The ultimate goal for me, and the original reason I studied at the Center for Distance Learning, is to become an Operations Department Practitioner (ODP). The role will involve working in hospital operating theaters to support patients throughout certain operations, or 'perioperative journey' (Health Education England, 2014b). I made the decision to focus on this career in November 2012, thanks to word of mouth and a significant amount of research. The profession has a long list of positives and negatives, as well as how well it fits my personality and previous experiences; although he has never worked in the healthcare sector before. When an ODP job is advertised, the potential candidate must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (Health Education England, 2014f); the regulatory body established to maintain a register of healthcare professionals in certain roles within the NHS (Health Education England, 2014g). Before I am eligible to register with the HCPC, I must meet a criterion designed to ensure that I meet the necessary standards for the role in which I intend to practice (Health Education England, 2014g) . The best way to meet these standards is to complete an approved program which automatically qualifies me for registration and takes me one step further to becoming an ODP (Health Education England, 2014g). An approved program for enrollment in the ODP would be either a higher education diploma or a bachelor of science degree; the latter being a relatively new option which has started to be offered by universities (Health Education England, 2014g). My goal is to become an ODP as quickly as possible which makes the degree a better option...... middle of paper ......to enter a healthcare profession in my opinion it is when things go wrong and how we react to them, not to mention how it affects us personally (Day in the Life, 2014). Through my research, I have discovered that there are many supports available to overcome the challenge when things do not go as planned (Day in a Life, 2014). Despite the challenges I will face as an operational service practitioner and the difficulties I will encounter. that I may encounter on the path to qualification, I have learned from my research that many of the experiences I have gained in other sectors outside of the healthcare profession will only benefit me. I have extensive experiences working with people, in a variety of environments, not to mention the ability to work in different areas as required; something I believe can be transferred to the operational service practitioner role.