Observership at Moorfields City Road Hospital

Moorfields Eye Hospital welcomes ophthalmology healthcare professionals from the UK and around the world to observe and learn from our world-leading consultants. Visiting ophthalmologists will have the opportunity to observe Moorfields' consultants in action, examine patients with slit lamps and ophthalmoscopes, and attend surgical operations.

Observerships are usually located in our City Road Hospital but may also be possible at our Bedford and Stratford sites.

Observership duration

Observerships are available for a minimum of one week and a maximum of four weeks. Due to the high level of demand for our observerships, it is not possible to observe for longer than four weeks.

Observership sub-specialities

An observership at Moorfields will be timetabled to include sessions across a range of different services. These include:

• Adnexal
• Cataract
• Cornea and External
• Electrophysiology
• Glaucoma
• Medical Retina
• Strabismus and Paediatrics
• Uveitis
• Vitreo-retinal

If you have an interest in a particular sub-specialty it may be possible to tailor your timetable to optimise the number of sessions with that service.  Please note that an obervership which is tailored around an interest in a particular sub-specialty will still include a number of sessions in other services, due to timetabling constraints. Please discuss your preferences with our team at the point of booking.

Fees

Moorfields charges a fee of £500 per week (Monday to Friday) for a clinical observership. An observership comprises at least 8 timetabled sessions (morning or afternoon) per week. Teaching sessions may also be included. The full fee is payable in advance.

Please note that the fee does not include food, accommodation or any other expenses. We cannot provide accomodation for you.

Applications

Applications should be made by email to Moorfields.Observers@nhs.net stating your preferred dates (flexibility is highly advantageous). If you would like to atttend our Bedford or Stratford sites please let us know when you apply.

You will need to submit:

• Your current CV
• A letter of recommendation from your hospital or institution
• A copy of your current passport

It is your responsibility to submit these documents to us and no observership will be arranged without them. It also your responsibilty to apply for a visa if required by Home Ofice regulations for your visit. You will be required to submit a copy of your visa once received. Please ensure you allow sufficient time as the processing time for UK visas remains longer than usual.

For those with SOE/EBO grants please also send a copy of the SOE/EBO grant acceptance letter.

Please note that places on our observerships are limited and prority is given to applications from trainee and qualified ophthalmolgists. Observerships cannot always be confirmed immediately. You may be placed on a waiting list and, unfortunately, you may not be successful if we already have a high number of applications for the dates or service(s) requested.

If you are accepted onto our observership programme, you will need to make payment in full and sign and return a memorandum of agreement prior to attending the hospital. The agreement will be sent to you along with a formal letter of confirmation once you have made your payment. The letter of confirmation will include information about your first day introduction and hospital tour as well as about hygiene, dress code and other guidelines. Your confirmation letter may be used for your visa application, if required.

Further information

If you have not arrived within 24 hours of your agreed start date, and have not informed us, we reserve the right to give the first week of your booking to another doctor.

On the last day of your observership, you will receive a certificate of attendance signed by the Director of Education.

Your stay at Moorfields is purely observational. No member of staff will provide any comments on your professional abilities.

No references of any kind – clinical, personal or otherwise, will be offered or given at the end of your time at Moorfields.

Cancellations and refunds

We operate a strict policy regarding cancellations and refunds. Cancellations must be made by email and will not be accepted by any other means. Please note that receipt of notification of cancellation will be confirmed. If you do not receive confirmation of cancellation, please try to contact us again. No refund will be made for non-attendance of an observership without prior notice of cancellation. Please refer to our booking terms and condtions for further information. For further support, please send an email to Moorfields.Observers@nhs.net.