Re: Qualifications
Brett Saunders
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: Qualifications
Creator:
Brett Saunders
Date:
12/13/2005
Text:
Carol,
I am glad to hear that you did have such in-depth education on prosthetics.
From my experience it is not common. I do guest lecture the local PT school
and my 3 hour presentation on orthotics or prosthetics is the most exposure
they get before doing their clinical work (on the job training).
You talk about a course in your senior year that had 6 week units. How many
6 week units were there in that course? How much time did you spend
fabricating AFOs? KAFOs? Externally powered above elbow prosthetics? Have
you ever fabricated a harness for a bilateral above elbow amputee?
Do you believe you can develop a clinical competence with only a six week
unit on prosthetic fabrication?
You also say It's NOT about money - Really! It's about the ability to
maintain practice areas and to hold onto what is defined (and what CMS and
several states recognize) as PT -- THAT IS ALL ABOUT MONEY - holding on to
one's business. It is being able to have the revenue to support your
practice in a world of declining reimbursement. People come into health
care with a desire to help others and contribute to society, but they need
to support themselves to do it.
Now there are people practicing O&P that are not qualified to do so in my
opinion. This can be do to the lack of regulation, the presence of
loopholes in practice acts due to politics, or a lack of prosecution by the
local authorities. Whatever the reason, that does not justify adding more
unqualified people providing O&P care.
If I were to use your reasoning, then from my education, which shared all
the biomechanics, kinesiology, anatomy, pathology, physics, and chemistry
with the PT classes, I should be allowed to do physical and occupational
therapy. Granted you may have had more specific education in
rehabilitation, but my coursework included time in therapy centers and
clinical education on therapy.
Just my two cents.
Happy Holidays to you as well,
Brett R. Saunders, CPO
-----Original Message-----
From: Orthotics and Prosthetics List [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>] On
Behalf Of Sheredos, Carol (NIH/NICHD)
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 5:39 PM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: [OANDP-L] Qualifications
Hi, Craig -
I appreciate your comments and information. Just to tell you where I'm
coming from --
When I was in PT school, we had a course in our senior year entitled
Rehabilitation Practicum, which took all that we had learned in previously
taken courses (such as biomechanics, kinesiology, anatomy, physics,
chemistry, etc.) and put a clinical spin on it - We spent over 6 weeks
each semester delving into various principles of clinical practice,
especially orthotics and prosthetics. We spent time with actual patients,
performing evaluations, recommending components and systems, taking casts
and measurements, leaning ABOUT fabrication and fitting, training the
amputee in their use (hygiene, donning and doffing, pre-prosthetic training,
balance, gait training, etc.). After graduation, many of us took a
concentrated 4-week (160-hour) course at NYU (2 weeks for orthotics and 2
for prosthetics), which took all of us beyond the above-named skills. When
completed, I felt very confident in treating amputees, and, in a pinch, I
could fabricate a basic prosthesis or orthosis. I could discern between
systems, materials, and components. Several questions regarding O&P were on
our state boards, both written and practical.
If what you say is true (I will ask several of my colleagues who are
Department Heads in various PT schools), I am VERY upset! That would be a
major void. I will always value the breadth and depth of the education in
O&P that I received - yes, 40 years ago. A PT without that kind of training
should, indeed, NOT perform anything like fitting and fabrication! Agreed.
BUT - Hypothetically - What's the difference between a PT who has little O&P
skills and some so-called prosthetist or orthotist whose lack of skills
(and maybe scruples) makes him/her not much more than a snake-oil salesman?
Seems to me that the O&P field has quite a few of them - unregulated due to
the lack of state licensure. [I have a few comments about this in another
ListServ posting, to be up in a day or so.]
And, Craig - It's NOT about money - Really! It's about the ability to
maintain practice areas and to hold onto what is defined (and what CMS and
several states recognize) as PT --
The APTA is definitely organized, presenting a unified front, in its
pursuit of advancing the profession of physical therapy. [Maybe O&P could
learn from them...]
Best wishes and Happy Holidays,
Carol
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office />
-----Original Message-----
From: Orthotics and Prosthetics List [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>] On
Behalf Of Craig Smith
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 11:38 AM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: [OANDP-L] Qualigications
Greeting Carol,
There is the possibility that PT certification 40 years ago included more
hours of training in prosthetics than is currently being taught. I
personally have taught PTs at the university level about prosthetics and
functional levels. This is some of the only training that PT students get
about prosthetics today. They are unaware of prosthetic sock management,
measuring and casting, bio and pathomechanics, fabrication, current
componentry or fit. If the PTs are not trained to deliver such services and
certified as such by a CAAHEP accredited program in prosthetics, then PTs
have no business stating that they are a qualified to deliver these
services. I believe that this whole argument is about money, period, not
turf, not qualifications, not anything but money, and the ability to blow
smoke up some senators skirt through PAQs in order to reach into another
disciplines pocket and steal more money legally. Who suffers, the PT, the CP
or CPO, or maybe, the patient?
Craig R. Smith BS, CPO, M.Ed.
Program Coordinator
Orthotic/Prosthetic Technology Program
Baker College of Flint
Health Sciences
1050 W. Bristol Rd.
Flint, Mi. 48507-5508
(810) 766-4194
FAX (810) 766-2055
I am glad to hear that you did have such in-depth education on prosthetics.
From my experience it is not common. I do guest lecture the local PT school
and my 3 hour presentation on orthotics or prosthetics is the most exposure
they get before doing their clinical work (on the job training).
You talk about a course in your senior year that had 6 week units. How many
6 week units were there in that course? How much time did you spend
fabricating AFOs? KAFOs? Externally powered above elbow prosthetics? Have
you ever fabricated a harness for a bilateral above elbow amputee?
Do you believe you can develop a clinical competence with only a six week
unit on prosthetic fabrication?
You also say It's NOT about money - Really! It's about the ability to
maintain practice areas and to hold onto what is defined (and what CMS and
several states recognize) as PT -- THAT IS ALL ABOUT MONEY - holding on to
one's business. It is being able to have the revenue to support your
practice in a world of declining reimbursement. People come into health
care with a desire to help others and contribute to society, but they need
to support themselves to do it.
Now there are people practicing O&P that are not qualified to do so in my
opinion. This can be do to the lack of regulation, the presence of
loopholes in practice acts due to politics, or a lack of prosecution by the
local authorities. Whatever the reason, that does not justify adding more
unqualified people providing O&P care.
If I were to use your reasoning, then from my education, which shared all
the biomechanics, kinesiology, anatomy, pathology, physics, and chemistry
with the PT classes, I should be allowed to do physical and occupational
therapy. Granted you may have had more specific education in
rehabilitation, but my coursework included time in therapy centers and
clinical education on therapy.
Just my two cents.
Happy Holidays to you as well,
Brett R. Saunders, CPO
-----Original Message-----
From: Orthotics and Prosthetics List [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>] On
Behalf Of Sheredos, Carol (NIH/NICHD)
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 5:39 PM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: [OANDP-L] Qualifications
Hi, Craig -
I appreciate your comments and information. Just to tell you where I'm
coming from --
When I was in PT school, we had a course in our senior year entitled
Rehabilitation Practicum, which took all that we had learned in previously
taken courses (such as biomechanics, kinesiology, anatomy, physics,
chemistry, etc.) and put a clinical spin on it - We spent over 6 weeks
each semester delving into various principles of clinical practice,
especially orthotics and prosthetics. We spent time with actual patients,
performing evaluations, recommending components and systems, taking casts
and measurements, leaning ABOUT fabrication and fitting, training the
amputee in their use (hygiene, donning and doffing, pre-prosthetic training,
balance, gait training, etc.). After graduation, many of us took a
concentrated 4-week (160-hour) course at NYU (2 weeks for orthotics and 2
for prosthetics), which took all of us beyond the above-named skills. When
completed, I felt very confident in treating amputees, and, in a pinch, I
could fabricate a basic prosthesis or orthosis. I could discern between
systems, materials, and components. Several questions regarding O&P were on
our state boards, both written and practical.
If what you say is true (I will ask several of my colleagues who are
Department Heads in various PT schools), I am VERY upset! That would be a
major void. I will always value the breadth and depth of the education in
O&P that I received - yes, 40 years ago. A PT without that kind of training
should, indeed, NOT perform anything like fitting and fabrication! Agreed.
BUT - Hypothetically - What's the difference between a PT who has little O&P
skills and some so-called prosthetist or orthotist whose lack of skills
(and maybe scruples) makes him/her not much more than a snake-oil salesman?
Seems to me that the O&P field has quite a few of them - unregulated due to
the lack of state licensure. [I have a few comments about this in another
ListServ posting, to be up in a day or so.]
And, Craig - It's NOT about money - Really! It's about the ability to
maintain practice areas and to hold onto what is defined (and what CMS and
several states recognize) as PT --
The APTA is definitely organized, presenting a unified front, in its
pursuit of advancing the profession of physical therapy. [Maybe O&P could
learn from them...]
Best wishes and Happy Holidays,
Carol
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office />
-----Original Message-----
From: Orthotics and Prosthetics List [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>] On
Behalf Of Craig Smith
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 11:38 AM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: [OANDP-L] Qualigications
Greeting Carol,
There is the possibility that PT certification 40 years ago included more
hours of training in prosthetics than is currently being taught. I
personally have taught PTs at the university level about prosthetics and
functional levels. This is some of the only training that PT students get
about prosthetics today. They are unaware of prosthetic sock management,
measuring and casting, bio and pathomechanics, fabrication, current
componentry or fit. If the PTs are not trained to deliver such services and
certified as such by a CAAHEP accredited program in prosthetics, then PTs
have no business stating that they are a qualified to deliver these
services. I believe that this whole argument is about money, period, not
turf, not qualifications, not anything but money, and the ability to blow
smoke up some senators skirt through PAQs in order to reach into another
disciplines pocket and steal more money legally. Who suffers, the PT, the CP
or CPO, or maybe, the patient?
Craig R. Smith BS, CPO, M.Ed.
Program Coordinator
Orthotic/Prosthetic Technology Program
Baker College of Flint
Health Sciences
1050 W. Bristol Rd.
Flint, Mi. 48507-5508
(810) 766-4194
FAX (810) 766-2055
Citation
Brett Saunders, “Re: Qualifications,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 4, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/225902.
