How busy are ODPs (Operating Department Practitioner) in the British army? And how hard is it to pass the training?

Hi Inesa,

The ODP role is extremely varied and, once trained you will have the opportunity to work in either a field hospital setting where you will train and deploy wherever the army needs or our ODPs work within the NHS as well. If you join as a student, you will first do your basic military training and then you will complete a two- year Diploma of Higher Education within Operating Department practice that will give you professional registration with the Health and Care professions Council (HCPC).

Thank you for replying. Since I am in college at the moment, after college will I be required to join as a student by joining a university or is that a choice? After the training, how often do ODPs get deployed and for how long would that be?

If you are not already training to be an ODP then we absolutely train our own and the only thing you would need to do is apply. You will complete a 2 year Diploma of Higher Education within Operating Department Practice that will give you professional registration with the Health and Care professions Council (HCPC). You will be well supported by military and civilian University staff at the Defence School of Healthcare Education within Birmingham City University and will then be employed as an ODP by the Army. After successful completion of your ODP training and following completion of the ALDP career course, you will be awarded the rank of Lance Corporal. You will be allocated a mentor at your first unit to take you through your 12 month preceptorship, enabling you to rotate around the various clinical theatres to consolidate your ODP training.

It is very hard to say on the deployment front as I'm not an ODP myself nor do we have one on here. More generally, operational deployments are usually up to six months in length of which I have done two in ten years as an Artillery Officer (this is likely to be similar or less for an ODP at the moment). Training exercises are a variety of lengths both in the UK and overseas but I would say four to six weeks once a year when in a unit. The ODP role is quite different as you are embedded in the NHS or in a medical unit so it will depend on where you are employed.

Thank you very much for taking your time to reply, this is very useful information. Lastly, I was wondering is there a specific time ODPs have to serve in the army? If so how many years? Thank you again.

If you join the Army as a non-qualified ODP and the Army trains you, there is a three year return of service that commences at the end of your diploma. The normal minimum term for all personnel is four years so in actual fact it's not that much longer even with this training.