National Apprenticeship Week: UHDB welcomes first ever cohort of Operating Department Practitioner Apprentices
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton are proud to be working in partnership with the University of Derby on our first ever Operating Department Practitioner apprenticeship programme.
The first cohort of Operating Department Practitioner apprentices started at the Trust in January 2022.
The course will be delivered over three years and during the course, apprentice learners will be supported to develop new skills and knowledge that will allow them to work in today’s dynamic, complex and changing healthcare environment.
The cohort will be working across multiple clinical placements area in varied theatre settings across Queen’s Hospital Burton, Royal Derby Hospital, Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital and Ilkeston Community Hospital, to enable them to gain essential experience and achieve the learning outcomes of the curriculum.
Jennifer Flint, Clinical Educator for Operating Department Apprenticeship Programme, said: “It’s such a fantastic opportunity for myself and my colleague, Ellie, to be leading the first ever cohort of Operating Department Practitioner apprentices here at UHDB. I feel that it is a massive opportunity to showcase the Operating Department Practitioner role – the Operating Department Practitioner has always been a role in the background, but this is giving us the chance to showcase what we can do and our capabilities.
“I have experience of working in theatres myself, I’ve been an Operating Department Practitioner for 20 years now. UHDB are one of the first Trusts in the UK to introduce the Operating Department Practitioner apprenticeship. We are one of only five Trusts with more than 50 operating theatres and carry out more than 300 elective procedures each working day, so this will provide great experience for the students.”
Shannon Monaghan, Operating Department Practitioner Apprentice at Queen’s Hospital Burton, said: “It’s a really exciting opportunity to be leading the way in the first ever cohort of Operating Department Practitioner apprentices at UHDB. I’ve previously worked in Burton theatres for seven years as an Operating Department Support Worker, so doing the Operating Department Practitioner apprenticeship is the next step in my career”
For more information on careers as an Operating Department Practitioner, click here >