Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 February saw the annual three-day Graduate Induction warmly welcome 74 newly minted graduate optometrists to Specsavers in its February graduate intake. A second Graduate Induction for the year will take place in July when a further 40 graduates are expected to join.
Over the course of the three days at the Specsavers Port Melbourne Support Office, the group was equipped with information and advice to support them through the first two years of their careers, including tips on communication, working within a team, and establishing an effective clinical routine.
Through a combination of presentations and fun team activities, the graduates learned about Specsavers’ vision of providing affordable, high-quality eye care to everyone, and commitment to clinical excellence through use of state-of-the-art ophthalmic equipment and ongoing professional development.
They spent time with several members of Specsavers’ Optometry Support Team – including Peter Larsen (Optometry Director), Dr Ben Ashby (Optometry Development Manager) and Naomi Barber (Optometry Development Consultant) – as well as Garry Fitzpatrick, a three-term OBA Board Member.
The group also learned about Specsavers’ strong patient and customer focus and the Community Program, which involves ongoing fundraising initiatives to benefit local charities and The Fred Hollows Foundation. In partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation, Specsavers holds an annual Outreach Program, which provides graduates with the unique opportunity to travel overseas to improve their skills in underdeveloped countries.
Several mini competitions were held as part of the induction, with prizes awarded for the top presentations summarising the event’s learning outcomes and the best photos taken each day. A ‘My Region Rules’ competition gave the graduates the chance to get to know their regional Specsavers representatives and learn more about the locations in which they are practicing.
On the Tuesday night, the graduates also socialised with their peers and the Specsavers Graduate Support Team while enjoying stunning views of the Melbourne skyline at a cocktail function held in Eureka 89, one of the tallest buildings in Australia.
Once again the Graduate Program team have put on an exemplary event, led by Madonna Hampson and Tina Adel (Professional Development Managers) alongside Sophie Stephan (Graduate Optometry Development Manager). Over the three days they managed to successfully blend a state-of-the-art business and clinical induction with networking and team-building – while mapping out clearly the coming two-year Graduate Program that all attendees have now embarked upon.
For more information on the Graduate Induction and Specsavers Graduate Program, Madonna, Tina and Sophie can be contacted directly on anz.professionaldevelopment@specsavers.com
