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Operating Department Practitioner (Qualified)
Job Role

Operating Department Practitioner (Qualified)

You’ll work in MOD hospital units, at sea within the surgical team, or with the Commando Forward Surgical Group.

HealthcareHands onMedical
  • £38,000 - £52,000
  • Undergraduate Degree
  • Surface Fleet
  • Medical
  • Rating level

At a glance

This job sits within the Healthcare & Medical Profession and is a Healthcare & Medical Rating (Qualified) role. Saving the lives of the people who risk theirs: that’s life as an ODP. From day one, you’ll be an integral part of the surgical team, tackling all aspects of the operating theatre and developing skills that stay with you for life.

£38,000

The minimum amount you'll earn after training

DipHE or BSc

In Operating Department Practice needed

£52,000

Earn over this amount as you progress

Free

Medical and dental care

6 weeks

Of paid holiday every year

Travel

All around the world
Operating Department Practitioner cleaning equipment
The Royal Navy operates all over the world, so I do too. It’s great to make a real difference to the lives of our injured personnel.

Stuart

Operating Department Practitioner, Medical Branch

Role details

What you’ll do

Saving the lives of the people who risk theirs. That’s what you’ll be doing as an ODP in the Royal Navy. From day one, you’ll be an integral part of the surgical team, tackling all aspects of the operating theatre and developing skills that will stay with you for life. And you’ll work all over the world in some of the most challenging environments imaginable too.

Your role

  • Use your expertise where it’s needed most – from treating trauma patients during a humanitarian crisis, to providing surgical treatment at an NHS hospital
  • Be part of a world-class medical service that’s respected far beyond the Armed Forces
  • Provide crucial, lifesaving medical support in situations that can be demanding and sometimes dangerous
  • Gain experience in a wide range of disciplines, including becoming qualified as a Sterile Services Manager and Surgical First Assistant

Pay & benefits

  • Earn over £38,000 after university and initial training
  • Opportunity to in excess of £52,000 as you progress
  • An excellent pension scheme
  • Six weeks of paid holiday every year
  • Free medical and dental care

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • Study for A-Levels, NVQs or even a degree, partially paid for by us
  • An opportunity to study further at Degree level 6 and Masters level 7 to top up your professional portfolio

Skills you'll develop

  • Continued training and development in challenging environments
  • Gain experience in a multidisciplinary team

Eligibility

  • You must be aged 20 to 39
  • DipHE or BSc Operating Department Practice
  • Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered
  • You must be a British or Irish national, a Commonwealth citizen, or a Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions do apply
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
  • Pass the Naval Swimming Test
     

Skills & Interests

  • A technical thinker
  • An aptitude for the clinical environment
  • A team player
  • An adventurous spirit
  • Able to stay positive in the face of adversity

 

Joining Process

From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.

Step 1

Submit an application

Once you’ve registered your interest in a Profession, and have satisfied some basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form.

Step 2

Interview

A formal Selection Interview assessment will be conducted , and discussion of the role you are qualified for. It will also cover the initial stages of the Security application. This is normally conducted using your own device over the Shine video platform.

Step 3

Qualified Mental Health Nurse Assessment Board

This is a 1-day Assessment board where you will be asked to deliver a 10-minute presentation on a clinically related subject, participate in a Group exercise and sit a competency-based interview led by Nurse Education Advisor and Medical Specialist Recruitment Team. Assessment Boards are conducted subject to requirement.

Step 4

Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)

This is a four-day induction to life in the Royal Navy, including assessments of your Fitness and your Medical eligibility, it is a pass or fail course.

Step 5

Start training

Once you’ve passed all eligibility criteria, including a Security Check, you’ll be offered a place at HMS Raleigh to commence your initial training.

Career Progression

From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.
Day one
Meet your mentor, start your rotation and preceptorship
Year one
Leading Rates Leadership Course, adventurous training
First promotion
Become Leading Hand, mentor students, go on deployment
Second promotion
Become Petty Officer, take full charge of all equipment

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