How many each year does our profession lose?
Description
Collection
Title:
How many each year does our profession lose?
Date:
2/7/2013
Text:
Following are repliesto my question:
>>>This lastissue of O&P Business News brought this back to mind. Does anyone
have any idea howmany graduate prosthetists and/or orthotists are we losing each
year because theycannot find a residency is it 10% - 20% or what? The number I
know of just keepsgrowing.>>>
Al Pike, CP(E)
www.alpikecp.com
From a resident whojust finished his orthotic residency I will tell
you that I sent outover 50 resumes and the only job I got hooked up
with was with Hanger.My wife has also just finished her residency with
Hanger as aprosthetist and she applied to just about all the same
positions and more.
I graduated fromBLP13 at NUPOC and I still have friends who do not have
residencies or arejust beginning. We graduated in October of 2011. One
of the biggest gripeswas that NUPOC or any O&P school really did not
help with jobplacement. Basically the schools take your money, teach
you, then dump you.This is not the case with many specialized health
care practitioners inother fields.
I have a few fellowstudents who have given up and either moved on to a
new field of study orwent back to their original jobs. The best part to
all of this is thatthere are lies on the web. Check out this link and
scroll toPercent of Graduates who are Employed:
<URL Redacted>
This 100% is ablatant misrepresentation for the current status of the
O&P field and howit help residents / students after graduating. Many
facilities refuse toallow a residency due to all the NCOPE paperwork
and the red tapeinvolved. Hanger is consolidating its Residency program
to a limited numberof sites due to this issue and allowing for the
greatest amount ofexposure.
On the flip side toall of this is the cost of an O&P education. With
the advent of theMaster programs to become ABC certified you will now
see only privilegedpeople getting into the programs due to the obscene
cost. No employer isgoing to pay a resident enough money to even cover
the cost of thepossible absurd student loans. My student loans could
not be deferred as aResident in O&P and I got stuck with high bills and
a low wage for ayear.
BOC will soon becomewhat ABC was in the past and more people will be
BOC and ABC (Masters)will be a major status symbol. Tough to take for a
resident who hasworked in the O&P field for 13 years and began as a
grunt dumping trashat an O&P lab and worked his way up to a clinician .
It’s a shame whatthis field has become and where it is going with the
above thoughts andwith the insurance regulations and payments. I do not
see myself working inthis field for more than 5-10 years as a
clinician. I may moveto education or become a Doctor. More respect and
better pay.
Really good question.It also will get more interesting with the financial issues
that many companiesare having. While many say it is due to RAC audits, etc,
I think more of thereal cause may be the low contract rates. All work together, though.
The number I wonderabout is how many are leaving the profession due to
RAC audits and decliningreimbursements? I think that is the number we should
be concerned with. Fromwhat I can tell and am feeling myself is how much longer
do I want to do this?
Finding a residencypales in comparison to finding a Job.
I can't help but feelthat this in large part due to there no longer being a
technicalrequirement. If you have worked in anoffice as a tech for a year
and then leave for school I think your odds oflanding a residency with that
company are pretty good.
I think part of theproblem is a lack of COs and a heavy trend towards CPs.
We have never had adesperate CO/CPO seek an interview with us for residency.
It has all been CPswho are months out and still looking. I think that if they had
the O theywouldn't be looking.
I have not hired aCentury College graduate, and don't have an opinion about
that program. We havehired residents from UW, Northwestern, Eastern Michigan,
Newington and Ranchoin addition to UTSWMC.
My concern withcurrent applicants is that they are using 21st century tools
to look for jobsthat are really closer to mid-20th century in attitude. This
profession is toosmall and close to rely entirely on email. Send me a paper
resume and coverletter, then call a week later to ask if I have received it.
Send me a thank cardif I interview you. I will remember this person and
consider them muchmore readily than someone who sent me a single email.
Current graduates thinkthat they are being up with the times, but I think
that they arejust being lazy.
This said, I am sadto hear that so many students are having difficulties. I
think that teachingthem to use old fashioned people skills and networking
might help.
How about the numberof practices closing down, I know of about 12 in
Florida. Who Da Thunkit! If this industry doesn't get together as a united
front 50% will begone in 5-8 years.
>>>This lastissue of O&P Business News brought this back to mind. Does anyone
have any idea howmany graduate prosthetists and/or orthotists are we losing each
year because theycannot find a residency is it 10% - 20% or what? The number I
know of just keepsgrowing.>>>
Al Pike, CP(E)
www.alpikecp.com
From a resident whojust finished his orthotic residency I will tell
you that I sent outover 50 resumes and the only job I got hooked up
with was with Hanger.My wife has also just finished her residency with
Hanger as aprosthetist and she applied to just about all the same
positions and more.
I graduated fromBLP13 at NUPOC and I still have friends who do not have
residencies or arejust beginning. We graduated in October of 2011. One
of the biggest gripeswas that NUPOC or any O&P school really did not
help with jobplacement. Basically the schools take your money, teach
you, then dump you.This is not the case with many specialized health
care practitioners inother fields.
I have a few fellowstudents who have given up and either moved on to a
new field of study orwent back to their original jobs. The best part to
all of this is thatthere are lies on the web. Check out this link and
scroll toPercent of Graduates who are Employed:
<URL Redacted>
This 100% is ablatant misrepresentation for the current status of the
O&P field and howit help residents / students after graduating. Many
facilities refuse toallow a residency due to all the NCOPE paperwork
and the red tapeinvolved. Hanger is consolidating its Residency program
to a limited numberof sites due to this issue and allowing for the
greatest amount ofexposure.
On the flip side toall of this is the cost of an O&P education. With
the advent of theMaster programs to become ABC certified you will now
see only privilegedpeople getting into the programs due to the obscene
cost. No employer isgoing to pay a resident enough money to even cover
the cost of thepossible absurd student loans. My student loans could
not be deferred as aResident in O&P and I got stuck with high bills and
a low wage for ayear.
BOC will soon becomewhat ABC was in the past and more people will be
BOC and ABC (Masters)will be a major status symbol. Tough to take for a
resident who hasworked in the O&P field for 13 years and began as a
grunt dumping trashat an O&P lab and worked his way up to a clinician .
It’s a shame whatthis field has become and where it is going with the
above thoughts andwith the insurance regulations and payments. I do not
see myself working inthis field for more than 5-10 years as a
clinician. I may moveto education or become a Doctor. More respect and
better pay.
Really good question.It also will get more interesting with the financial issues
that many companiesare having. While many say it is due to RAC audits, etc,
I think more of thereal cause may be the low contract rates. All work together, though.
The number I wonderabout is how many are leaving the profession due to
RAC audits and decliningreimbursements? I think that is the number we should
be concerned with. Fromwhat I can tell and am feeling myself is how much longer
do I want to do this?
Finding a residencypales in comparison to finding a Job.
I can't help but feelthat this in large part due to there no longer being a
technicalrequirement. If you have worked in anoffice as a tech for a year
and then leave for school I think your odds oflanding a residency with that
company are pretty good.
I think part of theproblem is a lack of COs and a heavy trend towards CPs.
We have never had adesperate CO/CPO seek an interview with us for residency.
It has all been CPswho are months out and still looking. I think that if they had
the O theywouldn't be looking.
I have not hired aCentury College graduate, and don't have an opinion about
that program. We havehired residents from UW, Northwestern, Eastern Michigan,
Newington and Ranchoin addition to UTSWMC.
My concern withcurrent applicants is that they are using 21st century tools
to look for jobsthat are really closer to mid-20th century in attitude. This
profession is toosmall and close to rely entirely on email. Send me a paper
resume and coverletter, then call a week later to ask if I have received it.
Send me a thank cardif I interview you. I will remember this person and
consider them muchmore readily than someone who sent me a single email.
Current graduates thinkthat they are being up with the times, but I think
that they arejust being lazy.
This said, I am sadto hear that so many students are having difficulties. I
think that teachingthem to use old fashioned people skills and networking
might help.
How about the numberof practices closing down, I know of about 12 in
Florida. Who Da Thunkit! If this industry doesn't get together as a united
front 50% will begone in 5-8 years.
Citation
“How many each year does our profession lose?,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/234674.
