'Warship and operating theatre dynamics are similar'

"Without a doubt I find that the communication is very similar in the operating theatre and a place like a warship," says Alex Oliver, who left the Royal Navy and now works at London's Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Oliver had served 12 years in the Navy, joining when he was 17.

He was deployed to 56 countries and territories across the globe during that time, and decided to change careers after getting married.

"I’d always had an interest in science and we trained as Level 3 first aiders in the Navy," he said.

"I originally thought about doing nursing and did a year of nursing at King’s College Hospital.

"One day I went to the operating theatres at Guy’s Hospital, and I thought, 'wow'.

"This is a completely different atmosphere. It’s more dynamic and more suited to environments I’d been to in the past."

Mr Oliver now works as an operating department practitioner, having completed a three-year operating department practice degree.

He said that as with a military establishment, a hospital also has a list of aims that need to be achieved each day.

"Each person has a fundamental role, or they wouldn’t be there," Mr Oliver said.

"Because of the pace, you have to be direct, you have to have confidence in your team and in your own skills.

"You also need to build a rapport quickly to put people at ease, especially in a place as diverse as London. For the patient, it’s one of the biggest, most important days of their lives potentially."

Each year at least 12,000 military personnel leave their roles in the armed forces for a variety of reasons.

Many look for a new career after completing their service.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is working with NHS England and a number of universities to recruit serving and retired armed forces personnel, and their families, into 14 allied health professions.

These 14 roles include occupational therapists, paramedics, dietitians and operating department practitioners.

Fiona Sandford, a consultant physiotherapist and clinical lead of Armed Forces at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: "As an Armed Forces spouse I know the resilience, adaptability and dedication of the Armed Forces community.

"These are just the transferable skills we are looking for in the NHS."

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