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You are viewing entry year 2025/26.

Operating Department Practitioner, BSc Hons (Degree Apprenticeship)

If you are passionate about delivering high-quality care to surgical patients within the operating room and associated care settings, our Operating Department Practitioner apprenticeship is for you.

This degree apprenticeship will prepare you to provide high standards of care to patients undergoing surgery. Once qualified, you will be part of a team of highly skilled surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses in an operating department in the NHS or independent sector.

Our programme combines both academic and clinical practice. This allows you to develop the skills required to care for patients and apply them in clinical settings, primarily in the operating department. Some learners will have the opportunity to complete a Surgical First Assistant Skills endorsement and develop specialist skills to assist surgeons during surgery.

This programme is Level 6 and . On completion of the programme, you be well equipped to apply for registration with the as a registered operating department practitioner.

Degree apprenticeship

Applications are made through the apprenticeships programme.

We received Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. This recognises our outstanding performance in student experience and outcomes.

Duration

3-5 years part-time

Start month

September

Fees information

For fee information related to this course, please see fees section below.

What you should know about this course

  • This programme combines academic study with workplace learning to enable you to become a fully proficient operating department practitioner.
  • Some of your learning will take place in our state-of-the-art simulation suite, where you will be able to practice your new skills in a supported simulated environment.
  • You will need to apply through your employer as they will be funding your apprenticeship.

Operating Department Practitioner - information pack


Get a promotional pack from Skills for Health containing everything you need to know about the Operating Department Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship.

What you will study

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Course information is currently unavailable for this programme. Please contact course-info@gre.ac.uk for more information.

About the course team

You will be taught by an expert team that includes senior academics, technical officers, and practitioners with industry experience. Trained postgraduate researchers may also contribute to seminar teaching with the module leader. Teaching is informed by our research and consultancy work, and 97% of our lecturers hold a teaching qualification.

Come and meet us

We are offering virtual events so that you can still experience how Greenwich could be the right university for you.

Next Open Days

Got a question?

To find out more about our Open Days and Campus Tours or if you need any assistance, please email opendays@gre.ac.uk.

Entry requirements

From the start of your apprenticeship, you will need to be employed full-time (30 hours or more per week) in an appropriate healthcare setting.

If you are not already employed in a health or social care setting, you should contact NHS Trusts and other healthcare organisations in your area to check if they are recruiting apprentices.

Applicants will need:

  • Mathematics and English GCSE grade A-C/9-4 or recognised equivalents
  • Transferable skills and readiness to study at the undergraduate level
  • Two years of employment in a relevant health or social care setting

Take your next step. Begin your apprenticeship journey with the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ. Email us today at apprenticeships@greenwich.ac.uk

For more information, use our contact form or call us on 020 8331 9000.

You can also .

Available to overseas students?

No

Can I use Prior Learning?

Yes. We will consider applicants with prior academic learning and substantive and relevant work experience. We will guide you on how to claim for your prior learning to be accredited.

Enhanced disclosure

Applicants for this course are required to complete a suitability declaration, an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check, and an occupational health check.

About these requirements

How you will learn

Teaching

Learning takes place through a combination of timetabled learning and independent study.

You can view more information about how each module is taught within our 'What you will study' section.

Seminars and workshops enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. You will also be able to meet your personal tutor. Timetabled learning may fall between 9am and 9pm depending on your courses and tutorials.

Class sizes

Lectures are usually attended by larger groups and seminars/tutorials by smaller groups. This can vary more widely for modules that are shared between degrees. Apprentices also take part in shared/collaborative modules with other learners, providing a perfect opportunity to develop teamworking skills. Workshop and lab sessions enable you to work in smaller groups of learners.

Independent learning

Outside of timetabled sessions, you are also expected to dedicate time to study. This may involve further reading and research, preparing coursework and presentations, and getting ready for tests and exams. Our facilities are designed to support you in these activities.

You can use our libraries and online resources to support further reading and research.

In addition to the training plan agreed with your employer, it is possible you may also:

  • Attend guest lectures from industry experts
  • Take part in employability and enterprise workshops
  • Join student societies

Overall workload

If you are studying full-time, you should expect the workload to be similar to a full-time job. For part-time students, this will reduce in proportion with the number of courses you are studying.

Each module you study towards this degree is worth 15 or 30 credits. These represent around 150 or 300 study hours respectively. If you receive 100 contact hours for a 30-credit module, you should expect to commit 200 hours to independent study to complete it successfully.

Assessment

You can view how each module is assessed within our 'What you will study' section.

Each course has formal assessments which count towards your grade. Some courses may also include 'practice' assignments, which help you monitor progress and do not count towards your final grade.

Feedback summary

We aim to provide feedback on assignments and to release examination results within 15 working days.

Dates and timetables

Full teaching timetables are not usually available until term has started. For any queries, email us at apprenticeships@greenwich.ac.uk.

Official statistics on Discover Uni

Part time

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

The course fees are shared between government and employers. Visit our degree apprenticeships pages to find out how the cost of your course is met.

Other costs

This programme can be funded through the Apprenticeship Levy. Apprentices are not required to pay for their teaching and learning. Find out more about who pays for apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships are paid for by employers, not apprentices.

Employers with a payroll of more than £3 million can use their apprenticeship levy contributions to pay for places on apprenticeship programmes.

Any business with a payroll below £3 million is eligible for government funding that will cover at least 95% of the cost of an apprenticeship programme.

Additional incentives are also available to employers who take on young apprentices.

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Mode of study

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Apply now

If you are a UK student or have settled/pre-settled status (EU) and you want to study full-time then you apply through the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).

If you are a UK student or have settled/pre-settled status (EU) and you want to study part-time then you can apply directly via our online application form.

If you are from outside the UK, you can apply via UCAS, directly via our online application form or via one of our in-country representatives. If you require a student visa, you cannot study part-time at undergraduate level.