Educator and Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) Ria Chaloner, the newly-appointed AfPP Regional Lead for South Wales, is committed to “driving forward education” among her colleagues and students.
Ria, who works as a Clinical Skills and Simulation Tutor at the University of South Wales, and as a bank ODP at Royal Gwent and The Grange University hospitals, is delighted to become an AfPP Regional Lead.
“I moved into education with the intent of helping the next generation of perioperative practitioners to be better, to encourage and support education,” said Ria. “Being an AfPP Regional Lead will help me facilitate this aim further, and I am so pleased to be part of the UK’s leading membership organisation dedicated to hospital theatre practitioners.”
Ria was a full-time ODP working in anaesthetics, specialising in trauma and spinal surgery, for almost 10 years prior to taking on a role as an educator.
She said: “When I started out I thought I wanted to be a midwife, but after working as a nursing assistant in obstetrics and working in obstetrics surgery for caesareans, I applied to train as an ODP with a view to working in anaesthetics. The real turning moment was when I saw an ODP in surgery supporting and reassuring a deaf couple during the birth of their baby, and the difference it made to them.”
Ria added: “Being an ODP is a demanding yet highly rewarding job; you are looking after patients when they are at their absolute most vulnerable.”
Ria said when working as an ODP she herself did not always invest in all the educational opportunities available to her, or see all the progression avenues open to her.
“Being an ODP is hard work. You can work with super healthy patients, but also very poorly patients. There is also the challenge of balancing waiting lists and the risk of burn-out.”
Ria said one of the major highlights of her career, is the teams she has worked with. “At Royal Gwent Hospital we had such a great team, and many have become good friends.”
Ria herself has been studying hard over the last few years. She has successfully completed a BSc Acute and Critical Care degree while working, and is currently completing a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education for Healthcare Professionals. She said she may move into lecturing in the future.
“I am keen to share the full scale of opportunities available to perioperative practitioners and to help individuals achieve their full potential,” said Ria.“I strongly feel that my role as an AfPP Regional Lead will help me to do this.”
The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) is a professional organisation that has been providing support and guidance to perioperative practitioners for 60 years. AfPP plays a crucial role in promoting excellence in surgical practice by promoting education, networking, and innovation within the sector, providing members with access to a vast range of educational resources, online and regional events and advice on legal and ethical frameworks that impact their profession.
AfPP’s mission is to ensure that all patients receive safe and effective surgery through the advancement of knowledge, standards, education, and research in all areas related to perioperative care.
