[Fwd: Amputee Union]
George Boyer
Description
Collection
Title:
[Fwd: Amputee Union]
Creator:
George Boyer
Date:
9/16/1999
Text:
George Boyer wrote:
> John - I hope that refined answers to the questions you point to will be
> developed in open discussion. I know the matter of talent causes a good
> deal of uneasiness but I think it is a necessary concept which will fall
> into much more manageable scale when the other criteria for masterful
> practice are enunciated. Since education by itself is not enough, nor is
> certification, I use this term to indicate intangible factors which in
> other professions eg medicine are routinely handled by senior practitioners
> who shepherd the novices through their residencies.....all right, so I call
> these people 'master craftsmen', evoking the guild paradigm. I think there
> is altogether too much anxiety about this talent question in the
> ranks.....in practice the existing practitioners would be grandfathered-in
> in fairly painless ways. What I am talking about above is the improved
> educational setup for P&O.
>
> I think it is interesting how the 'talent' question has brought out a
> marked uneasiness in prosthetists, judging from the posts. I do not mean
> to impugn the ability of prosthetists generally but only to underscore the
> fact that there is a significant amount of prosthetic work being done with
> less than optimal results. And I think that the deficits of the
> educational system are at fault largely. That, along with the absence of
> objective standards for the work. Much good work has been done but to
> parallel the accomplishment in medicine eg there is far to go. The
> uneasiness about talent results, I believe, from inadequate preparation and
> being obliged to work nonetheless and improvise and produce where there no
> reliable recourse to corroboration such as would have been available under
> a master craftsman setup.....such a setup would hasten the broadening and
> consolidation of knowledge and skills and allow individuals talent to
> flourish. Trial and error in fitting is appropriate only on the basis of
> solid knowledge of the alternatives available.
>
> The reason for the independence of the AUA is that ALL existing amputee
> organizations work on the basis of collegiality, which clearly does not
> work for the amputee's best interests. This is, and MUST be,
> non-negotiable. The goals of prosthetics as practiced are NOT the goals of
> the amputee, nor are the goals of the industry. Therefore no collegial
> liasons. It is important that all groups involved be *professionally*
> oriented, including the amputees, for whom the AUA will be the professional
> service organization. We are all interdependent yet the amputee so far has
> no voice which can express his views and needs with force and authority.
>
> Thanks for your reasoned feedback. I hope others are encouraged to respond
> as well. Cheers, GB.
>
> John T. Brinkmann, CPO wrote:
>
> > George:
> >
> > I admire any effort to come together and work toward common goals. The
> > amputee union is not a bad idea, if there is a clear sense of what the
> > goal is and how it will be implemented. My opinion is that you (and
> > other union members) would need to decide on a more clear vision and
> > more specific objectives if you were to have a positive influence on the
> > profession of PO.
> >
> > 1. What specific OBJECTIVE parameters will be measured to determine the
> > talent of PO professionals?
> > 2. How will data on these parameters be collected?
> > 3. How will the conclusions reached about specific practitioners be
> > distributed?
> >
> > A union such as you are suggesting could easily turn into a slanderous
> > mob - blacklisting good prosthetists who don't meet unreasonable demands
> > of difficult amputees. Remember that satisfaction is ultimately a
> > subjective idea.
> >
> > Also, I would suggest working within the structure of existing
> > organizations, such as the Amputee Coalition. There may be more
> > frustration in some ways, but I think this group (and others, I'm sure)
> > represents the interests that you are expressing.
> >
> > John T. Brinkmann, CPO
> John - I hope that refined answers to the questions you point to will be
> developed in open discussion. I know the matter of talent causes a good
> deal of uneasiness but I think it is a necessary concept which will fall
> into much more manageable scale when the other criteria for masterful
> practice are enunciated. Since education by itself is not enough, nor is
> certification, I use this term to indicate intangible factors which in
> other professions eg medicine are routinely handled by senior practitioners
> who shepherd the novices through their residencies.....all right, so I call
> these people 'master craftsmen', evoking the guild paradigm. I think there
> is altogether too much anxiety about this talent question in the
> ranks.....in practice the existing practitioners would be grandfathered-in
> in fairly painless ways. What I am talking about above is the improved
> educational setup for P&O.
>
> I think it is interesting how the 'talent' question has brought out a
> marked uneasiness in prosthetists, judging from the posts. I do not mean
> to impugn the ability of prosthetists generally but only to underscore the
> fact that there is a significant amount of prosthetic work being done with
> less than optimal results. And I think that the deficits of the
> educational system are at fault largely. That, along with the absence of
> objective standards for the work. Much good work has been done but to
> parallel the accomplishment in medicine eg there is far to go. The
> uneasiness about talent results, I believe, from inadequate preparation and
> being obliged to work nonetheless and improvise and produce where there no
> reliable recourse to corroboration such as would have been available under
> a master craftsman setup.....such a setup would hasten the broadening and
> consolidation of knowledge and skills and allow individuals talent to
> flourish. Trial and error in fitting is appropriate only on the basis of
> solid knowledge of the alternatives available.
>
> The reason for the independence of the AUA is that ALL existing amputee
> organizations work on the basis of collegiality, which clearly does not
> work for the amputee's best interests. This is, and MUST be,
> non-negotiable. The goals of prosthetics as practiced are NOT the goals of
> the amputee, nor are the goals of the industry. Therefore no collegial
> liasons. It is important that all groups involved be *professionally*
> oriented, including the amputees, for whom the AUA will be the professional
> service organization. We are all interdependent yet the amputee so far has
> no voice which can express his views and needs with force and authority.
>
> Thanks for your reasoned feedback. I hope others are encouraged to respond
> as well. Cheers, GB.
>
> John T. Brinkmann, CPO wrote:
>
> > George:
> >
> > I admire any effort to come together and work toward common goals. The
> > amputee union is not a bad idea, if there is a clear sense of what the
> > goal is and how it will be implemented. My opinion is that you (and
> > other union members) would need to decide on a more clear vision and
> > more specific objectives if you were to have a positive influence on the
> > profession of PO.
> >
> > 1. What specific OBJECTIVE parameters will be measured to determine the
> > talent of PO professionals?
> > 2. How will data on these parameters be collected?
> > 3. How will the conclusions reached about specific practitioners be
> > distributed?
> >
> > A union such as you are suggesting could easily turn into a slanderous
> > mob - blacklisting good prosthetists who don't meet unreasonable demands
> > of difficult amputees. Remember that satisfaction is ultimately a
> > subjective idea.
> >
> > Also, I would suggest working within the structure of existing
> > organizations, such as the Amputee Coalition. There may be more
> > frustration in some ways, but I think this group (and others, I'm sure)
> > represents the interests that you are expressing.
> >
> > John T. Brinkmann, CPO
Citation
George Boyer, “[Fwd: Amputee Union],” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/213291.
