BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice at University of Staffordshire

Programme overview

A Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) accredited degree preparing students to become registered operating department practitioners. Around half of the course is clinical placement in anaesthetics, scrub and recovery, and students train in simulated anaesthetic and recovery rooms and a dedicated operating theatre at the Centre for Health Innovation in Stafford. Additional training such as Immediate Life Support is available.

Duration: 3 years full-time; 4 years with a foundation year | Intake: September 2027 | Location: Stoke-on-Trent, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Students follow the patient journey from anaesthesia to recovery, practising patient monitoring, assessment, airway equipment preparation and scrub skills through lectures, practical workshops, skills sessions and immersive simulations, alongside placements across hospitals in Staffordshire, Shropshire, Cheshire and the West Midlands.

Career pathways

Graduates provide hospital services in the operating department and areas such as pre-op, intensive care and emergency departments, starting at NHS Band 5 (stated as GBP 32,073), with routes into management, education, research or advanced clinical specialisation; some work abroad.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Typical offer: 112-120 UCAS points, plus GCSE Mathematics and English at grade C (4) or above; A-levels BBC; BTEC DMM. Access to HE Diploma: Pass with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points (reduced tariff offer for Access applicants). OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: DMM. UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma: Merit overall. T Levels: minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass. Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers, Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales and Irish Leaving Certificate are accepted, with offers in line with standard requirements and possibly specific subject grades. A satisfactory DBS and occupational health check is required.

Domestic applicants: GBP 10,050 a year (2027/28). Full-time study option, course starting September 2027; fee is for the first year, later years may change in line with UK government policy. Source

International applicants: GBP 17,085 a year (2027/28). Full-time study option, course starting September 2027. Source

Intake: September 2027

Duration: 3 years full-time; 4 years with a foundation year

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