Program Overview
The Operating Department Practice BSc (Hons) program at the University of Bedfordshire prepares students to become registered operating department practitioners (ODPs). Students develop the skills and knowledge to provide safe, effective perioperative care, including anesthesia, surgery, and recovery. Graduates are eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and have career opportunities in various healthcare settings, including operating theatres, critical care, and A&E.
Program Outline
Operating Department Practice BSc (Hons) - University of Bedfordshire
Degree Overview:
This degree is designed for healthcare workers with an interest in becoming registered operating department practitioners (ODPs). The program aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to provide compassionate, safe, and effective care throughout the perioperative period. Students will develop the skills to offer coordinated, patient-centered care alongside surgeons, anaesthetists, and theatre nurses in various perioperative care settings, including operating theatres, emergency departments, intensive care, and recovery.
Outline:
Year 1:
- Sciences for Perioperative Practice: Develops scientific knowledge around human anatomy, physiology, and sociology to effectively meet patient needs and take action in the operation department.
- Fundamentals of Perioperative Practice: Introduces the role and responsibilities of a perioperative practitioner, working with patients undergoing various surgical and anaesthetic interventions while learning the processes and procedures used to keep them safe.
- Inclusivity and Diversity in Care: Develops skills in communication, observation, practical application, collaboration, and leadership while considering concepts and issues relating to inclusivity and diversity in care.
- Professional Identities for Operating Department Practitioners (ODP): Builds upon existing skills to develop a range of professional values, from accountability to ethical practice.
Year 2:
- Advancing Perioperative Practice: Develops knowledge to handle more advanced and challenging patient care, undertaking clinical placements in operating theatres and external care environments while working alongside a professional team to assess, plan, and implement care.
- Pharmacology and Pathophysiology for Perioperative Practice: Adapts to specific clinical needs while exposing students to various medications used in the perioperative environment, its doses, and how to administer them to each patient.
- Mental Health Matters: Introduces mental health concepts to support the mental health needs of patients, their families, or carers encountered in the workplace alongside dealing with their physical conditions.
- Change Management and Innovative Practice: Equips students with the skills to design and carry out their own clinical audit by gathering quantitative data to measure outcomes against quality control standards.
- Evidence Based Practice for Operating Department Practice: Develops research skills, including data collection and analysis, research methods, and ethical considerations.
Year 3:
- Medicines Management and Pharmacology: Teaches students to administer medicines correctly and calculate drug doses using various techniques, managing acute and chronic pain or post-operative nausea and vomiting for patients.
- Supervision and Leadership for Perioperative Practice: Equips students with tools to reflect on their leadership abilities and promote effective teamwork.
- Operating Department Practice Project: Integrates research, policy, and practice to define the role of an ODP.
- Emerging Care Roles for Operating Department Practitioner: Supports students in developing their employability and identifying career pathways as a registered ODP, exploring opportunities in operating theatres, critical care, A&E, or transplant coordination.
Assessment:
The course assessment strategy is closely aligned to the teaching and learning strategy, designed to have immediate relevance to practice, draw on expertise-by-experience, foster active learning, and be learner-centered in approach. Assessment tasks include:
- Written assignments: Reflective pieces, academic essays, culminating in a service improvement project.
- Practice assessments: Workplace-relevant assessments with immediate impact in practice.
- Computer-based examinations.
- Oral presentations. The use of professional and theoretical literature increases in complexity, depth, and breadth as students progress through the course.
Teaching:
The course utilizes a range of teaching methods, including:
- Lectures.
- Seminars.
- Workshops.
- Practical sessions.
- Clinical placements.
- Simulation exercises. The course is taught by experienced healthcare professionals who are experts in their field.
Careers:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be eligible to apply to register with the Health and Care Professions Council as an Operating Department Practitioner. This opens up a career path as an operating department practitioner in various contexts within NHS Trusts, as well as the private, voluntary, and independent sectors. Postgraduate opportunities include specializing in particular clinical areas such as paediatrics, critical care, and cardiovascular surgery. There are also postgraduate MSc and PhD study opportunities across a wide range of perioperative and allied health professions' specialisms. Graduates can also pursue education roles as hourly paid lecturers in areas such as clinical simulation.
Other:
- The course is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- Students complete 2,420 hours on placement over three years with regional NHS trusts and other partners, including Great Ormond Street Hospital.
- The University organises placements for students within local trusts and other external partners.
- Students can extend their knowledge with field trips to the Old Operating Theatre museum and the Wellcome Collection museum and library, both in London.
- The University hosts an ODP conference with sector-leading guest speakers.
- The course offers the support of a qualified mentor.
- Students hone their critical thinking and decision-making skills to respond quickly to complex critical situations.
- The course offers a Professional Practice Year option, allowing students to gain practical experience and build their CV through a year placement in industry.
UK 2024/25
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2024/25 is £15,500 per year.
