practitioner qualification

Description

Title:

practitioner qualification

Text:

I think greed is the big motivator and the desire for AOPA to be the big dog
over ABC and AAOP. AAOP and ABC have become AOPA's greatest threat. That is
why they tried to consolidate these organizations last year. The way the
leadership was to be designed if consolidation was approved would have given
control to AOPA . I believe all of this activity by AOPA over recent times
has been hastened by state licensure laws requiring minimal educational
standards, this has prevented many manufacturors from providing product to
whoever would purchase it. Additionally if educational standards become the
standard for qualified providers nationally this would greatly reduce the
number of qualified businesses that provide O and P.Fewer businesses means
less dues to AOPA and the ability of manufacturors to sell and fit orthotic
devices to anyone they wish would be eliminated. The professional association
AAOP would gain an advantage in credability hurting AOPA's plans to bring in
as many businesses as possible. AOPA makes their money in dealing with
numbers of breathing members not qualified providers.

The dilema we face has to do with AAOP. One of AAOP 's roles is to advocate
for persons with disabilities through the advocacy of high levels of training
and education for its members. This doesn't wash with AOPA,s ideas and while
there are many excellent educators and persons on the board there are also
several board members on AAOP board that are sympathic to the old way of
doing business and I also believe that their are a fair number of board
members on AAOP's board that dont have a clue about what is happening between
these organizations at all.
    I believe many of these board members have bought AOPA's line of
advocating for certifications instead of qualifications thinking they are the
same . ABC certification means nothing if it is equated with BOC and I
believe AOPA tried to intentionally weaken the position of ABC and AAOP by
getting this legislation passed without our educational standards language .
Some AAOP board members either don't want to see it or are perhaps too
closed minded to see it .
We can not sell down our educational requirements CAAHEP standards .These
standards are recognized as the only credible college level training programs
that lead to competency in Orthotics and Prosthetics.We need to protect the
public by speaking out to raise awareness of the educational differences
between professions and certifications and we need to do battle to set our
professional organization on the path of Advocacy for persons with
disabilities.

                          

Citation

“practitioner qualification,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 22, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/215776.