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Operating Department Practice

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C

112 UCAS tariff points from three A Levels. Grades BBC (or equivalent). Required subjects: Health and Social Care, Psychology, Social Science or Science subject at A Level or level 3 equivalent. Excluded subjects: General Studies; Critical Thinking; Extended Project.

Pass with 60 credits. At least 45 credits at level 3 with 18 credits with Merit or Distinction. Accepted subjects: Health and Social Care or Science-related pathway.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English Language or English Literature and GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28

Obtain a minimum of 28 points overall. Required subjects: One of Biology, Chemistry or Physics at Higher level. For students who do not already hold a GCSE in Mathematics at grade C/4 or above, grade 5 in Maths (Standard level) from the IB Diploma will be accepted. For students who do not already hold a GCSE in English Language at grade C/4 or above, English Language (Standard level) from the IB Diploma will be accepted. For English A, this must be grade 4 or above; for English B, this must be grade 5.

Minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points, achieved in five Higher level subjects. Required subjects: Health or Science related subject at Higher level.

112 UCAS tariff points. Diploma accepted with one A Level or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Certificate accepted with two A Levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Diploma - accepted subjects: Health and Social Care; Applied Science. National Diploma/Extended Certificate - accepted subjects: Either this qualification or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Health and Social Care or a relevant Science subject (e.g. Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics).

112 UCAS tariff points. Diploma accepted with one A Level or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Certificate accepted with two A Levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Diploma - accepted subjects: Health and Social Care; Applied Science. National Diploma/Extended Certificate - accepted subjects: Either this qualification or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Health and Social Care or a relevant Science subject (e.g. Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics).

112 UCAS tariff points. Diploma accepted with one A Level or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Certificate accepted with two A Levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Diploma - accepted subjects: Health and Social Care; Applied Science. National Diploma/Extended Certificate - accepted subjects: Either this qualification or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Health and Social Care or a relevant Science subject (e.g. Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics).

112 UCAS tariff points from three Advanced Highers (CCD) or two Advanced Highers (CD) plus two Highers (CC). Required subjects: Health or Science subject at Higher level or above.

112 UCAS tariff points from three Advanced Highers (CCD) or two Advanced Highers (CD) plus two Highers (CC). Required subjects: Health or Science subject at Higher level or above.

T Level

M

Merit overall. Accepted subjects: Healthcare Science; Science.

UCAS Tariff

112

Please note: If you qualify for our BCU Accelerate scheme, you could receive an offer that is two grades below our normal entry requirements. If your level 3 qualifications do not meet the UCAS tariff for this course, you may be offered a place on our Foundation Year instead. You do not need to submit a separate application but will automatically be considered for this if your predicted grades fall below the UCAS entry tariff.

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Operating department practice

Are you interested in a rewarding career in perioperative care? Have you got excellent management skills and a passion for supporting others? Start your journey to becoming a vital part of the theatre team with our BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice (ODP) course.

Operating Department Practitioners provide holistic care for a diverse range of patient groups, both within and beyond the operating theatre. This BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice course uses the Modernising Allied Health Professions Career Framework, which spirals through each of the three years to align to the ‘Four Pillars of Practice’, to maximise the choice available to you within the operating theatre and beyond. Successful completion of the course will allow you to be eligible to apply for registration with the Heath and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and gain employment as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP).

Using the Allied Health Professions career framework, the course embeds the ‘Four Pillars of Practice’ within each year to provide a spiralling curriculum covering:

- Pillar One: Clinical Practice (anaesthetics, surgery and post-anaesthetic care)

- Pillar Two: Facilitation of Learning (of self and others)

- Pillar Three: Leadership

- Pillar Four: Evidence, Research and Development

The proportion of teaching and learning of each pillar varies in each year, with the first year aimed at preparing you for academic work and self-development, supported by clinical placement experiences to underpin the principles of evidenced-based perioperative care for patients undergoing elective surgery.

In year two, the clinical practice emphasis shifts to providing care for patients undergoing complex and emergency surgery. You will learn to understand the principles of leadership whilst supporting others to learn as well as developing inquiry-based learning in order to support research and development.

You will work towards becoming an autonomous practitioner in year three, developing proficiency in anaesthetics, surgery and post-anaesthetic care as well as gaining experience in acute care beyond the operating theatre and developing in the role of a Surgical First Assistant (SFA). You will also have the opportunity to explore your own specialist interests as well as developing your leadership skills in order to manage people and resources within the perioperative environment, as you transition to a registered ODP as you prepare to register with the HCPC.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

City South Campus, Edgbaston

Department:

School of Health Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

63%
Operating department practice

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Health sciences (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

73%
Staff make the subject interesting
80%
Staff are good at explaining things
74%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
85%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

74%
Library resources
84%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
50%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
24%
Male students
76%
Female students
66%
2:1 or above
19%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

E
C
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Health sciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
95%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Health sciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£28k

£28k

£26k

£26k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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