Overview
Are you enthusiastic, great with people and keen to make a living improving and saving lives?
Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) are an essential part of the surgical team. They take care of patients, prepare the operating theatre and surgical equipment, and act as a vital link between the surgical team, other hospital departments and patients.
Our BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice degree course, which we've developed with local NHS Trusts and the private sector, provides you with the skills and knowledge you need to work in this demanding and rewarding role.
Course highlights
- Practise examinations and procedures on human patient simulators in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, one of the country’s leading healthcare teaching environments
- Spend more than 50% of your time gaining experience in real operating theatres and wards at our partner hospitals and NHS Trusts, with one-to-one mentorship from a registered healthcare practitioner
- Become eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Operating Department Practitioner when you graduate
Careers and opportunities
The role of an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) is to care for patients undergoing surgery in hospital, from preparing the operating theatre and anaesthetic, to ensuring the surgical team have the equipment they need during an operation and supporting patients as they recover.
ODPs are vital to the safe and effective running of an operating theatre, and many are need in both the NHS and private healthcare sector in the UK, now more than ever. As many operations were postponed due to the pandemic, there is high demand for Operating Department Practitioners to help patients get the surgery they need.
Once you complete this Operating Department Practice degree, you'll be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which you'll need to work as an ODP in the UK, in areas including anaesthesia, surgery and recovery.
With more training, you could become a surgical care practitioner able to carry out some surgical procedures, under supervision of a consultant surgeon.
As a registered Operating Department Practitioner, you'll be able to progress and develop towards roles such as:
- surgical care practitioner
- advanced critical care practitioner
- team leader
- theatre manager
- sterile supply manager
- practice educator
- research fellow
Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate
Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.
Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.
The BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice course has 100% progression to employment as an Operating Department Practitioner for graduates who successfully apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Some of our HCPC registered graduates have gone on to undertake the following roles:
- Research Fellow at University Hospital Southampton
- Theatre Manager
- Resuscitation Officer at University Hospital Southampton
- Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth
- Surgical First Assistant
