The ultimate goal for me, and the initial reason for studying with the Distance Learning Center, is to become an Operations Department Operator (ODP). The role will involve working within hospital operating theaters to support patients throughout their time during certain operations, or the 'perioperative journey' (Health Education England, 2014b). I came to the decision to focus on making this the career I chose in November 2012 through word of mouth and a significant amount of research. The profession brings with it a large list of positives and negatives, as well as what suits my personality and previous experiences; despite having 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 set up to maintain a register of healthcare professionals holding certain roles within the NHS (Health Education England, 2014g). Before I am entitled to register with the HCPC, I must meet criteria to ensure that I meet the standards necessary for the role I intend to undertake (Health Education England, 2014g). The best way to meet these standards is to complete an approved program which automatically entitles me to registration and takes me one step closer to becoming an ODP (Health Education England, 2014g). An approved program for ODP registration could be a Higher Education Diploma or a Bachelor of Science degree; the latter being a relatively new option that has started to be offered by universities (Health Education England, 2014g). My goal is to become an ODP in the shortest time possible, making the diploma course a better option… half way… to get into any healthcare profession, in my opinion, is when things go wrong and how we react to they, not to mention how they affect us personally (Day in the Life, 2014). From my research, I have found that there is a lot of support available to overcome the challenge of things not going as planned (Day in a Life, 2014). Despite the challenges I will face as an operations worker and the difficulties I may face 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 serve to benefit me. I have extensive experience with people working, in a variety of environments, not to mention the ability to work in different areas when necessary; something that I believe can be transferred to the role of the Operations Department Operator.