Overview

The DipHE in Operating Department Practice (ODP) is a two-year online course combining online and work-based learning. It is designed for those who are employed by the NHS in a Operating Department Practice training post and prepares you the a career in perioperative care.

The DipHE will help you meet the ever-changing demands and expectations of the modern workplace as an Operating Department Practitioner. You will be equipped to practice in dynamic, multidisciplinary settings and demonstrate competency in providing high standards of safe, compassionate, evidence-based, and patient–focussed care in the perioperative context.

Important Notice

Employment

You can only apply to this course if you have been recruited via a sponsoring NHS Board. You must ensure that you have secured an ODP training post before making an application directly to the University.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for this programme are paid by the student's health board.

School of Health & Life Sciences

The School offers a variety of innovative courses with hands-on experience and work in virtual and real-life ward situations.

Our modern healthcare facilities across our Scottish campuses simulate clinical environments as well as home settings to teach caring for the elderly and people with dementia.

Our students graduate ready to achieve their ambitions in the healthcare sector.

Why Operating Department Practice?

Our DipHE offers an exciting opportunity to be involved in this innovative, pan-Scotland, ODP preparation. You will engage in online learning while practicing simultaneously as an ODP student within your employing health board. As such there will be opportunities to network with peers across Scotland while engaging in interdisciplinary practice locally.

You will also enjoy specialist input from Professorial experts within the School of Health & Life Sciences at UWS and specialist input from multidisciplinary clinicians within current service. Service users will also input to the DipHE.

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Health Students on a Health-Related Module at UWS | University of the West of Scotland

Course Highlights

  • This programme incorporates 40% theory and 60% work-based learning hours – reflecting the standards of education and training (HCPC, 2017), Standards of proficiency (HCPC, 2014) and the Scope of Practice (COPD, 2009).
  • The combination of online-based and practice-based learning as an ODP student within the NHS Health Board that employs you means you’ll benefit from learning from a variety of experienced theatre practitioners including other qualified ODPs, nurses and medical staff.
  • Students will gain clinical skills in a range of placements under the supervision of a mentor.
  • Students who complete the programme will be eligible to apply for professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Entry Requirements

What qualifications do you need?

We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.

Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience

If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Postgraduate & Post-experience Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.

  • Scottish Highers: 2 passes, plus 3 additional subjects at SQA National 5
  • A levels: 1 pass, plus 3 additioanl subjects at GCSE level
  • Other: alternative SQA National Qualifications / Edexcel Foundation qualifications may be considered

Other Required Qualifications/Experience

For all students entering the programme under 2019 NES contract arrangements:

Must be in full time employment with a participating NHS Health Board, and be able to provide evidence of managerial support to complete the full programme through online and work-based learning.

For all students entering the programme under alternative individual contract arrangements: Must be in full time employment with an individually contracted NHS Trust/ Health Board, and be able to provide evidence of managerial support to complete the full programme through online and work-based learning – including the provision of placements to support programme completion.
English language requirements

To meet HCPC (2018) requirements for accreditation, all candidates must be able to communicate in English to the standard equivalent to level 7 of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), with no element below 6.5. See below for more details.

PVG: Entry to the DipHE will be subject to satisfactory assessment. See below for more details.

As this Diploma is designed to meet the needs of a specific workforce market within the NHS, the notion of articulation from colleges is not applicable at this time.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR MOST COURSES

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.

General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

  • overall score 6.0
  • no sub-test less than 5.5

Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).

SOCIAL WORK DEGREES

For our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 7.0
  • no sub-test less than 7.0

COMMON EQUIVALENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE QUALIFICATIONS

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

  • CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
  • CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
  • Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests
  • PTE Pearson Academic English: An overall score of 59 to 64 with no element below 59 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5). An overall score 65 to 75 with no element below 65 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.5 with no element below 6.0)

 

IELTS SCORE EXCEPTIONS (RESEARCH DEGREES, BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE DEGREES, NURSING & MIDWIFERY DEGREES WITH NMC REGISTRATION, CERTIFICATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, ETC.)

RESEARCH DEGREES

For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 6.5
  • no sub-test less than 6.0

HEALTH & MIDWIFERY AWARDS

For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to, or require professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.

For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:

  • overall score of 7.0
  • score of at least 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and no less than 6.5 in writing

* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).

BIOMEDICAL DEGREES

For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 7.0
  • no sub-test less than 6.5

CERTIFICATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 5.0
  • no sub-test less than 4.5

 

TOEFL IBT

TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:

  • Reading: 17;
  • Listening: 17;
  • Speaking: 17;
  • Writing: 17

* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.

 

WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (WASSCE)

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*

  • C6 or above in English

*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.

 

PRE-SESSIONAL COURSES

Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:

    • 10 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no element below 4.5.
    • 5 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.5 with no element below 5.5.
    • English Language for University Study - entry criteria UKVI IELTS with score of 4.0 in all elements (10 month course), or 4.5 with no score below 4.0 (7 month course).

Find out more about our English language Courses.

Successful applicants who gain a place on this course will need to register on the PVG Scheme, managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland. An application form will be sent from the University once you have accepted your offer. The fee for joining the scheme is £59.

Visit the Disclosure Scotland website for more information on the PVG scheme.

Career Prospects

Jobs

This programme will prepare you for a successful career in Operating Department Practice.

Registered ODPs work in a range of contexts such as operating theatres, outpatient departments, endoscopy clinics and accident and emergency.

 

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Research at UWS

With cutting edge facilities, specialist knowledge and world-leading and internationally excellent expertise, we aim to develop research outputs that have a tangible, early and positive impact on society across the globe.

Discover

We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.