Pre-Registration Optometrist struggling with pre reg!!!

Need help im struggling with pre reg, just started a little while ago i feel so lost as if i dont know anything, getting kind of depressedddd, struggling with seeing patients with problems and not knowing how to handle them :frown:

any advice??? i just feel over burdened with revision, felt like i learnt nothing at uni, well uni i memorised and recited everything, never truly understood it and now im struggling :frown:

its so bad i feel mind f-kd getting lowkey depressed, would appreciate any tips or advice x

Reply 1

thatusername

5

Original post by Optom786786

Need help im struggling with pre reg, just started a little while ago i feel so lost as if i dont know anything, getting kind of depressedddd, struggling with seeing patients with problems and not knowing how to handle them :frown:

any advice??? i just feel over burdened with revision, felt like i learnt nothing at uni, well uni i memorised and recited everything, never truly understood it and now im struggling :frown:

its so bad i feel mind f-kd getting lowkey depressed, would appreciate any tips or advice x

Hi,

I'm a third-year optometry student so probably might not be of much help, but do you not have a supervisor at work that you could talk to and discuss your concerns with them? You could also try talking to other optoms at work and get some tips from them or maybe have a look at the college of optometrists clinical management guidelines because they're helpful when you're really stuck and don't know what to do with certain conditions and things like that.

Also, try and have some faith in yourself because you do know stuff otherwise you wouldn't have been able to get this far in the first place. :smile:

I'm really sorry that you feel this way at the moment as well; everything will seem hard and impossible to deal with because you're just starting off but you will definitely get there with experience -- that's what your pre-reg is there for. As for revision, just try doing a little bit every day so it doesn't build up and so that you're not putting too much pressure on yourself.

Take care.

Reply 2

a.h123

8

Original post by Optom786786

Need help im struggling with pre reg, just started a little while ago i feel so lost as if i dont know anything, getting kind of depressedddd, struggling with seeing patients with problems and not knowing how to handle them :frown:

any advice??? i just feel over burdened with revision, felt like i learnt nothing at uni, well uni i memorised and recited everything, never truly understood it and now im struggling :frown:

its so bad i feel mind f-kd getting lowkey depressed, would appreciate any tips or advice x

Couldn't imagine how you're feeling at a time like this especially with covid. But remember that you managed to pass those tough three years and you wouldn't have got to the point you are now if you didn't have the capabilities. I'm in third year at the moment too and I completely understand how you're feeling. I feel just as overwhelmed with the work load this year too but just have faith in yourself. Try and make the most of every patient episode. You're not going to know everything especially when its your training year. I know, from hearing from other optoms, that their pre reg year was the hardest. It is going to be a struggle no doubt but try your best and revise as often as you can. Ensure your time management is on point. Know the demographic of the area, what things are going to be common in that demographic. Get in as much practice as you can when you have the time. You can do it!

Reply 3

optom108

3

Hi I just wondered what you ended up doing. I’m in the exact same position right now and contemplating quitting my pre reg.

Reply 4

Optom786786

OP

3

Original post by optom108

Hi I just wondered what you ended up doing. I’m in the exact same position right now and contemplating quitting my pre reg.

Hi PM me...

I'm still still struggling.. to be honest with you it's the crap directors who hinder your chance from improving.. I'm still testing once a week and doing barely any tests.. getting all the crumbs and filling in gaps. I'm hanging on, need to complete this journey whether it take 1 year or 2, can't let these money hungry thieves destroy our careers and hinder our opportunities cos of their greed. But I'm definitely leaving after OSCEs

Reply 5

FatsR

4

How do you stop yourself getting overly emotional after each visit ? I just had my first visit in Jan and did horribly. Having my second visit soon and I still don’t have some of the competencies but I don’t want to keep postponing the visit because who knows if I will ge the 5 that I still don’t have in time. I feel like I just can’t cope. I think it’s also to do with the tough examiner I’ve got for stage 1 😭😭 I’ve been wanting to quit since my first visit.

Reply 6

Proton1235

3

Should've studied more at uni. We do eye exams several times a week on real patients just in third year.

Reply 7

Valentiumb

1

Im really struggling with pre reg as well. I feel that my supervisor is always annoyed at me and I’m pressured to sell glasses and forced to see many patients a day even though I only started a few weeks ago. How did you cope because I want to quit but don’t know what else id do.

Reply 8

Optom786786

OP

3

Original post by FatsR

How do you stop yourself getting overly emotional after each visit ? I just had my first visit in Jan and did horribly. Having my second visit soon and I still don’t have some of the competencies but I don’t want to keep postponing the visit because who knows if I will ge the 5 that I still don’t have in time. I feel like I just can’t cope. I think it’s also to do with the tough examiner I’ve got for stage 1 😭😭 I’ve been wanting to quit since my first visit.

heyy, where u from? PM me.. ngl a tough examiner makes u a better optom, stage 1 was a doss but stage 2 i fell down and got hurt real bad, started affecting my mental health, thats how bad it got :frown:

so dont worry but trust me hold on and im sure you'll be fine!! need anything or advice, just pop up anytime

Reply 9

Optom786786

OP

3

Original post by Valentiumb

Im really struggling with pre reg as well. I feel that my supervisor is always annoyed at me and I’m pressured to sell glasses and forced to see many patients a day even though I only started a few weeks ago. How did you cope because I want to quit but don’t know what else id do.

you have to be a yes person in pre reg and just agree to what ur supervisor says. just keep going with it and just suck it up, youre cheap labour, the whole purpose is to use you and abuse you, really feel abused throughout this journey, but quitting or going somewhere else isnt really gonna change anything, the process does make u miserable, but that misery only lasts throughout pre reg, praying for the best for us all lol

Reply 10

Kathy89

20

Hi.

I am an optometrist from Israel, it is a bit different here but we all go through some difficulties during the learning and practicing part.

I'll be glad to help wherever I can, feel free to PM me.

Reply 11

Inkys

2

Original post by Proton1235

Should've studied more at uni. We do eye exams several times a week on real patients just in third year.

What uni are you attending?

Reply 12

opto_101

4

hey guys, how are you all getting on with your optometry pre-reg. I honestly still hate it, i hate everyhting about the job, i find it so mundane and boring. I just don't have the passion or motivation for this pre-reg year and it's so hard to know what to do.

Bump!

Original post by opto_101

hey guys, how are you all getting on with your optometry pre-reg. I honestly still hate it, i hate everyhting about the job, i find it so mundane and boring. I just don't have the passion or motivation for this pre-reg year and it's so hard to know what to do.

Do you think if you were in/with a different store/supervisor, you would feel better?

Reply 15

Nahm3d

4

I'm starting my prereg tomorrow and this thread honestly makes me sad and not to mention i decided to relocate so now I don't even have my mum to hug lol. hopefully we end up on top but we need to stop doubting ourselves first.

Reply 16

Inkys

2

Original post by Nahm3d

I'm starting my prereg tomorrow and this thread honestly makes me sad and not to mention i decided to relocate so now I don't even have my mum to hug lol. hopefully we end up on top but we need to stop doubting ourselves first.

Don't feel dismayed. Go in with a positive attitude, and you will ace it. Do some study everyday to help and you will naturally excel. You can always Facetime your family at lunch :wink:

Reply 17

optom108

3

I’ve been inactive on here for a while it gets better currently on stage 2 regular testing you start feeling way more confident with patients+it’s so rewarding at the end when the patients tell you they’re happy with ‘such a thorough test’ yeah just keep on top of revision the more exposure you get to different patients the more natural it comes including pathologies etc

Original post by Inkys

Don't feel dismayed. Go in with a positive attitude, and you will ace it. Do some study everyday to help and you will naturally excel. You can always Facetime your family at lunch :wink:

Reply 18

Stargazer134

1

Original post by Optom786786

Need help im struggling with pre reg, just started a little while ago i feel so lost as if i dont know anything, getting kind of depressedddd, struggling with seeing patients with problems and not knowing how to handle them :frown:

any advice??? i just feel over burdened with revision, felt like i learnt nothing at uni, well uni i memorised and recited everything, never truly understood it and now im struggling :frown:

its so bad i feel mind f-kd getting lowkey depressed, would appreciate any tips or advice x