Operating Department Practice, BSc (Hons) - Degree Apprenticeship

Tuition Fees are paid by funding through the Employer and/or Government via the Apprenticeship Levy, meaning that you as the learner do not pay the standard tuition fee rates.

Please be aware that students on Degree Apprenticeships do not qualify for any funding from Student Finance.

Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) are registered healthcare professionals specialising in caring for people of all ages before, during and after surgery and you’re likely to work in operating departments.

You’ll work alongside other professionals (such as doctors and nurses) and take a lead role in ensuring a patient is safe during each stage of a patient’s journey through the operating theatre.

Learning comprises of a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical sessions and independent study. Independent study is an important aspect of your degree course.

The exact combination of study time will be detailed within your module descriptors, and will depend on your option choices. Learning in the clinical environment is central to the course and integral to your development. Therefore in this setting you will be observing, shadowing, practising under supervision and participating in daily activity.

All apprentices sit an independent end-point assessment (EPA), assessing all the knowledge, skills and behaviours you’ve learnt throughout your apprenticeship.

It’s taken at the very end of the on-programme phase of training when your employer, or in some cases your training provider, is satisfied that you meet the “gateway” criteria to take the assessment.

End-point-assessments are graded and you’ll get an apprenticeship certificate after you’ve successfully completed your EPA. It’s a test that’s valued by current and future employers.

The University has many learning resources both on and off campus – including online access to other libraries and information services (which may be closer to you) through schemes such as Sconul Access and an Inter-Library Loans Service.

There’s also an information skills training programme, IT help and advice from LIS Customer Support.

And you’ll be able to remotely link to the university’s network account, the library's electronic resources and some core software applications.

You can register with the government Find Apprenticeship Service to receive updates on all Degree Apprenticeships. Or visit our vacancies page to view our latest job listings.