Meet Lauren: “Being an Operating Department Practitioner is a really rewarding job to do”

Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) – one of the unsung heroes of healthcare!

Ever wondered who keeps the gears turning behind the scenes in the operating theatres and beyond? Look no further than our incredible team of ODPs at Sheffield Children’s.

Operating department practitioners (ODPs) work in four key areas in our hospital; anaesthetics, surgery, recovery and in our Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU). In anaesthetics the role involves assisting the anaesthetist during general and local anaesthetics.

In surgery the ODP is part of the operating team, helping perform a number of roles, including getting scrubbed up and supporting with equipment needed by colleagues to provide care in theatres.

In recovery, the place you go after being in theatres for a procedure or surgery, the ODP will work with colleagues to look after the child or young person. They will monitor them and provide any treatment or support until they have recovered from their surgery (which may have involved anaesthesia).

Meet the lovely Lauren!

Lauren works as a Clinical Lead in Theatres (ODP), overseeing the day-to-day operations of theatres using a mix of clinical expertise and managerial skills. From education to infection control and emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR), Lauren has it covered.

Lauren always planned to end up in the medical world and it was her mum that inspired her to become an ODP. Lauren said: “ODPs aren’t very well known but I was fortunate to know about the role because my mum trained to be an ODP when I was in my early teens, after having worked as a Theatres Receptionist. She had a really great career that she loved.”

Having finished school Lauren spent some time working as support in theatres which allowed her to learn a little bit more about the role. This was the final confirmation to go down the ODP route, so she applied to universities to complete a diploma in Operating Department Practice.

Lauren added: “During the diploma we were trained in anaesthetics, surgery and recovery support. I always gravitated towards anaesthetics, but I was conscious when applying for jobs that I didn’t want to specialise too early. I worked in a rotational role at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals initially but then a job came up at Sheffield Children’s, and having done a placement there during my diploma and loved it, I jumped at the chance.”

Lauren took the diploma route but you can also become an ODP through completing an apprenticeship, which a handful of our colleagues are currently doing.

Lauren joined Sheffield Children’s in 2005 and has been involved in a number of different areas as an ODP. She was part of the retrieval team, where ODPs would support bringing patients into the hospital, as well as being an on-call practitioner, supporting on emergency theatre procedures before most recently moving into the management world as a Clinical Lead.

Lauren said: “I always thought I might go off travelling or move somewhere else in my career, but I love it so much as an ODP at Sheffield Children’s that I’ve been here for 19 years. The department are a close-knit community, a team that know each other really well and are super supportive and I love working with children, it’s great to be a part of a child’s healthcare journey.

“The scope of areas for ODPs used to be solely in theatres but here at Sheffield Children’s we now have ODPs working solely on the intensive care unit and at Embrace (round the clock transport service for critically ill infants and children), as well as in anaesthetics, surgery and pre-operative care. Our roles are growing and there are plenty more career development opportunities than there used to be.

“Being an ODP is hard work but it’s also a really interesting and rewarding job to do!”

Thank you so much to all our ODPs and for Lauren for sharing her career journey!