Bursary to help with IP course fees launched at 100% Optical

A bursary to help with the cost of independent prescriber (IP) training was launched by Scope Eyecare on the first day of 100% Optical (Saturday 25 February).

The bursary offers three prizes of £1500 towards the cost of IP training, plus five runners-up prizes of £100.

It is the second year that Scope Eyecare has run the scheme. Last year, the company received over 70 applications for three places.

The bursary is open to applications from optometrists who are currently considering applying for the IP qualification, Mandy Davidson, professional affairs manager at Scope Eyecare, shared.

“If you’re looking at doing IP, [the bursary] is to give you the encouragement to upskill,” Davidson said, “so that you can pay more back to the community.”

Those interested in applying should submit a case study of a patient they have previously managed in practice, including how they would have managed them differently if they were IP-qualified, and what the benefits would have been to that patient if it had been possible to manage them in the community.

“It is about how you are going to use it, and what you are going to use it for,” Davidson said. “Part of the judging criteria is how it is going to make a difference.”

A panel of judges will assess applications anonymously, after the application window closes on 31 May.

The judges will be looking for “a real passion for wanting to help patients,” Davidson said, adding: “It’s all about the patient, and self-development: what will it bring to your practice, your community; what will it do for you. But most of all, how is it going to benefit that patient if you can manage them in practice, rather than them having to get a bus or a taxi to the hospital to be managed.”

Davidson shared that of the three bursary winners from 2022, one has already started his IP training and the others are due to start in the near future.

“We’re following their journey, and they are going to document it for us and provide case studies,” she said.

“Scope is really passionate about helping patients,” Davidson added. “We felt that this was a way that we could support optometry and support patients at the same time.”
She added: “A lot of people struggle with IP. It’s not a cheap qualification. This is something that we can do to help with that journey.”

The bursary is not open to optometrists who have already started their IP course.

More information can be found by emailing [email protected].