From the end of March 2020 university campuses were closed for face-to-face teaching. The immediate challenge faced was how we could complete the teaching of our career progression students in Trimester 3 (June–August). This cohort is a group of qualified dispensing opticians (numbering 18 in 2020) who complete an accelerated programme, achieving their degree in 18 months. As part of this they undertake all their clinical practice during Trimester 3 and, with primary care optometry being closed at the beginning of this period, the challenge was to ensure these students would be able to gain the clinical experience mandated by the General Optical Council (GOC). In response to this dilemma the academic staff produced a written proposal for the GOC detailing how we would provide a mixture of virtual and face-to-face clinics for the students. The overriding principle was to provide the clinical experience required and remain within the government COVID-19 restrictions existing at this time.