Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

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We have an exciting opportunity to extend our orthoptic teaching lead role by 9 hours a week, and are inviting applications from orthoptists to work with our current teaching lead to support and develop teaching within the department. The role is fundamental to developing our current team, and supporting the training of orthoptic and other health profession students. 

In addition to clinical work in a wide variety of orthoptic clinics, the teaching leads organise, oversee and support high quality clinical placements for orthoptic students from Liverpool, Sheffield and UCL Universities. Ensuring that the university requirements, the Safe Learning Charter and the individual students needs are met, and that the orthoptic tutors are supported. The teaching leads also organise and support our departmental teaching programme, medical students teaching and observation sessions for a wide variety of health care professionals. Our teaching lead is currently working with the ophthalmology teaching lead to set up a development programme for health care assistants and we are looking at establishing an orthoptic apprentice role. In addition the orthoptic teaching lead mentors newly qualified team members and supports them through the preceptorship process.  

Working for our organisation

University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.

Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast. 

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS, we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients. 

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognising that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be joining a team of 13 orthoptists, working closely with four paediatric ophthalmologists including two with a specialist ocular motility interest, two neuro-ophthalmologists, four paediatric optometrists, a vision scientist and a dedicated orthoptic administration team. 

In addition to clinical orthoptic experience, you will have a clinical teaching qualification and experience of clinical teaching of undergraduate orthoptic students and other groups, including giving feedback. You will be experienced in delivering presentations. In addition, we are looking for a candidate who demonstrates a strong commitment to providing high quality teaching and training, and to continuous improvement and development. As this a shared role, you will demonstrate excellent teamwork skills in addition to the ability to lead projects independently.