Ms Sandra Huntington

Following my qualification as an Operating Department Practitioner in 1985, I worked clinically in the private and NHS sectors. My work was predominantly in Anaesthetics and the Immediate post operative care recovery for surgical patients. I was promoted to Senior and then Principle ODP before I embarked on a career with CCCU in 1996. I completed a Certificate in Education in 1995 and as a Lecturer I taught Anaesthetic, Surgery and Post operative Recovery modules. I completed an MSc in Health Education & Health Promotion in 2001. I was the ODP Placement Lead for many years and Course Director for two years.

I was fortunate to be the first ODP elected as a Trustee to the board for the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) in 2008 for a tenure of 5 years. I remained an external reviewer for the AfPP Journal for the following 2 years, and I was a Perioperative auditor for AfPP and was a member of the external reference panel at the Royal College of Surgeons for 2 years.

I accepted the new role of Senior Lecturer Practice Learning in 2016 because I had an interest in practice learning and wanted to work collaboratively with placement providers to ensure valuable and supportive placement experiences for students and practitioners in the clinical environment.

I was a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer for a number of years teaching across the ODP curriculum from NVQ to Diploma and finally the Degree modules. My focus was primarily Anaesthetics but I also covered Surgery and Immediate Post Operative Care teaching as well as the Interprofessional modules. I also taught on the Adult Nursing Critical Care modules.

Over the years I have been involved in the development and management of the ODP course to diploma, and then degree level. I was the lead for Anaesthetic & Surgery modules and also taught on the Adult Nursing course. As well as being the ODP placement lead for many years, I undertook the role of Course Director for two years.