Phoropter Free Fridays (PFF) – a forum formed in late-2024 by a group of employee optometrists and independent owners – is advocating for workplace reform through the Health Services Union.
In response to findings from a recent workforce survey, which was led by Flinders University and PFF with funding support from Optometry Australia, the Forum aims to “encourage colleagues to speak up and protect what drew many of us to the profession in the first place: meaningful, ethical, and sustainable patient care”.
A total of 505 optometrists participated in the workforce survey, with 375 complete responses. The sample was representative of the broader profession: aged 22 to 67 years, 62% female, 65% working in full-time roles, and spanning corporate (67%), independent (24%), hospital, academic, and other settings.1 Results showed that:
• 22% were satisfied with their career options and growth opportunities,
• 41% were satisfied with their clinical scope and autonomy,
• 37% believed their practice had sufficient staff with the appropriate skill set, and
• 23% were satisfied with their income.
In an article published in mivision online,2 clinician researchers Matt Trinh and Rene Cheung, and optometrists Rory Dowdall and Vincent Lim wrote that tangible solutions to the workforce challenges highlighted in the survey “include mandating protected clinical (consult and administrative) times particularly for emergency patient care, ensuring access to adequately trained support staff, and fostering psychological safety and inclusion in decision making”.
The authors wrote that “these are modifiable, evidence-based interventions (based on optometrists’ responses), which are likely to yield significant flow-on effects to enhance clinician wellbeing and restore sustainable engagement in practice”. Find out more at phoropterfreefridays/home.
Focus group participants are needed for further research into workplace challenges. To find out more contact Professor Nicole Anstice (Nicola. Anstice@flinders.edu.au).
References available at mivision.com.au
“these are modifiable, evidence-based interventions… which are likely to yield significant flow-on effects to enhance clinician wellbeing and restore sustainable engagement in practice”