My two-year term as the New Graduate Representative for BIOS has sadly come to an end and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported me in this role. Starting out, it was an eye-opening experience to get in touch with all the other new graduates and share our experiences. This position opened many opportunities for me, such as attending careers fairs in Birmingham and inspiring school children to follow healthcare and Orthoptics as a career choice. I have also attended strategy days for the SIHED campaign “I See the Difference”.

This has been an amazing experience and I have witnessed so many healthcare professionals invest so much time and effort into promoting the professions that they love. You can see more of what they do at www.iseethedifference.co.uk or find them on Instagram and Twitter @icthedifference. The work they have done has really helped to boost the awareness of vulnerable professions and improve recruitment rates.

The preceptorship document was produced last year and has been distributed to universities and orthoptic departments nation-wide, with the aim of ensuring all new graduates feel supported in starting their career, and encouraging them to be the best practitioner they can be. It is coming up to being a full year since it was first released and myself and Public Health Lead, Jigs Mehta are looking into reviewing the document and getting feedback from new graduates and their mentors as to how effective the document was for them. Watch this space for an opportunity to get involved!

I would like to say a huge thankyou to the BIOS council for being so warm and welcoming throughout the two years. Feeling a little (a lot!) out of my depth when I started, they made it easy to feel relaxed, ask for help and get involved. I could not have asked for a better team.

I would also like to thank the new graduate network. Without you, I would not have been able to produce a preceptorship that was based on real experiences from current new graduates. I am so grateful for all your feedback, volunteering and support. By taking part in careers and promotional events you have contributed to the voice of Orthoptics when it needed it most. I have loved working with you all and I’m sure we will bump into each other in the future.

I would to wish the best of luck to the next New Graduate Representative – enjoy it!

Martha Rose Waters