Operating Department Practitioner Apprenticeship
About the course
This Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) apprenticeship course is designed to equip learners with the professional knowledge, clinical skills, and behaviours required for safe and effective practice across all areas of the perioperative environment, including anaesthetics, surgery, and post-anaesthetic care.
The course is mapped to national apprenticeship standards and HCPC regulatory requirements, combining academic study with work-based learning.
Apprentices develop competence in supporting patients through complex and high-risk surgical procedures, while also enhancing critical thinking, communication, and teamworking skills essential to modern healthcare.
The programme is delivered via both direct entry and apprenticeship pathways, allowing flexibility for employers and learners. Apprentices typically remain employed by NHS or independent sector providers while undertaking their studies.
This course is ideal for those already working in healthcare settings who wish to progress into the Operating Department Practitioner role through a supported, employer-sponsored route.
Qualifications
- On successful completion of the course, graduates will achieve a BSc (Hons) in Operating Department Practice and a Level 6 Apprenticeship.
- Subsequently, they will be eligible to apply to register with the Health and Care Professions Council as an Operating Department Practitioner. In addition, the graduates will be able to seek employment in a role of an Operating Department Practitioner within the NHS Trusts, as well as the private, voluntary and independent sector.
- The range of perioperative care settings can include anaesthetics, operating theatres, emergency departments, intensive care and recovery.
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Units of study
- Fundamentals of Perioperative Practice – 30 credits
- Professional Identities for Operating Department Practitioners – 30 credits
- Sciences for Perioperative Practice – 30 credits
- Inclusivity and Diversity in Care – 15 credits
- Academic Skills – 15 credits
- Evidence-Based Practice – 15 credits
- Advancing Perioperative Practice – 30 credits
- Change Management and Innovative Practice – 30 credits
- Pharmacology and Pathophysiology – 30 credits
- Mental Health Matters – 15 credits
- Supervision and Leadership for Perioperative Practice – 30 credits
- Emerging Care Roles for Operating Department Practitioners – 30 credits
- ODP Project – 30 credits
- Medicines Management and Pharmacology – 30 credits
Entry requirements
- A minimum of three GCSEs (or equivalent including functional skills) at Grade 4 or above (formerly C) - to include English Language and Mathematics.
- Completion of the Care Certificate Standards.
- Either relevant level 3 qualification[s] equivalent to a minimum of 112 UCAS points or a portfolio of experiential evidence assessed by the teaching team and accepted through RPL process.
For Access Course Apprentices
- Full award (60 credits) of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3, including 24 at Merit or Distinction, of which a minimum of:
- 18 credits must be in a Science or Health related subject, and
- 15 credits at Level 2, which must include Mathematics and English Language GCSE equivalent, if not already achieved
- If an applicant is studying an Access qualification or has already achieved an acceptable Level 3+ qualification, but is missing an acceptable Level 2 qualification, then they will be asked to successfully complete Functional Skills Level 2 Maths and/or English Language (as applicable) before enrolment, alongside the GCSE they are studying.
Fees:
Companies with a wage bill less than £3m will just pay £1,300 over three years, this is because the government funds 95% of the full fee. If you are a levy-payer then this apprenticeship will be £26,000 from your levy. As a business of any size, you can also use to apply for funding from large businesses that want to fund 100% of your apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
