Become an Operating Department Practitioner

An ODP (Operating Department Practitioner) is not a nurse. They will work alongside nurses in the operating department and as well as surgeons, anaesthesiologists, physician associates and other allied health professionals. As part of the wider clinical team involved in surgery, the ODP is central to the smooth running of surgery from start to finish.

Within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science we also offer several Nursing courses for those who might be interested in training to be a nurse.

The ODP is a relatively new role to the UK and Welsh healthcare scene and as such, those in the role are defining the scope and nature of it. Whilst a Nurse is an accountable role, with a representative body accountable to the patient, the ODP’s role is to support the surgeon and is therefore accountable to them. In practice this will mean that an ODP will be heavily involved in ensuring patient comfort and safety, alongside the rest of the clinical team in the operating department.

An ODP (Operating Department Practitioner) is not a medical Doctor but is a key part of the allied clinical team within an operating department. An ODP will work alongside surgeons, anaesthesiologists, physician associates, nurses, and other allied health professionals.

The role of the ODP is paramount to the smooth running of an operating department, maintaining patient safety, comfort, and confidence from the beginning to the end of the process.

Within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science we also offer Graduate Entry Medicine, for those with a degree who wish to train to be a doctor, and this could well be a route of interest to an ODP at a later point in their career.

Training to be an ODP requires a 3 year is BSc qualification. Find out more details about the course content and how you will be taught at our Operating Department Practitioner BSc Course page.

To be a qualified ODP, you will need to complete a BSc Operating Department Practitioner programme. You will need to have A levels, Access to HE, or BTEC Qualifications and GCSEs to be considered for our ODP programme. A full breakdown of our entry requirements can be found at our Operating Department Practitioners BSc Course page.

An Operating Department Practitioner is a very rewarding role for anyone with an interest in patient care, surgery, and is a team player. If you are someone who likes to play your part as a member of a team and care about people, this role is perfect for you. Being operated on can be a very anxious time for a patient, knowing that there is someone there to support you through every stage of the process is what will make this role enriching and present you with diverse challenges and emotions through-out your career.

An ODP will be contracted to 37.5 hours a week. They will work shifts and cover evenings and weekends. In some instances, an ODP will be on an on-call rota and like many NHS roles, overtime may sometimes be necessary depending on demand on the service or department.

An Operating Department Practitioner is a Band 5 role within the NHS with a starting salary of £28,834 rising to £35,099. A specialist Operating Department Practitioner or Team Leader with experience can progress to a Band 6 role, with a starting salary of £35,922, whilst advanced Operating Department Practitioners can be employed within a Band 7 role within the NHS (£44,398-£50,807).*

_{*All pay scales were accurate at the time of publishing in February 2024}

An ODP will work in a variety of different departments including A&E, Intensive Care and within an Operating Department.

A surgeon is a medical Doctor and as such for an ODP to become a surgeon they would need to undertake further training such as Graduate Entry Medicine. At Swansea University we would always encourage students to follow their passions and would welcome applicants from ODPs to our Medicine course, once they have a degree and have gained experience in the role. We do however stress that our Operating Department Practitioners BSc is not a formal route to Medicine, and we are looking for applicants passionate about the role and wanting to make a difference to patient care in an operating setting.

An ODP and a Nurse are two different roles within the NHS. An ODP could undertake new qualifications to become a nurse and therefore become a nurse, but an ODP cannot work as a nurse.