The Operating Theatre journal April 2021

From bomb disposal to pioneering healthcare role
• Career change has led to a new healthcare role and the first of its
kind in a national healthcare group
• First in the country to have studies funded by an independent
healthcare advisor - qualification achieved via innovative University
of Plymouth course
• “He excelled in the programme… We hope that he is the first of many
ex-service personnel to study with us” (University of Plymouth)
• First to achieve new professional role without a previous degree, and
one of a very few with a military background
• “We saw this as a long term project that encouraged the development
of staff, but also allowed us to give greater flexibility in our hospital”
(Hospital Director)
A healthcare professional who changed career in the RAF from bomb
disposal to operating theatre practitioner, has taken on one of the
newest professions in the health sector.
James Potter from Practice Plus Group Hospital Plymouth (formerly
Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre) has recently qualified as a physician
associate (PA) – one of the newest health professions making him a
pioneer in this role and the first PA employed in the nationwide Practice
Plus Group, the first in the country to have their studies funded by
an independent healthcare provider, the first to study without a first
degree and one of just a handful to come from a military background.
While the role of physician associate is new in the UK, it is wellestablished
in other countries, such as the United States. Physician
associates are healthcare professionals who, while not doctors, work
to the medical model of clinical diagnosis, with the attitudes, skills
and knowledge base to deliver holistic care and treatment within the
general care team under defined levels of supervision. The role is
designed to supplement the medical workforce.
For James, the decision to follow a career in healthcare followed his
final tour of duty in Afghanistan in bomb disposal with the RAF. He
said: “In 2010 I returned from Afghanistan and felt that, after 10 years
in bomb disposal and with a wife and young family, I should change
direction so I decided to pursue a career in the RAF in healthcare.”
James trained as an operating department practitioner (ODP) and
worked in that area in the RAF in Peterborough. When the hospital
closed he was seconded to the Navy and was sent to practise at
Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. In 2017 he met with the theatre
manager at Practice Plus Group Hospital Plymouth and was offered a
job. He has been with the hospital ever since.
While with the hospital James had the opportunity to study to
become a PA on the University of Plymouth’s MSc Physician Associates
Studies programme. James was supported and funded in his studies
by Practice Plus Group. Mark White, Hospital Director at Practice Plus
Group Hospital Plymouth commented: “We were delighted to fund
James’s course. We saw this as a long term project that encouraged
the development of staff, but also allowed us to give greater flexibility
in our hospital. It is part of our commitment to ensuring our patients
have access to the best care available delivered by highly qualified and
proficient healthcare professionals, which is why we have led the way
in this instance.”
DEADLINE APPROACHING
The 2021 HealthWatch student prize
competition for critical appraisal of clinical
research protocols is underway!
Since 2002, HealthWatch has presented more
than £20,000 in prizes, and this year it could
be your turn to win up to £500. You now have
just three weeks to write, refine and perfect
your entry, but don’t leave it until the last
minute!
Cash prizes
There are two first prizes of £500 each,
one for medical and dental students and
one for students of nursing, midwifery and
professions allied to medicine. Up to five
runner-up prizes of £100 will be awarded
in each category. Winners will be invited
to attend the HealthWatch Annual General
James Potter, who is the first physician associate to have graduated
without a first degree and with financial support from an independent
sector healthcare provider Picture credit: University of Plymouth
For James it was the ideal opportunity to stretch himself and develop
his career. He said: “I loved being an ODP in theatres and would have
happily stayed there my entire working life. I just wanted to see if I
could progress. Live on the edge of the comfort bubble, so to speak,
instead of languishing in the centre of it risk-free. I wouldn’t have been
happy without at least giving it a go.”
Dr. Adele Hill, Associate Dean – Teaching and Learning Faculty of Health
and PA Programme Lead at the University of Plymouth, added, added:
“James was an ODP prior to studying with us, and though he doesn’t fit
the standard entry criteria for the programme, we saw that his skills
and his approach to medicine would make him a great fit. I am very
happy to say that James exceeded all expectations from day one. He
excelled in the programme, and went out of his way to support other
students and promote the role. We hope that he is the first of many exservice
personnel to study with us.”
She continued: “The Physician Associate programme allows graduates
and those with significant healthcare experience to work as part of
the multi-disciplinary team to support patient care and provide
clinical continuity. This non-traditional route into healthcare allows us
to support diversification of the NHS workforce, and at Plymouth we
actively seek to support students from all walks of life and backgrounds
who show they have the skills, knowledge, and aptitude to work in this
challenging and rewarding role.”
James now plays a vital role at the hospital, mainly in the Outpatient
Department where he operates between anaesthetists and nurses. He
is the resuscitation lead for the hospital and is involved in scheduling.
As a new role it is evolving every day.
www.plymouthpeninsulahospital.co.uk
HealthWatch Student Prize Competition 2021
Meeting in October to receive their prizes. If
for any reason large gatherings or travel are
restricted, the AGM may be held virtually, in
which case prize-winners will be invited to
attend remotely.
Winners can also add to their CV the honour
of having received a national award — which
could give the edge in a competitive post-
Covid jobs market.
We are grateful to the Royal College of
Surgeons of England for their generous support
of this year’s competition.
How to enter
The competition consists of four hypothetical
research protocols: your task is to rank the
protocols in order from that most likely to
provide a reliable answer to the stated aims of
When responding to articles please quote ‘OTJ’
the trial to that least likely to do so. You then
have to explain your ranking in no more than
600 words.
Please share with your fellow students,
organisations, colleges, universities.
Your entry must be received by 23:59 BST on
Friday 30 April 2021. Entries received after
that time will not be considered.
Find out more and enter here.
The full terms and conditions, with the
competition protocols for you to read, can be
found here.
Free student membership
Whether you enter the competition or not, if
you are a full-time student, please consider
taking advantage of our offer of free Student
Membership of HealthWatch.
18 THE OPERATING THEATRE JOURNAL www.otjonline.com