Operating department practitioner
Operating department practitioners (ODPs) provide skilled care and support to patients at all stages of an operation.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
You'll support patients of all ages in the anaesthetic, surgery and recovery phases of an operation.
As an operating department practitioner, you could:
- help patients who are anxious or vulnerable get ready for surgery
- prepare the operating theatre and make sure drugs and specialist equipment are available
- monitor instruments and how clean the theatre is
- provide the surgical team with any items they need during an operation
- talk to other hospital staff for the surgical team
- support patients after their operation and assess when they are ready to move to a ward
Working environment
You could work in an NHS or private hospital.
Your working environment may be hot and physically and emotionally demanding.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
With experience you could:
- progress to team leader or senior operating department practitioner and manage an operating theatre unit
- move into education, training or research
- do training approved by the Royal College of Surgeons of England to become a surgical care practitioner
- train to work as an anaesthesia associate or advanced critical care practitioner
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of medicine
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- knowledge of biology
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- sensitivity and understanding
- to be flexible and open to change
- active listening skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
How to become
You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.
You'll need to study a diploma of higher education which takes 2 years or a degree in operating department practice which takes 3 years.
The course has to be approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
You can do further study to top up your diploma to a degree after you qualify.
Work experience
You'll find it helpful to get some work experience in healthcare before you apply for a course.
NHS Learning Support Fund
During your studies, you might be eligible for financial support from the NHS Learning Support Fund.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You could do an Operating Department Practitioner Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
This usually takes 4 years to complete and is a mix of learning on the job and academic study at an approved university.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
More Information
Registration
- you'll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council
Career tips
When applying for courses and jobs, you'll be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values apply in your work.
Further information
You can find more details about how to become an operating department practitioner from Health Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.