Apprenticeship training course

Operating department practitioner (level 6)

Supporting operating theatre staff and providing care to patients at all stages of an operation.

• Qualification level: 6 ; Equivalent to degree.
• Typical duration: 48 months
• Apprenticeship category: Health and science
• Maximum funding: £26,000 ; Maximum amount government will fund ; for apprenticeship training.
• Skills:
  Skills an apprentice will learn

  • Identify the limits of own practice and when to seek advice or refer to another professional or service
  • Manage own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment
  • Keep own skills and knowledge up to date
  • Maintain high standards of personal and professional conduct
  • Engage in safeguarding processes where necessary
  • Promote and protect the service user’s interests at all times
  • Respect and uphold the rights, dignity, values, and autonomy of service users, including own role in the assessment, diagnostic, treatment and / or therapeutic process
  • Maintain high standards of care in all circumstances
  • Obtain valid consent, which is voluntary and informed, has due regard to capacity, is proportionate to the circumstances and is appropriately documented
  • Exercise a duty of care
  • Apply legislation, policies and guidance relevant to own profession and scope of practice
  • Recognise the power imbalance which comes with being a health care professional, and ensure it is not for personal gain
  • Practise in accordance with relevant medicines legislation
  • Identify own anxiety and stress and recognise the potential impact on own practice
  • Develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care and self-awareness, to maintain a high standard of professional effectiveness and a safe working environment
  • Recognise that they are personally responsible for, and must be able to, justify their decisions and actions
  • Use own skills, knowledge and experience, and the information available, to make informed decisions and / or take action where necessary
  • Make reasoned decisions to initiate, continue, modify or cease treatment or the use of techniques or procedures, and record the decisions and reasoning appropriately
  • Make and receive appropriate referrals, where necessary
  • Exercise personal initiative
  • Demonstrate a logical and systematic approach to problem solving
  • Use research, reasoning and problem solving skills when determining appropriate actions
  • Respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences
  • Recognise the potential impact of own values, beliefs and personal biases (which may be unconscious) on practice and take personal action to ensure all service users and carers are treated appropriately with respect and dignity
  • Make and support reasonable adjustments in owns and others’ practice
  • Actively challenge barriers to inclusion, supporting the implementation of change wherever possible
  • Adhere to the professional duty of confidentiality
  • Respond in a timely manner to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and / or the wider public and recognise situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and / or the wider public
  • Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others
  • Communicate in English to the required standard for the profession
  • Work with service users and / or own carers to facilitate the service user’s preferred role in decision-making, and provide service users and carers with the information they may need where appropriate
  • Modify own means of communication to address the individual communication needs and preferences of service users and carers, and remove any barriers to communication where possible
  • Use information, communication and digital technologies appropriate to own practice
  • Use effective communication skills when sharing information about service users with other members of the multidisciplinary team
  • Use effective communication skills in the reception and identification of service users, and in the transfer of service users to the care of others
  • Keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines
  • Manage records and all other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines
  • Use digital record keeping tools, where required
  • Work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and others
  • Contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary team
  • Identify anxiety and stress in service users, carers and colleagues, adapting own practice and providing support where appropriate
  • Identify own leadership qualities, behaviours and approaches, taking into account the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to own practice
  • Act as a role model for others
  • Promote and engage in the learning of others
  • Apply psychological and sociological principles to maintain effective relationships
  • Participate in team briefings and debriefings following treatment, procedures or interventions
  • Engage in evidence-based practice
  • Gather and use feedback and information, including qualitative and quantitative data, to evaluate the responses of service users to own care
  • Monitor and systematically evaluate the quality of practice, and maintain an effective quality management and quality assurance process working towards continual improvement
  • Participate in quality management, including quality control, quality assurance, clinical governance and the use of appropriate outcome measures
  • Evaluate care plans or intervention plans using recognised and appropriate outcome measures, in conjunction with the service user where possible, and revise the plans as necessary
  • Calculate accurately prescribed drug dosages for individual service user needs
  • Participate as part of a team managing a clinical emergency, where necessary
  • Change own practice as needed to take account of new developments, technologies and changing contexts
  • Gather appropriate information
  • Analyse and critically evaluate the information collected
  • Select and use appropriate assessment techniques and equipment
  • Undertake and record a thorough, sensitive, and detailed assessment
  • Undertake or arrange investigations as appropriate
  • Conduct appropriate assessment or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and effectively
  • Critically evaluate research and other evidence to inform own practice
  • Engage service users in research as appropriate
  • Undertake all sex urinary catheterisation
  • Undertake appropriate pre-assessment, anaesthetic, surgical and post-anaesthesia care interventions, including managing the service user’s airway, respiration and circulation and providing assisted ventilation where necessary
  • Monitor and record fluid balance, and where appropriate, administer prescribed fluids in accordance with national and local guidelines
  • Prepare and administer drugs to service users via a range of routes, including oral, rectal, topical and by intramuscular, subcutaneous and intravenous injection
  • Take appropriate action in response to any significant change or adverse reaction in response to the effects of drugs
  • Undertake venepuncture, peripheral IV cannulation and blood sampling
  • Assess and monitor the service user’s pain status and as appropriate administer prescribed pain relief in accordance with national and local guidelines
  • Modify and adapt practice to emergency situation
  • Undertake the management of a service user in cardiac arrest and participate in the team managing on-going resuscitation, where required
  • Receive and identify service users and their care needs
  • Participate in the briefing and debriefing of perioperative teams and the use of surgical safety checklists
  • Formulate specific and appropriate care plans including the setting of timescales
  • Effectively gather information relevant to the care of service users in a range of emotional states
  • Adapt and apply problem solving skills to clinical emergencies
  • Demonstrate awareness of relevant health and safety legislation and comply with all local operational procedures and policies
  • Work safely, including being able to select appropriate hazard control and risk management, reduction or elimination techniques in a safe manner and in accordance with health and safety legislation
  • Select appropriate personal protective equipment and use it correctly
  • Establish safe environments for practice, which appropriately manages risk
  • Promote and comply with measures designed to control infection
  • Apply appropriate moving and handling techniques
  • Position service users for safe and effective interventions
  • Ensure the safe use of medical devices used in perioperative, anaesthetic, surgical and post-anaesthesia care
  • Empower and enable individuals (including service users and colleagues) to play a part in managing own health
  • Engage in occupational health, including being aware of immunisation requirements

Full information on Operating department practitioner (level 6) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

Find training providers for this course

Regulated occupation

Operating department practitioner (level 6) needs a training provider who is approved by Health and Care Professions Council.

Apprenticeship location

Check if a provider can offer this training for the apprenticeship location.