Annual Salary
£28,000 to £43,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Operating department practitioners (ODPs) provide skilled care and support to patients at all stages of an operation.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
There will be
3.8% more Operating department practitioner jobs in 2027.
You'll support patients of all ages in the anaesthetic, surgery and recovery phases of an operation.
As an operating department practitioner, you could:
You may need to wear a uniform.
You could work in an NHS or private hospital.
Your working environment may be hot and physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.
You'll need to study a diploma of higher education which takes 2 years or a degree in operating department practice which takes 3 years.
The course has to be approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
You can do further study to top up your diploma to a degree after you qualify.
Work experience
You'll find it helpful to get some work experience in healthcare before you apply for a course.
NHS Learning Support Fund
During your studies, you might be eligible for financial support from the NHS Learning Support Fund.
You'll usually need:
You could do an Operating Department Practitioner Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
This usually takes 4 years to complete and is a mix of learning on the job and academic study at an approved university.
You'll usually need:
You'll need to:
When applying for courses and jobs, you'll be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values apply in your work.
You can find more details about how to become an operating department practitioner from Health Careers.
With experience you could:progress to team leader or senior operating department practitioner and manage an operating theatre unit; move into education, training or research; do training approved by the Royal College of Surgeons of England to become a surgical care practitioner; train to work as an anaesthesia associate or advanced critical care practitioner
You'll need: