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Operating Department Practice

Entry requirements


96 UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent).

96 UCAS Tariff points from Access to HE Diplomas

GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.

96 UCAS Tariff points acquired from BTEC Level 3 Diplomas are accepted.

UCAS Tariff

96

UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent).

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Operating department practice

Don your scrubs and head straight into the theatre with our highly practical BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice degree validated by the HCPC. If you’re fascinated by the surgical environment, our Operating Department Practice degree is for you.

From the word go, you’ll be spending time in a real theatre, out on placement and in true-to-life skill labs, building up all the knowledge and skills you need for a successful career as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP).

As a graduate, you’ll find there are opportunities in a host of specialisms from anaesthesia to intensive care and beyond. And, thanks to our course meeting the standards set by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), you’ll be able to dive right into your career as an ODP.

We know that our Operating Department Practice students want to learn from the best, so many of your teaching sessions will be delivered by people who already work in the field. We’ll also look at how you can use research and reflection in your day-to-day work. This offers you the chance to benefit from their experiences, insights and expertise during your time at ARU.

Both our campuses have a mock operating theatre for you to hone your skills and knowledge in simulated environments.

You won’t be restricted to these simulated spaces, though. You’ll also have the opportunity to experience working in all the essential clinical specialities as you put your new-found skills into practice while out on placement.

Thanks to our three-year placement schedule, you get experience of working in all the essential clinical specialities. We offer placements in leading NHS and private hospitals:

Essex: Queens, Colchester, Basildon, Harlow, Southend, Broomfield (all theory will be taught at Chelmsford)
Cambridgeshire: Hinchingbrooke, Ipswich, Lister, Papworth, Peterborough, Kings Lynn (all theory will be taught at Cambridge)
London: Kings College, Whittington, North Middlesex University Hospital, Newham University Hospital, Royal Free Hospital (all theory will be taught at Chelmsford).

This highly practical course will develop your clinical skills in live settings. You’ll learn to take responsibility for a patient’s all-round welfare and to assess their journey through the surgical environment. You’ll also learn to work as part of a theatre team made up of professionals from a variety of clinical disciplines. We’ll explain how you can do all of this safely, and within current legal, ethical and professional boundaries.

Modules

Year 1:
·Introduction to ·Perioperative Practice
·Exploring Aspects of Anatomy and Physiology
·Principles and Practices of Anaesthesia
·Practical Concepts in Anatomy and Physiology
·Holistic Care of the Surgical Patient

Year 2:
·Perioperative Pharmacology and Physiology
·Care of the Patient Undergoing Anaesthesia
·Promoting Best Practice in the Operating Theatre
·Post-Anaesthetic and Acute Care

Year 3: ·Research Methods
·Enhanced Clinical Skills in Perioperative and Critical Care
·Undergraduate Major Project
·Leadership Practice in Health and Social Care (Distance Learning)

Assessment methods

We carry out regular assessment so that you and your tutors can monitor your progress. Besides exams, you'll be assessed on assignments, presentations, research critiques, critical-incident analyses, case studies, literature reviews, and specialised practice competencies. 

This is a three-year programme
Please note that you will need to complete all of the above core modules. This course does not have any optional modules. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course locations:

Cambridge Campus

Chelmsford Campus

Department:

School of Allied Health

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

48%
Operating department practice

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Health sciences (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
75%
Staff are good at explaining things
59%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
71%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

65%
Library resources
74%
IT resources
54%
Course specific equipment and facilities
21%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
26%
Male students
74%
Female students
81%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Health sciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
81%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

73%
Health associate professionals
6%
Caring personal services
3%
Nursing and midwifery professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Health sciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£24k

£24k

£33k

£33k

£35k

£35k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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