Operating Department Practice

Do you like the idea of working in a dramatic and exciting environment, where you'll be part of a dynamic team in an operating theatre? Then perioperative practice could be a great career option if you want to open up a whole host of opportunities for your future. Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) work alongside surgeons, anaesthetists and other medical staff to provide care for patients at all stages of the surgical process.

* You’ll have the opportunity to practise your skills in our simulated operating theatre, enabling you to experience the operating theatre environment.

* The course is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) so you’ll benefit from experienced staff, specialist labs and great links to NHS Trusts and our partners in the private sector.

* Our clinical placements opportunities enable you to gain valuable hands-on experience in a number of perioperative environments.

* You’ll get the chance to work in the real world as part of interdisciplinary teams in a variety of care settings, so you’ll be able to see how ODPs contribute to all sorts of specialist areas.

* You’ll have the opportunity to hear the experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group.

On our Operating Department Practice course you’ll get a strong grounding in the theory exploring what’s involved in the three interconnected aspects of the role: anaesthetic, surgical and post anaesthetic. From the very beginning, you’ll be supported in your studies by academic staff and qualified practitioners who understand what it’s like to be an ODP. As the course progresses, you’ll move beyond the fundamentals to delve into the role research plays in perioperative practice and explore leadership and management strategies.

The Government has announced that from September 2020 new and existing students studying this course will be eligible to receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 each year. Further information is available on the Government's website (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nursing-students-to-receive-5-000-payment-a-year?) and the Council of Deans Frequently Asked Questions (https://councilofdeans.org.uk/2019/12/new-student-support-arrangements-for-healthcare-students/).

The course provides students with a great balance of university life, academic study and clinical placements. The clinical placement experiences the students gain are invaluable, enabling them to be hands on and see what the job is really like. The course also provides the opportunity for students to experience clinical skills within Anaesthetics, Scrub and Recovery. They get to work with many different practitioners, as part of a multi-skilled and multidisciplinary team. When the students graduate they are well prepared for working as qualified operating department practitioners, as they have been provided with the skills, support and experience to move seamlessly into working life. The course is demanding but extremely rewarding, with hands on patient care at the centre of everything they do. ~ Jordan Faithwaite, Lead Education Facilitator at Leeds Teaching Hospitals for Theatres.

Professional links and accreditation:
This course is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (http://www.hcpc-uk.org/).

Whilst studying this course you're currently not required to register as a member with the Health and Care Professions Council, however you must follow their standards of conduct, performance and ethics.