Operating Department Practitioner - immersive event

In a first for the NHS first, students took part in a pilot project to shine the spotlight on an essential but lesser-known career in the NHS. The launch event was the first of its kind piloted for the NHS; a new, hybrid way of delivering careers education through a combination of virtual and in-person delivery. This unique experience offered talented potential NHS workforce the opportunity to meet key staff and enabled students aged 16-18 to ‘access’ clinical spaces not usually available to them. 

The programme collaborated with a local FE college to launch the mock operating theatre, designed to be a practical learning space for the college’s T Level and A Level students.

During the day, the students, who are all studying T-Levels in Health, Healthcare Science and A Level Biology: participated in a variety of practical, simulated tasks with qualified ODPs. These tasks mirror a patient’s journey, including instrument selection and mannequin intubation

Undertook a written maths task focusing on measuring anaesthesia and pain relief according to patient weight and height  witnessed a live operation streamed from University Hospital Southampton, met Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeons and ODP's with focus on the role of the ODP throughout, and met the wider multi-disciplinary team

Heard from ODP degree students from University of Portsmouth, and ODP apprentices from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust


Aiman Alzetani, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, said: “UHS has been Offering Virtual Work Experience (VWEX) for students interested in medicine since the start of the pandemic when access to a physical one was suspended, but this is the first VWEX incorporating in-person delivery and concentrating on a less recognized but very vital role within hospital operating theatres. As one of the largest employers in the south, UHS, with the help of local higher education providers,  looks to  talented students from around the region to fill these important roles, supporting the local economy and boosting employability.”