Critical incidents described by new optometry graduates

Abstract

Background: In the process of developing competency standards for entry-level to the profession of optometry, the critical incident technique was used with new graduates to ensure that there were no omissions from the standards developed in workshops. The information gained from these incidents also provides insights into the experiences and difficulties of new graduates as they make the transition from student to optometrist. Methods: The critical incident technique was used to obtain information from recent optometry graduates by means of telephone interview and questionnaire. Thirty per cent of 1991 Australian optometry graduates were interviewed. Optometrists were requested to provide details about a demanding incident for which the outcome was clearly satisfactory or unsatisfactory or one which captured the ‘essence’ of optometry. The incidents were then considered for the systems involved (for example, retina, lens), the problems experienced by the patient and the optometrist, the skills required by the optometrist, the attitude of the optometrist and what was learned from the incident. Results: The incidents that caused the greatest concern to new graduates were those which involved referral of the patient particularly with respect to the urgency of the referral. Other frequently occurring incidents involved some degree of vision loss, difficulties with the behaviour of the patient, choice or availability of ophthalmologist and issues relating to communication. Conclusion: Critical incident interviews and questionnaires can assist in determining the difficulties experienced by new optometrists and can provide useful information to employers and educators. The incidents showed that the major area of concern was the urgency of referral, reflecting the inexperience and lack of exposure of new graduates to ocular conditions. (Clin Exp Optom 1995; 78: 6: 227–235)