With a focus on resilience and safety, this 10-week course encourages you, as an operating department practitioner (ODP) working in the perioperative environment, to build and reflect on your knowledge and experience in relation to anaesthetic practice in order that you can deliver high-quality care across a variety of specialities.
Service users come to theatres with many complex needs. Technology and skills continue to improve, continuously advancing what can be done in terms of both anaesthetic and surgical intervention. The higher degree of complexity though, the higher the level of planning and safety measures are required. ODPs will become involved in cases of increasing complexity and must therefore ensure that a safe environment is maintained and that they themselves remain resilient and compassionate when providing patient care.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Justify care delivered in order to meet the physiological, pathological, pharmacological and psychological needs of service users undergoing anaesthesia
- Critically analyse procedures and strategies utilised within the anaesthetic environment in order to manage potential and actual clinical or environmental problems in this area
Course content
- Advanced resuscitation including advanced airway management, anaesthetic complications and emergencies, rapid sequence induction, failed intubation procedure and advanced Life Support in the Perioperative environment
- Risk management in the anaesthetic environment including principles of risk management and hazards in the clinical area, human factors and environmental emergencies
- Service user monitoring including invasive/haemodynamic monitoring, interpretation of ECGs and doppler
- Health and Social Policy including implications of national and local health policy initiatives on perioperative environment
- Anaesthetic equipment including ventilators and modes of ventilation, care of ventilated service user and managing a service user with a tracheostomy
- Care of service users with specific needs including paediatric anaesthesia, anaesthesia in obstetrics, elderly, anaesthesia for service user with mental health problems or learning disabilities, anaesthetic management of the obese service user
- Managing diverse cultural needs for service users undergoing anaesthesia
- Regional anaesthesia including regional blocks and epidural and spinal anaesthesia
- Pain management including routes of pain relief, pharmacological, adjuncts to pain relief /and alternative pain management strategies
- Complications associated with anaesthesia including common and not-so-common complications associated with general, local and regional anaesthesia
- Venepuncture and Intravenous cannulation including relevant legislation, site and equipment selection, anatomy & physiology, potential complications and errors, infection control, the venepuncture procedure, the cannulation procedure, vascular and arterial access
- Responding to emergencies including assisting the anaesthetist, scope of practice, situational awareness, managing the environment and managing specific emergencies such as anaphylaxis, major haemorrhage, suxamethonium apnoea and malignant hyperpyrexia
‡2022/23 for new entrants
Starting between September 2022 and August 2023.
UK/EU fee: £840
International fee: £840
About your fees
Prices are correct for the year of entry shown. These are subject to annual increase in subsequent academic years.
To successfully undertake this course, you will need to be a registered nurse employed in a UK based perioperative environment for the duration of the course. The amount of time that you spend in the anaesthetic environment will be decided by your employer and can be discussed with the Academic team. The time spent must be adequate to enable you to achieve both the academic and practical aspects of this course.
Potential applicants will be identified in the first instance by employers and will subsequently also need to apply to the university. As an employee, you will need permission, support and a written reference from your manager to apply for this course. You will be required to upload evidence to this effect when you are applying. Your employer is also responsible for ensuring that adequate DBS checks have been carried out.
To apply, you will need to meet the following criteria:
- Be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and have a minimum of six months experience working within the perioperative environment as a registered nurse
- Evidence of recent study (within the last three years) or ability to study at a degree level. If you are unable to supply evidence to support this, then you will be asked to complete a reflective piece of work related to your experience working in the perioperative environment and this will form part of your application
- Be employed in a UK based perioperative environment for the duration of the course
- Have agreement from your employer to provide suitable placement opportunities together with an experienced, registered and knowledgeable mentor
- Have confirmation from your employer that you will be under supervision when working in the anaesthetic area, whilst on the course
- Hold a current DBS check
English language qualifications
If English is not your first language, or you have not successfully completed your highest level of qualification in English, you will need an English language qualification. For this course you will need at least one of the following:
- IELTS 7.0
- TOEFL: 600 (paper based), 250 (computer based) or 100 (internet based)
- Pearson Test of Academic English: 66
- Cambridge Advanced Certificate: Pass
- London Tests of English: we accept level 4 for undergraduate courses
- International GCE O Level English Language: Grade C
- International GCSE English/English as a Second Language: Grade C
Find out more about our English language requirements
Documents to support your application
In order for your application to be assessed, you will need to provide the following documents when you apply:
- Photo ID – this could be your passport or driving license
- NMC PIN
- Evidence of current DBS
- Good health self-declaration
- Written reference, supplied on headed paper, from your employer confirming:
- Confirmation that you are working in a Perioperative setting in the UK and will be for the duration of the course
- Your employers support for you to undertake this course including suitable placement opportunities within you organisation
- You have at least six months experience as a registered nurse working within the perioperative environment
- An experienced, registered & knowledgeable mentor from your organisation will support you during your placements, including your mentor’s PIN numbers
- That supervision will be provided whilst you are working in the anaesthetic area whilst on this course
- That you are in good health, fit and able to undertake this course and work in the area of anaesthetics
- Copies of certificates and transcripts or a letter of testimony for previous qualifications*
*Documents not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. Each translation must contain:
- Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
- The date of the translation
- The full name and signature of the translator, or an authorised official of the company
- The translator’s contact details
A list of approved translators can be found on the UK Government website.
Please note: failure to submit any documentation when requested, may result in your application being withdrawn.
Students should apply directly to the University.
Apply now
For support with completing your application, view our guide to the application process.
If you want to find out more about studying a short course, please contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
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