Website: NHS England » The 14 allied health professions
What does an Operating Department Practitioner do?
Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) are highly skilled healthcare practitioners that support patients of all ages during each phase of the patient’s perioperative care:
Anaesthetic – provide patient-centred care and prepare specialist equipment and drugs
Surgical – prepare all the necessary equipment and instruments for operations and providing these to the surgical team during the operation
Recovery – supporting the patient throughout their time in the recovery ward, assessing vitals and fitness for return to the ward
As well as providing this specialised care, ODPs are responsible for preparing the operating theatre and maintaining communication between the surgical team, operating theatre and wider hospital.
Where does an Operating Department Practitioner work?
- Operating departments
- Critical care areas within a hospital
How to become an Operating Department Practitioner?
Work experience
If you are interested in a career as an Operating Department Practitioner and want to try some work experience you can contact your local NHS Trust, voluntary or private organisations and they may be able to facilitate experience for you.
University route
From 2024, you will only be able to train as an Operating Department Practitioner through a BSc degree- level university training course (3 years full time).
You can find a full list of universities offering Operating Department Practitioner courses here: Approved programmes results | (hcpc-uk.org)
Apprenticeship route
The apprenticeship route is established to become an Operating Department Practitioner in which apprentices can work and study at the same time is being delivered at various universities in England.
If you are interested in the apprenticeship route, you will need to contact the universities directly to apply for the course.
You can find out more about Operating Department Practitioner apprenticeships here: Approved programmes results | (hcpc-uk.org)
How to become an ODP Assistant/Support Worker?
ODP assistants/support workers positions are advertised locally through recruiting organisations-you will need to look at your local organisations vacancies in order to become an assistant/support worker, you could call them or look at their website.
Support workers assisting ODPs are often called theatre support workers. You can find out more about the role here Theatre support worker | Health Careers
