REPOST FROM AMP-L- The "Talent" of the prosthetist

REPOST FROM AMP-L- The "Talent" of the prosthetist

Paul Prusakowski

6/8/1999

OANDP-L'ers,

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, in order to eliminate public dialogue on
this list and
to maintain a more question/answer forum, I am reposting some recent info
from
AMP-L that has been forwarded to me that may be of interest to you.

If you are interested in joining an open dialogue on this topic, please be
aware that
you can join AMP-L and carry on open discussions/debates there. Please do
NOT
start open dialogue here. Direct responses can be sent to the original
authur
for private debate.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Paul E. Prusakowski, CPO
Moderator OANDP-L

-----Original Message-----
From: george boyer [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>]
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 1999 11:04 AM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: Talent


Joe Duffy offers another confirmation of the thing which I'm trying to make
the
CENTRAL realization in amputees' awareness, namely that the FIT OF THE
SOCKET
together with the alignment are the central things for an amputee in his
prosthesis. Anything else is peripheral. And these two things, socket fit
and
alignment, are the direct result of the TALENT of the prosthetist who is
doing
the work. This is NOT a matter of 'trial and error' but rather of the man's
KNOWING what he is doing in assessing the person and his stump and really
knowing how to cast and modify for the socket and how to put together the
components of the limb.

Talent is the operational knowledge in the hands and the person of the
prosthetist.

It is not a matter of *wondering* if this or that will work and sending the
amputee off on the limb to try it out, but rather of *knowing* how to do
it
and then making small adjustments, often during the initial delivery of the
limb. It is really a matter of the talented skill of the prosthetist and
until
he has this skill he is not qualified to work independently with amputees
and
should be prevented from doing so by a system of monitoring by recognized
masters of the art: Master Craftsmen. Any person, talented or not, can
pass a
test with enough cramming.....the subtle question of true talented mastery
of
prosthetics can be assessed only by another master. This is the only true
thing which will improve the amputee's experience of having a limb made for
him, and save him from the grief of endless and unknowing trial and error
modifications: the bottom line is TALENT!

Let's push for putting into place such a system for the training of our
prosthetists.

GB.



Joseph Duffy wrote:

> if the socket does not fit properly then there is no liner out there
> that will be comfortable,I think
>
> Joe Duffy