Operating Department Practice 2012
"The campus has a nice, friendly atmosphere and all facilities on the campus are easily accessible."
Karenza Hart
Studying towards a qualification in Operating Department Practice (ODP), you can expect to work with qualified NHS staff, acquiring skills essential for working as part of a multidisciplinary operating theatre team and learning to support patients throughout surgical procedures.
Our ODP programmes are taught by experienced staff, who are actively engaged in research activities, and who are closely involved with NHS colleagues in practice.
UK and EU students studying on an NHS-related programmes such as this have the added benefit of not paying tuition fees of £9000 per year. These programmes are subject to separate funding arrangements, administered through the Department of Health.
Factfile
| Minimum Entry Requirements | GCSE grade C or higher in five subjects
All applicants should also adhere to the University's General Entrance Requirements. |
|---|---|
| Required Subjects | A relevant science A level is desirable. All students require GCSE Mathematics and a science at C or above (or equivalent). |
| English Language Requirements | An IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent for non-native-English-speaking applicants is normally required. Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre. |
| Other Entry Requirements | Admission to this programme is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) Section 4 (2) (Exemptions) Order 1975 and DHSS Circular HC (88)9 guidelines regarding police checks and child protection. Offers are conditional upon satisfactory health and fitness for practice screening, references and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance or equivalent. Candidates must also meet national requirements to work with vulnerable adults and children. Admission is also subject to NHS eligibility for the programme. Proof of eligibility is normally required prior to interview. Information is available online: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students Candidates should have the ability to follow a shift pattern covering 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and be able to meet travel requirements. Candidates are encouraged to gain practical work experience in a care setting prior to undertaking the programme. All programmes and places are subject to commissioned numbers from the local Strategic Health Authority. All applicants should be able to demonstrate evidence of study within the last five years. The Department of Health requires all ODP students to be tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C during induction week. Those testing positive would not be cleared for entry to the programme. |
| Other Suitable Qualifications | A wide range of other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis. We do not include General Studies in our offers. |
| Selection Process | All applicants should be able to demonstrate evidence of recent study (within the last five years) and the ability to complete the programme successfully. NHS staff, as well as University tutors, are involved in selection. Suitable candidates will be invited for an interview and selection day which will include literacy and numeracy tests. Successful completion of these tests is required as a condition of entry. Applications from mature students are welcomed. |
Diploma
Diploma Programme
Diploma of Higher Education
| Programme | UCAS code | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma of Higher Education Operating Department Practice | B990 | 2 years 4 months |
Degrees
Diploma Programme
Diploma of Higher Education
| Programme | UCAS code | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma of Higher Education Operating Department Practice | B990 | 2 years 4 months |
Diploma
Operating department practitioners (ODPs) are a vital part of the multidisciplinary operating theatre team, supporting patients throughout surgical procedures. ODPs provide a high standard of patient-focused care during anaesthesia, surgery and recovery, responding to patients’ physical and psychological needs.
In addition to core clinical skills and sound knowledge of specialist equipment and drugs, ODPs must have the ability to reassure and support patients emotionally through the stressful experience of surgery.
Our programmes are modular, with some theory aspects shared with Nursing Studies, Midwifery Studies and Paramedic Practice students. This exposes you to other health professionals, which is important in your preparation for multidisciplinary teamworking in the practice setting.
We value the variety of experiences that you and the other students bring to the programme and will enable you to build on these in order to develop skills of professional judgement, clinical and independent decision-making.
A wide range of teaching and learning techniques will be utilised in order to enable students to achieve the knowledge, skills and competencies to fulfil the requirements for professional registration with the Health Professions Council.
Programme dates and holidays
The programme starts in September and runs over two years and four months with seven weeks’ holiday, usually at Christmas, Easter and during the summer.
Programme
Programme Overview
We aim to teach you how to be a competent operating department practitioner. Your programme will consist of three main areas: Anaesthesia, Surgery and Post-anaesthetic Care.
Anaesthesia
You will learn how to facilitate optimum conditions for anaesthesia, maintain the vital functions and control the physiological responses of patients under anaesthesia in a range of specialities. You will learn to utilise skills of analysis and interpretation in the application of clinical practice, to enable safe anaesthesia and maintain the physical and psychological wellbeing of individual patients.
Surgery
You will learn a range of skills that are transferable across a spectrum of surgical specialities. You will learn to use interpretive skills, problem solving and clinical reasoning to plan, prioritise and implement the care needs of the individual patient in the intra-operative phase.
Post-anaesthetic Care
You will learn a range of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to enable you to recognise and analyse normal and abnormal physiological parameters and to interpret and respond to the patient’s condition in the recovery phase.
Professional Training
As an ODP student at the University of Surrey, you will be placed within an NHS Trust operating department in which you will experience a wide variety of care activities. Professional training placements are available in Surrey, London, Berkshire, Middlesex and Sussex. You will be prepared in advance of your placement to ensure that you are familiar with the role that you will perform. You are allocated to a single NHS Trust for your practice placements and will therefore benefit from consistent support from registered practitioners qualified to be student mentors. As you gain in confidence and experience, you will undertake more complex procedures.
View our Operating Department Practice Locality Brochure for further information about your practice experience.
Operating Department Practice Locality Brochure (1304.63KB - Requires Adobe Reader)Why Surrey?
Key reasons to study Operating Department Practice 2012 at Surrey
- We are a leading UK academic centre for the education of health professionals
- Our state-of-the-art academic building is one of the country’s best equipped educational centres simulating home and acute hospital environments
- Our purpose-designed simulation suite facilitates a range of teaching and learning techniques
- Opportunity for inter-professional learning with other programmes
- You will gain theoretical and practical knowledge to become a competent ODP
- Opportunity for lifelong learning framework with continual professional development leading to higher awards
- Strong scientific and clinical foundations prepare you to practise with confidence
- Our programmes lead to career opportunities in a variety of health care settings
- A mixture of continuous assessment and examinations is used for both theoretical and practical experience
Careers
Top for Jobs
Operating Department Practice students have excellent prospects of employment after programme completion.
Career Opportunities
ODPs are a vital part of the clinical team and provide professional expertise during the patient’s stay in hospital. Although ODPs are primarily employed within operating theatres, they are increasingly being recognised for their skills in other environments and there are many career paths to explore.
Opportunities exist in transplant teams, intensive care units, obstetrics units, orthopaedic clinics, pre-assessment clinics, patient transfer, day surgery units and resuscitation teams. There are also opportunities for ODPs in education and management. For more information visit:
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Teaching
We know students learn most effectively when a variety of teaching methods are used.
In the University setting, teaching methods include:
- Practical classes and the presentation of clinical skills scenarios
- Lectures and tutorials
- Student- and staff-led seminars
- Study packs, reading lists, guided and annotated reading
- Computer-aided learning and web-based teaching
- Discussion groups
- Enquiry-based learning
Within the practice environment, teaching methods include shadowing, role modelling, demonstration, observation, practice under supervision, reflective dialogue and discussion groups.
You will be allocated a personal tutor to oversee your progress and they will be available for one-to-one appointments. You will also be a member of a personal tutor group brought together for discussions, information sharing and advice.
Assessment
We use a variety of methods to assess you at various points in the programme. You will be assessed on both your theoretical knowledge and practical skills. As well as written work, there are student presentations, examinations and case study work. In practice you are required to build a portfolio of your experiences which demonstrates how you have met your own learning agreement, as well as the particular learning outcomes for the module. You are also required to show an understanding of and development towards the professional behaviour expected of a registered practitioner.