Professionalism and Professional Standards for Optometrists and Opticians

About this course

Professionalism in optical practice is visible in everyday actions: how a registrant introduces themselves, supervises a pre-registration student, delegates to an optical assistant, communicates with a GP about a referral, responds to a difficult customer, handles business targets, keeps skills up to date and behaves online. The General Optical Council's standards for registrants, students and businesses, updated with effect from 1 January 2025, set out what is expected.

This course explains what professionalism means for optometrists and opticians, the GOC's role, the core principles of professional practice, how the standards apply to competence, safety, communication and public confidence, professional boundaries in commercial and digital settings, what happens when standards are breached, and how professionalism protects fitness to practise.

CPD Value and How to Record It:

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

• Define professionalism in optical practice and explain why it matters.
• Describe the GOC's role, registration, indemnity and CPD requirements.
• Apply the core principles of professionalism, including supervision and teamwork.
• Maintain competence and quality in NHS, enhanced and private services.
• Manage commercial pressures, digital practice and challenging behaviour professionally.
• Understand fitness to practise, early warning signs and conduct during an investigation.
• Build resilient, preventative professional habits.

Who this course is for

Optometrists, dispensing opticians, contact lens opticians, independent prescribers, student registrants, supervisors and practice owners or managers who are registrants.

Course content

9 sections · 2 CPD hours · 15 MCQs

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 CPD hours (estimated learning time, including reflection and assessment); record the time and reflection in your GOC CPD record

Format

Self-paced reading with optical workplace cases, reflection points and a written reflective account

Standards covered

GOC Standards of Practice, Standards for Optical Students and Standards for Optical Businesses (updated 1 January 2025); CPD requirements; Opticians Act 1989; NHS eye care arrangements; fitness to practise

Assessment

15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions; pass mark 12 out of 15 (80%)

Questions about this course