Senior orthoptist — Maddie Ellis

Maddie studied for a degree in biology before deciding to train as an orthoptist. Find out more about her role, what she enjoys most and the challenges

How did you get your job?

I studied a three-year orthoptics course as a second degree and graduated with a BMedSci Orthoptics. After graduation, I worked for a year in an orthoptist role before moving into my current senior orthoptist position at Leeds NHS Trust.

What's a typical working day like?

I see a variety of patients of different ages in the orthoptic clinic. We run various clinics jointly with our colleagues, such as ophthalmologists and optometrists, as well as independent orthoptic clinics.

I normally start work at 8am (great for beating morning traffic) and finish somewhere between 4pm and 6pm. The schedule for clinics during the week is varied and there is a good mix of different types of patients.

I work closely with my colleagues and currently work in quite a large team, which is great as everybody has different levels and areas of experience. We also cover paediatric community clinics, as well as working in the main hospital. 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Seeing patients is probably the part I enjoy the most; in paediatrics especially, it can really make your day to see a child enjoying their appointment. Also, in orthoptics we are able to improve outcomes in a large proportion of cases, which is very satisfying.

You can have a good work-life balance and there are also plenty of further development and study opportunities when you progress in your career.

What are the challenges?

There is a lot to learn, even after you graduate, so you have to be active in keeping up your own professional development and taking responsibility for your own learning. Membership of the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) is useful for this. Working in a varied team with different schedules also needs some flexibility and willingness to adapt.

In what way is your degree relevant?

I use my degree every day - it is a biomedical science degree that you must have to be able to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and work as an orthoptist. I did this as my second degree, after studying biology as my first degree, and I am really glad I found a profession such as orthoptics to train into. I think it’s also a really good profession to go into as a mature student, as you can bring some of your life experience to the role. 

How has your role developed and what are your career ambitions?

I have moved into a more autonomous role in my current position after gaining some post-graduate experience. I am keen to continue developing my skills and would also like to undertake Masters modules in the future. I am also keen to look at research opportunities in the future.

What advice can you give to others wanting to get into this job?

• Try orthoptics - see if you can shadow an orthoptist in a local hospital department; most are more than happy to have work experience students.
• Read about the study options - there are three-year full-time degrees and Masters courses available (and you can study orthoptics as a second degree). Discover why orthoptics is different from optometry and ophthalmology and see if you like the content.

Find out more

• Read all about being an orthoptist.
• Take a look at the healthcare sector.