Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) provide patient care during the three phases of an operation: anaesthetics, surgery, and recovery.
Daniel Marsh has been an ODP at Harefield Hospital since 2022.
Tell us about what made you want to become an ODP?
Since leaving school, I worked in several different industries, but didn’t really settle or get job satisfaction. I took a job working in healthcare, in a residential home supporting people with hearing loss, and I really enjoyed it; I particularly enjoyed having direct contact with the service users, and I’d have a good feeling at the end of each shift. From there, I moved to a private hospital as a support worker in the Operating Theatres. It was in this role that I learnt more about ODPs - what they do and the impact they can have. So, I went to university as a mature student and in 2017 qualified as an ODP, which was nearly eight years ago.
From university I got my first role as an ODP at King’s College Hospital and spent an amazing five years there. It was an incredible place to work. During Covid, I was seconded to work at the Nightingale Hospital where one of my colleagues worked at Harefield Hospital. He spoke so well of Harefield that I applied for a role and have now been here for three years.
Tell us a bit about your role. What does a typical day look like?
There is no typical day. Currently, I spend most of my time my time working with the anaesthetic team. Each day starts with a multi-disciplinary team meeting to discuss the day’s patient list – it’s a big team involving many different healthcare professionals. My role is varied: we help support patients before surgery; it can be a very frightening experience for patients going into theatre for a surgical procedure, so a big part of what I do is offer reassurance and allay any fears.
In the anaesthetic room, we prepare a wide range of specialist equipment and drugs, including anaesthetic machines and intravenous equipment and devices that safely secure the patient's airway during anaesthesia – we make sure everything is in good working order for the day. When we take the patient to the anaesthetic room, we assist the anaesthetist to put the patient to sleep before the patient is transferred to the operating theatre.
As a specialist hospital and transplant centre dealing with complex cardiac and respiratory cases, many pre-operative procedures can take place before a patient goes into the theatre that we assist with. For example, we assist the anaesthetist to insert arterial lines so we can monitor blood pressure.
Harefield Hospital is part of the National Organ Retrieval Service (NORS) which involves being part of a team of experts that go to other hospitals to retrieve organs from donors, we can be sent sent anywhere across the country. I am extremely proud to be part of this team.
What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
The patient contact. Patients often feel worried or vulnerable before going into theatre, so it’s a privilege to be able to provide reassurance when they are feeling most vulnerable. I also enjoy being part of a very big team that has a profound impact on a patient’s life; a lot of the team’s work is life-saving. It’s a very worthwhile job.
What advice would you give someone thinking about becoming an ODP?
Do it! And just say yes to all opportunities that come your way, especially as a student – don’t be afraid, just keep asking questions, that’s how you learn stuff!