After spending almost 20 years as a pharmaceutical sales rep working in roles across Wales and the UK, Nicola Helliwell has returned home to Pembroke Dock to gain experience in her new career of optometry.

Nicola is currently on a summer placement at Specsavers in her home town while studying for a BSc in optometry and vision science at Cardiff University - a three-year course she is set to complete in 2018.

“I was brought up in Pembroke, so the area means a lot to me,” said Nicola, who is delighted to have the chance to return to West Wales and work in a local opticians. “My Dad, who was a GP, also had his own practice here, so it’s great to be following in his footsteps and working in healthcare. Pembroke Dock has a very strong community spirit; locals want to build up a very friendly rapport which makes the day job that much more enjoyable and rewarding.”

Nicola is undergoing thorough training in all aspects of the business, putting her theoretical knowledge into practice and supporting the team by shadowing optometrists in clinic, taking photographs of the back of a customer’s eye using digital retinal photography, registering patients, helping customers select frames, booking appointments and shadowing lab technicians.

She is carrying out the placement under the guidance of store directors Ellie Thomas-Wigley and Andrew Williams before starting the final year of her degree in September. She will then return to Specsavers in Pembroke Dock for her pre-registration year to enable her to qualify as an optometrist.

Talking about her move into optics, Nicola said: “It’s certainly a very different career. I really wanted to do more to help people and I believe I will do that as an optician - you can’t put a price on the health of your eyes. My background in science is certainly helping me and I’m really enjoying being part of the team here, meeting people first-hand and working in a clinical environment.”

Store director, Ellie Thomas-Wigley, said: “Andrew and I place huge importance on nurturing and developing our team, so it’s fantastic to have Nicola with us this summer. We were thrilled to bring her on board to further her practical experience, which will complement the learnings from her degree.

“Specsavers, we pride ourselves on the high level of professionalism we adopt, be it in the test room or advising customers on frames or lenses that best suit their needs. We’re sure that showing Nicola the standards we aim to achieve here will stand her in good stead for the final year of her degree and future roles she goes onto.’”