Perioperative

Educate  ·  Empower  ·  Elevate

Operating theatre, explained properly.

Guides, templates and study resources for student Operating Department Practitioners, written by someone still in theatres every week.

See the resources → Who writes these

HCPC-registered ODP

Anaesthetics & recovery

Practice assessor

Cover of So You Want to Be an ODP?, a practical UK guide to applying, training and registration, by Sashelle Dempster

The resources

Written for the part nobody explains to you.

So You Want to Be an ODP?

A practical UK guide to applying, training and registration

Available now

  • 19 chapters
  • Six parts
  • A5 paperback
  • Digital
  • UK specific

Thinking about becoming an Operating Department Practitioner? This guide walks you through every stage, from your first application to registration and your first post.

Applications
UCAS, personal statements, interviews and what admissions teams look for.
Training
What to expect at university and on placement across the three years.
The role
The responsibilities and the skills you need in the operating department.
Registration
HCPC registration, your first post, pay and continuing professional development.
Digital edition → Paperback

The Theatre Practitioner's Career Bundle

For working out what comes next

Available now

  • 38 pages
  • Five editable templates

A career guide with five editable templates, for practitioners deciding on their next step and evidencing it properly.

Digital edition →

Inside the guide

What the pages actually look like.

Chapter openers, comparison tables and plain English callouts, typeset for A5 print.

Guide page, the three phases of perioperative care Guide page, chapter two opener, is ODP right for you Guide page, comparing ODP and theatre nursing roles

The three phases  ·  Chapter two opener  ·  ODP compared with theatre nursing

About

Hi, I'm Sash.

I'm an HCPC-registered Operating Department Practitioner working across anaesthetics and recovery, in lists covering gynaecology, orthopaedics, ENT, urology and endoscopy.

When I was training, most of what I needed to know was scattered across forums, group chats and whatever a mentor had time to explain on the day. There was no single place that told you what theatre is actually like, what is expected of you, or how to get through the parts that are genuinely hard.

So I started writing it down. Everything here is the version I wish I'd had: plain English, current, and honest about what the job is really like.

Alongside clinical practice I hold departmental Health and Safety and Autism Lead responsibilities, I have supported students as a practice assessor, and I am studying for an MSc in Healthcare Management.

In production

Seventy-two cards, six parts.

The deck runs from the role itself through to registration and life after qualifying. It is being finished now.

  • Flashcard part one, The ODP role, cards 001 to 010
  • Flashcard part two, Clinical foundations, cards 011 to 026
  • Flashcard part three, Evidence and communication, cards 027 to 036
  • Flashcard part four, Placement and assessment, cards 037 to 048
  • Flashcard part five, Regulation and professional practice, cards 049 to 060
  • Flashcard part six, Student essentials, cards 061 to 072
Hear about these first →

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