Operating department practitioner

Operating department practitioners (ODPs) help anaesthetists and surgeons, and care for patients, during operations. They prepare patients for surgery, check monitors and other equipment during operations, and support patients when they are recovering afterwards.

Work activities

Operating department practitioners switch between helping the surgeon and the anaesthetist. They work alongside theatre nurses and other healthcare staff. They also work with the patient in the recovery stage, after the operation. They help to prepare the patient for surgery, for example, ensuring that the surgeon has the correct medical records. They also check that the right medication and equipment is available, and make sure the whole area is prepared properly. They have to make sure they have the correct patient for the surgery. In the anaesthetic stage of the operation, ODPs prepare a wide range of equipment and drugs, including anaesthetic machines, ventilators, drips and airway devices, which all ensure the safety of the patient during anaesthesia. They work alongside the anaesthetist to check the patient’s condition, watching out for allergic reactions, breathing difficulties or heart problems. ODPs bring patients into the operating theatre and help to position them correctly on the operating table. If they’re helping the surgeon, the ODP will “scrub up” with the rest of the team, putting on a surgical mask, sterile gown and gloves.

For surgery, the ODP will have prepared all the instruments and equipment the surgeon needs. It is essential that equipment is laid out correctly before an operation. During the operation, they pass instruments to the surgeon and carefully remove soiled dressings and swabs, maintaining strict aseptic conditions to prevent infection. ODPs anticipate what the surgeon will need: they have the piece of equipment ready for them as quickly as possible. After the operation, they check that all the items have been accounted for and collect any instruments to be sterilised. They help to monitor the effects of the anaesthetic, re-position the patient when drips are inserted and fetch equipment or blood. ODPs continue to care for patients after the operation. They watch out for complications such as shock, blood loss, pain and breathing problems. The ODP will need to assess the patient, helping to ensure that they can be moved back to a ward. ODPs are responsible for maintaining patients’ records, and for controlling the stock of equipment. While most ODPs are based in operating theatres, anaesthetic areas and recovery rooms, they can also work in many other areas, including accident and emergency departments, intensive care units and special care baby units.

Personal qualities and skills

To be an operating department practitioner, you’ll need:

• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to prepare meticulously for operations.
• To react quickly, keep your concentration and be methodical, all while working under pressure in a rapidly changing environment.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
• The ability to cope with distressing sights in the operating theatre and other areas, such as accident and emergency departments.
• An interest in science, technology and health.
• Practical skills to work with small and delicate instruments.
• A friendly, supportive personality to reassure patients and prepare them for surgery.

Pay and opportunities

NHS employees are paid according to the Agenda for Change payscale. In the NHS, operating department practitioners (ODPs) start on band 5 of this payscale, with a starting salary of £28,407. In the private sector, ODPs may earn more than in the NHS.

ODPs usually work a basic 37.5-hour week. They might have early starts, late finishes, nights, weekends, shift work and work on public holidays. ODPs might also have standby or on-call duties.

Employers include the NHS and private hospitals, and the armed forces. Opportunities for ODPs occur in hospitals in towns and cities throughout the UK.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised on the NHS Jobs website, on job boards (for example, for medical careers), and in local/national newspapers, as well as on the Government’s Find a Job and Find an Apprenticeship services.

Entry routes and training

To become an operating department practitioner, you usually need to complete a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in Operating Department Practice, leading to registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Courses usually take two years full-time to complete. Some part-time courses are available. The course is an equal mixture of academic and practical, clinical study. It includes hospital placements in specialist surgical areas. Some universities now offer a BSc (Hons) degree in operating department practice. This also allows you to register with the HCPC. A list of approved courses is available on the HCPC website.

Alternatively, you could begin a level 6 (degree) apprenticeship in this role, conducting your training in the workplace while studying at university on block or day release.

You could enter a senior post, for example, running a theatre unit. It is also possible to move into different areas of the work, for example, transplants or special care baby units. Progression could also be into a research or teaching post.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act: This career is an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must supply information to an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.

Qualifications

Entry requirements for the Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in Operating Department Practice vary between the course providers. The usual minimum entry requirements are five GCSEs at grades 9-4, including English and maths (some universities also ask for science) and two to three A-levels (biology may be specified). Equivalent qualifications can be acceptable - please check prospectuses carefully. To do a degree apprenticeship, you’ll need two A-levels plus GCSEs in English and maths.

Some providers might accept candidates without the specified qualifications, for example, provided they have relevant skills and life experience. Again, please check prospectuses carefully.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Many students apply for either a student loan or receive additional financial support from the Learning Support Fund. Candidates can also apply for funding from relevant charities.

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