When people decide to work at Specsavers, they’re joining a company with a purpose to change lives through better sight and hearing – hence why more Australians and New Zealanders choose the optometry provider over any other.
As one of the largest employers in the ANZ optometry sector, Insight sits down with an employee each month to hear about their growth trajectory within the company.
Specsavers stats
Name: Ishmeen Dhaliwal
Current position: Optometrist
Location: Dunedin, New Zealand
Years within the business: 3 as an optometrist, 3 prior as an optical assistant
Why did you pursue an optometry career, and how did you enter the profession?
I aspired to have a career in healthcare while having a keen interest in science. Optometry seemed appealing to me as it would allow me to study anatomy and optics while also being able to contribute towards providing further healthcare post my studies. The more practicals we did in the five-year degree at University of Auckland, the more I enjoyed honing my skills and I looked forward to one day doing it out in the community where I could make a difference, improving people’s sights for the better.
How did you come to work at Specsavers, and what attracted you to the business?
I joined Specsavers as an optical assistant in 2017 where I worked part time in Auckland and studied optometry full time at the University of Auckland. I graduated as an optometrist in 2020 and decided to continue working with Specsavers as I knew it was the perfect fit for me. I was familiar with the model and I knew I could contribute my skills to the community on a larger scale with the help of a strong and supportive team.
What was your first role within the business, and what did it entail?
I started at Dunedin Specsavers as a graduate optometrist. I slowly built my skillset of knowledge and expertise in community optometry by seeing multiple patients daily and managing varying pathologies.
Since then, what growth opportunities have presented themselves?
I have had the opportunities to present remotely online in multiple guest lectures to optometry students and new graduates in New Zealand, as well as for nurses studying optometry in Papua New Guinea. I completed a project as a part of my two-year graduate program that would improve the visual field test performances in our store as well as encouraging ongoing learning with the team members. I joined the ECO group in my third year which has encouraged me to continue my development as an optometrist and by doing so, I was also able to partake in the 2023 Fred Hollows Outreach. The ECO group have also launched CPD events, extra allowance to take further educational courses and webinars on financial literacy which has been very useful in my ongoing learning.
Can you outline your top career highlights since joining Specsavers?
My top career highlight since joining would have to be spending 1.5 weeks in Fiji training nurses to improve their refraction skills and doing a community screening with The Fred Hollows Foundation in August 2023. I was grateful for the experience to be able to share my skills and knowledge of optometry and pass that on. I got the chance to interact with nurses and patients from different backgrounds which really highlighted to me the barriers of access in rural healthcare. Some challenges I faced included language and equipment barriers. I enjoyed working through these because it got me out of my comfort zone and helped improve my skills in areas I would not have done so usually in my day-to-day practise. It was my first time in Fiji so I loved learning about a new culture and being in a new environment applying my skills. I would definitely love to partner with the foundation again in the future so that I can continue learning as well as contributing more to these communities.
What excites you most about turning up for work each day?
The great team I work with and interacting with new people from different walks of life. I feel better about my day knowing I have been able to help improve their sight or help solve whatever issues they have related to my expertise.
More reading
Specsavers Stories – Adam Chen
Specsavers Stories – Emma Ingram
