedded in the program, with Professor Allison McKendrick appointed in November 2022 as the Lions Eye Institute UWA Chair in Optometry Research.
Professor Garry Fitzpatrick, foundation head of optometry at UWA said “The program primarily attracts students from Western Australia, usually from a biomedical science or medical science undergraduate degree. As of early 2024, the program is thriving, with significant demand for enrolment, including growing demand from international students. We expect to average around 50 students per year.”
Valedictorian of the course, Dr Pariya Ghanbari, addressed the audience after the conferral of awards at the graduation ceremony. She said:
“As we leave UWA, let’s view it as a magnificent sunset, leading to the sunrise of our future adventures, filled with new challenges, achievements and endless possibilities.”
The first cohort of University of Western Australia Doctor of Optometry graduates, 2023
