Re: Orthopedic Tech

Re: Orthopedic Tech

Cobb James P SSgt 81 MSGS/SGCO

6/11/2002

I set back in my chair and read these posts almost everyday. Some posts are
useful and some posts are not. There are various types of members in our
field who use this forum as a tool for education, advice, and occasionally
camaraderie . There are members who read these posts who scrutinize every
post and are ready to pounce. This in itself is fine because it keeps
everyone on their toes and hopefully a bit more professional. We have
members who are only concerned about the acronyms after other members names.
Some members believe that some schools and avenues of education and
credentialing are superior to others. We have members who are patients. We
have members who are political officials who read the posts. We have
vendors, business owners, and also charitable organizations.

If you read all the above different variables and possible inputs you can
see that this forum is just like our country. Different backgrounds, goals,
personalities all living and working together to better themselves and the
ones around them. What would our country be without out free speech, ethnic
and political diversity and democracy. You are asking yourself and me to
make the connection I'm sure. Well here it is. With all the different
experiences and backgrounds and diversities; our industry has the potential
to be very strong, stable, and well versed. Every one helps everyone and
correct members when they are wrong (like a peer group). The United States
has a standard that everyone lives by. The Constitution, and the Bill of
Rights. Our industry should also have a standard. This should be
education, credentialing, and the same standard of care from one state to
the next.

I read these Orthotech Posts. There are some orthotists that think
orthotics are more difficult than prosthetics, there are some prosthetists
that think prosthetics is more difficult then orthotics, and a few who see
them as equal.

There are differences other then the obvious loss of limb issue.
Prosthetics has always been more high tech, orthotics seems to progress as
materials and medical science progress. I have heard prosthetists say that
other than a halo, orthotics have more graces then prosthetics. I have
heard orthotists say, you take a cast, work the mold, laminate, and the
rest is out of the box, kind of like legos.

Now, I am not stirring up a nest. If you get stirred up that is good. That
is pride and passion for your job and business. That is exactly what this
industry needs. However it needs to be focused more at the total patient
care concept and progressing our field not tearing down what we already
have. The fact is, every patient is different. All build ups will be
different, all modifications will be different. On AFO's all negative molds
will get corrected if needed, plaster build ups and other modifications
added to positive molds every time, every patient. On a BK socket we will
have a negative mold, a positive mold with plaster buildups and
modifications on every patient, every time. These two processes sound very
close to the same. My point is that there are standards within both
disciplines and both molds should have attention to detail with the patient
in mind and not treated as just another mold modification!

I think that everyone involved in patient care from the practitioner to the
tech needs to be educated and credentialed. If a practitioner casts for a
device, hands it to a tech, and the device is fabricated incorrectly; it the
practitioners fault. It's all about communication and reliability. If you
have a tech you can depend on and is your right hand and you effectively
communicate your goals, the device should come out perfect. If you feel you
have to hook on phonics something then you tech needs more education. I
have actually seen a tech hook on phonics something to a practitioner.
This shows you that both practitioners and techs can still learn something
everyday.

I just hope that who ever responds to this please do it respectfully. I
respect everyone who has made ANY accomplishment even it is just a CPR
card. If we slam everyone every time it is oppressive and stops motivation,
which stops progression. That the last thing we need is for our industry to
slow down in a time of cutting of benefits. We all have to work with the
laws above us or lobby to get them changed if we need to.

There are allot of young impressionable members of our community who have
just started out in our industry or who want to. Let's help educate them
and motivate them to attain the highest they can. Let's not bastardize them
for trying.

Thank you for reading

James P. Cobb
BOC Orthotist