Principles of Scrub and Circulating Practice HEA3099

Overview

This 15 week module, delivered at St James, Manchester, has been developed in order to facilitate the development of knowledge, skills and underlying principles of safe and effective scrub and circulating practice. It is designed to be inter-professional and is directed at practitioners working in the operating theatre participating in intra-operative care. Module content is selected and designed to meet the knowledge and skills required to provide intra-operative care across a broad range of surgical specialties.

Module code:	HEA3099
Level:	6
Module credits:	20
Cost for new students:	£1000 for September 2025 to July 2026

If you are an existing student who is undertaking this module as part of a programme, your fee will have been advised to you by email. You can also check your fees online. For any queries, please contact [email protected]

If your tuition fee is being paid by a sponsor or you are a sponsor paying a student’s fee, you are required to send a copy of a purchase order to [email protected].

For further guidance please visit: Sponsored students – Edge Hill University

Who is this module for?

There are two specific groups of students who would access this module:

• The newly qualified practitioner who needs to build on their skill and evidence base to underpin practice
• The qualified practitioner who although has a breadth of practical experience has limited academic qualification or specific experience to support their practice.

Students must be registered with their respective professional bodies (NMC/HCPC). It is necessary for the student to be working in a clinical area that allows them to meet the learning outcomes.

What are the key aims of the module?

The overarching rationale for this module is to develop safe, competent and confident practitioners who can underpin their intra-operative care with appropriate evidence. The operating department continues to require practitioners to work across disciplines and obtain new skills in specialist areas. Intra-operative care is a specialist area in which highly dependent patients require competent skilled practitioners. This module affords practitioners the opportunity to develop or consolidate existing skills and knowledge with the theoretical underpinning for their practice.

Practitioners accessing this module will normally have begun to develop reflective, analysis and ICT skills. This module will develop these skills to facilitate enquiry-based approaches thus engendering independent learning skills applied to intraoperative care.

This module also acts as a foundation for future learning opportunities and in particular progression to HEA3055 Surgical First Assistant

How will I study?

The module is normally delivered over 15 weeks with  four  face to face sessions delivered at St James, Manchester. The remaining sessions of the module are delivered online.

What will I study?

Principles of intra-operative care practice

• Surgical Terminology
• Incisions
• Scrub technique
• Positioning of the surgical patient
• Use of  Drains/Sutures/Surgical stapling
• Haemostasis
• Electro-surgery
• Wound Care and tissue viability

Health, safety and risk

• Risk assessment
• Infection control
• Correct Site Surgery
• Surgical exposure
• COSHH/sterilising procedures

Law and ethics

• Consent
• Legal issues and accountability

Specialist skills and role expectations

• Competency frameworks
• Specialist skills and core competencies
• Care planning – opportunities and considerations
• Action planning – short, medium and long term objectives

How will I be assessed?

Assessment required for successful completion:

• Completion of 100% of online activities.
• Practice Assessment – students will provide evidence demonstrating achievement of competencies that apply evidence-based knowledge to the skills developed. This will be assessed in practice by a qualified mentor. Students will be required to submit completed assessment documents and a portfolio of underpinning evidence.
• A 2,500 word essay, or a 15 minute presentation with a 1,000 word supporting paper (100%) – students will select an area of intra-operative care, examine the available literature to determine best practice and use this as a basis to critically analyse care planning in order to form an achievable plan of action.

All assessment elements must be passed.

On successful completion you will:

1. Achieve and apply competencies within the scrub and circulating practitioner’s role.
2. Critically examine a range of evidence to determine best practice in scrub and circulating practice.
3. Critically analyse an area of scrub and circulating practice appraising care planning and formulate an achievable action plan.

Study dates and venues

How to apply

Module availability varies from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Due to the popularity of some modules, it may be that the module is fully booked when your application is received. We will include your details on a waiting list and allocate you a place on the next available intake.

Applications will be open from Tuesday,  1 April 2025.

For details of how to apply, please visit the apply page.

Contact us

For further information regarding module availability, study dates and costs please contact the School of Allied Health, Social Work and Wellbeing on [email protected].

If you have any queries regarding module content and your suitability to study please contact the Module Coordinator Kate Hargreaves on 01695 657156 or email [email protected].

Pathways

This module can be studied on a standalone basis. It is an optional module on the

• BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Perioperative Practice