Operating Department Practitioner

Personal and Professional Development for Health and Wellbeing
This module is designed to support learners in their academic and professional journey, helping them to build a portfolio of skills to demonstrate their personal development and the acquisition of lifelong learning skills. They will explore how to care for themselves, for others, and vital skills in building resilience in their personal and professional life. They will learn the basics of working with patients, including effective communication.

Fundamentals of Person-Centred Care in Operating Department Practice
This module begins the process of developing learners as health care professionals. It provides the foundations from which they will develop their skills, knowledge, attitudes and conduct in the professional arena and continues the journey of self-care, including promoting health and wellbeing.

Practice Based Learning 1- Foundations of Essential Skills
This module introduces learners to the perioperative environment and examines the roles of the operating department practitioner in the various areas of perioperative practice.

Apprentices will spend time developing their practice in skills sessions, and observing experienced practitioners in a variety of theatre settings.

Key aspects of infection control together with health and safety issues affecting the practitioners will also be examined, and learners will observe the usage of these during their practice hours.

Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology to Support Clinical Practice
This module introduces apprentices to the structure and function of the human body and provides the underpinning knowledge of ‘normal function’.

A ‘systems-based’ approach to the human body is adopted throughout the module. The central theme will be how the body maintains homeostasis in a constantly changing environment.

Foundations of Perioperative Care
This module introduces learners to the core areas of operating department practice from a theoretical perspective and develops basic competence in a range of skills such as scrub technique, gloving and gowning. Apprentices will practice key clinical skills in a simulated environment prior to practice education.

This module aims to develop the skills of planning and implementing the care needs of patients who are undergoing a surgical procedure and obtaining informed consent in the perioperative environment.

Practice Based Learning 2 – Application of Perioperative Practice
This module aims to build upon apprentices’ skills developed in practice-based learning 1. Learners will develop confidence in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating the care needs of patients in the pre, peri and post anaesthetic period.

It will focus on the preparations required for both the perioperative patient and environment, and will allow learners to demonstrate competence in anaesthetic and PACU skills.

Introduction to Surgical Practice and Disease Pathology
The aim of this module is to introduce learners to the aetiology, pathophysiology and management of common disease.

They will be encouraged to apply their knowledge of anatomy and physiology learnt in year one to the disease pathology and the application of surgical treatment to treat and manage common diseases.

Apprentices will be introduced to key principles of surgical practice across a broad range of specialities.

Pharmacology
The aim of this module is to explore the key concepts of pharmacology within operating department practice.

Learners will explore statutory guidelines on the safe storage, preparation and administration of prescribed medications used in operating theatre practice.

They will consider the correct procedures for reporting errors and side effects and become familiar with methods of drug calculations to provide guidance for drug dosage and delivery.

Practice-Based Learning 3 – Decision Making in Clinical Practice
The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of leadership and decision-making skills in the perioperative setting.

Apprentices will be supported in developing their knowledge and skills required to make complex clinical decisions in relation to patient care and participate within the multidisciplinary team decision making processes. This will be further supported with an appreciation of legal, professional, and ethical considerations in relation to care delivery.

Research Design
This module will help apprentices gain a deeper understanding of how research informs and extends operating department practice. Students will learn about contemporary research design as it relates to practice.

They will explore how research impacts perioperative care and demonstrate understanding of different research methods.

Managing Operative Care in the Complex Patient
The focus here will be the care of patients at risk of deterioration, or with more complex clinical needs. Apprentices will consider the clinical reasoning involved in managing higher risk procedures and the ethical issues that relate to this area of practice.

This module will cover specific activities that will allow apprentice ODPs to develop skills in advanced clinical topics such as: emergency airway establishment, intermediate life support, deteriorating patient protocols, and human factors training in urgent/emergency care scenarios.

Practice-Based Learning 4 – Leading and Managing Care in Practice
This module focuses on surgical specialities within perioperative practice. Apprentices will build upon the knowledge and skills gained in year one by exploring different surgical specialities and having exposure and involvement in more complex cases.

Learners will further evaluate the impact that altered anatomy and physiology has on anaesthetic and post anaesthetic care.

They will consider the types of specialist equipment that may be required for more complex procedures.

Quality, Innovation and Service Improvement in Clinical Practice
This module is a piece of sustained independent apprentice work which provides the learner with the opportunity to study an approved topic in depth, building on their interest.

It aims to provide learners with a framework in which to appraise an aspect of service delivery, and to consider service improvement and evaluation. They will use a systematic approach to review literature and propose a service improvement project surrounding organisational aspects of care.

All approaches require the demonstration of advanced personal study on a negotiated topic, which has been approved by, and which will be supervised by, a relevant course tutor.

Advanced Anaesthesia
The focus of this module is enabling apprentices to apply advanced anaesthetic clinical knowledge and skills to patients across the age span in a range of clinical settings. ODPs are increasingly working outside the traditional theatre environment, which requires them to apply their knowledge and skills in unique and novel ways.

Apprentices will experience working in remote settings with other members of the multidisciplinary team.

Practice Based Learning 5 – Complex Skills
This module will prepare apprentices to care for critically ill patients with complex or multiple care requirements. Learners will develop the necessary knowledge and skills to care for this patient group.

They will explore the critical care environments used in the modern healthcare setting including: Intensive Care Units, High Dependency Units, Emergency Departments, and Pain Management teams.

Advanced Surgery
This module will enable apprentices to explore the theory supporting current practice and emerging evidence in advanced surgical roles.

Learners will critically analyse the evidence base that supports surgical interventions, and will be encouraged to explore the new and emerging roles within surgical settings. They will also consider the role this plays in patient care and the inter-professional agenda.

Practice-Based Learning 6 – Leading and Managing Care
This module is designed to allow apprentices to consolidate their learning acquired through the programme, and complete the transition from apprentice to registrant.

The module will help learners examine the skills they need to become a registered ODP, as well as recognise their limitations, and respond to the changing needs of services.

The aim here is to provide apprentices with the opportunity to explore the concept of leadership and management within ODP, and they will develop a range of leadership and management skills to meet current and future demands of perioperative practice.