ACADEMY NEWS: Project Quantum Leap Activities Underway
Tom Gorski, CAE
Description
Collection
Title:
ACADEMY NEWS: Project Quantum Leap Activities Underway
Creator:
Tom Gorski, CAE
Date:
12/2/2003
Text:
2004 is expected to be a banner year for the Academy's Project Quantum Leap (PQL) initiatives - an umbrella term for activities designed to advance the orthotic and prosthetic profession. Activities in six substantive program areas have already begun with a progress report expected at the organization's Annual Meeting in New Orleans, February 25-28, 2004.
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Six program areas have begun:
National Awareness & Recruitment Campaign - In addition to the earlier launch of an O&P Careers website (www.opcareers.org) and National O&P Awareness Week, several multi-faceted activities are in place which will increase the number of qualified students entering schools and pursuing careers in O&P.
Clinical Standards of Practice (CSOP) - Two consensus conferences to develop CSOPs have already been held: Orthotic Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis and Scheuermann's Kyphosis and Post-Operative Management of the Lower Extremity Amputee. Findings from the scoliosis conference were recently published as a supplement to the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, and the findings from the second conference are currently in review. The next two CSOPs will be on the Diabetic Dysvascular Foot and Transfemoral Socket Design.
Master Agenda Conference - To set the course for the next 15 years a conference will be held to develop a list of priority topics and a standard way of defining the focus of the topic, reaching consensus, identifying the gaps in needed research, and disseminating the outcomes of each conference. It will provide conference organizers with planned objectives and standardized outcomes measurements to ensure successful conference evaluation. A proposed list of 15 topics will begin the discussions of need and prioritization.
Charting a Pathway to Advanced Degrees - Two conferences will analyze the current challenges that limit the prevalence of applied research and simultaneously develop a strategic plan and a set of recommendations for universities and educators to assist in addressing the need for advanced O&P degrees.
Identifying Underserved Areas - The Academy will identify the geographical distribution of certified prosthetists/orthotists comparing the availability of qualified practitioners and accredited facilities with the geographic distribution of the U.S. population requiring O&P care.
Online Continuing Education - To ensure the information developed as a result of the consensus conferences on Clinical Standards of Practice will be widely distributed, transformed into practice and incorporated into O&P curriculum, the Academy will contract with accredited O&P schools to develop three online continuing education courses. Each course will be based on best practices identified in the conferences and made available to Academy members, students, and others via the Academy website.
Project Quantum Leap is expected to stretch over 15 years and include more than two dozen activity areas. Timelines and dates for the 2004 activities are currently being scheduled. Initial funding for PQL has come from individual contributions from the O&P field, the Academy, chapters and other O&P organizations, and a grant from the Department of Education.
Tom Gorski, CAE
Executive Director
American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists
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Six program areas have begun:
National Awareness & Recruitment Campaign - In addition to the earlier launch of an O&P Careers website (www.opcareers.org) and National O&P Awareness Week, several multi-faceted activities are in place which will increase the number of qualified students entering schools and pursuing careers in O&P.
Clinical Standards of Practice (CSOP) - Two consensus conferences to develop CSOPs have already been held: Orthotic Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis and Scheuermann's Kyphosis and Post-Operative Management of the Lower Extremity Amputee. Findings from the scoliosis conference were recently published as a supplement to the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, and the findings from the second conference are currently in review. The next two CSOPs will be on the Diabetic Dysvascular Foot and Transfemoral Socket Design.
Master Agenda Conference - To set the course for the next 15 years a conference will be held to develop a list of priority topics and a standard way of defining the focus of the topic, reaching consensus, identifying the gaps in needed research, and disseminating the outcomes of each conference. It will provide conference organizers with planned objectives and standardized outcomes measurements to ensure successful conference evaluation. A proposed list of 15 topics will begin the discussions of need and prioritization.
Charting a Pathway to Advanced Degrees - Two conferences will analyze the current challenges that limit the prevalence of applied research and simultaneously develop a strategic plan and a set of recommendations for universities and educators to assist in addressing the need for advanced O&P degrees.
Identifying Underserved Areas - The Academy will identify the geographical distribution of certified prosthetists/orthotists comparing the availability of qualified practitioners and accredited facilities with the geographic distribution of the U.S. population requiring O&P care.
Online Continuing Education - To ensure the information developed as a result of the consensus conferences on Clinical Standards of Practice will be widely distributed, transformed into practice and incorporated into O&P curriculum, the Academy will contract with accredited O&P schools to develop three online continuing education courses. Each course will be based on best practices identified in the conferences and made available to Academy members, students, and others via the Academy website.
Project Quantum Leap is expected to stretch over 15 years and include more than two dozen activity areas. Timelines and dates for the 2004 activities are currently being scheduled. Initial funding for PQL has come from individual contributions from the O&P field, the Academy, chapters and other O&P organizations, and a grant from the Department of Education.
Tom Gorski, CAE
Executive Director
American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists
Citation
Tom Gorski, CAE, “ACADEMY NEWS: Project Quantum Leap Activities Underway,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/222138.
