October 2007 • Vol. 3, No. 4
	Advancing Orthotic and Prosthetic Care Through Knowledge

Academy Uses Its Department of Education Grant to Support Awareness, Advancement, and Education

The Academy continues to produce valuable products for the profession and for those wishing to enter the profession. Recent projects include Awareness Goes Live, Evaluating the State of the Science, Evidence-Based Practice and Other Certificate Programming, and Advancing the Residency Program.

Awareness Goes Live

The Academy's new awareness video debuted at the 2007 Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium. All practitioners were sent copies to be used to conduct outreach programs in their local areas. The video is also streamed online from the Academy home page and is available at www.youtube.com. The Academy also customized the video to include contact information for the nine schools providing O&P degrees and certificates.

In addition to the ten-minute video, the Academy also created 30- and 60-second public service announcements (PSAs). The radio PSA was distributed to 4,000 stations. The TV PSA was distributed to 200 stations, with guaranteed placement on national cable and independent stations.

The PSAs were sent to cities surrounding O&P school locations, as well as the target advocacy markets including Iowa, Washington, DC, Maryland, and California, and to a mixture of large and medium-sized stations in other cities across the country.

The television PSAs are also available on the Academy website. They provide a quick glimpse of the profession and direct viewers to the Academy website for additional information.

To support continued sustainability, the Academy is producing a new media kit for its members, including a comprehensive turnkey booklet that provides details on careers in O&P, the role of an orthotist/ prosthetist, education tracks to entering the profession, practitioner programs, and other training possibilities, along with answers to frequently asked questions. The media kit will include inserts about trends and statistics in the field of O&P and the history of the Academy. The media kit will also be online for easy access and download.

Evaluating the State of the Science

A multidisciplinary, multinational panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) gathered in Chicago, Illinois, in March 2007 to conduct the Academy's eighth State-of-the-Science Conference (SSC). The conference was chaired by Jack E. Uellendahl, CPO, of Hanger Orthopedic Group in Phoenix, Arizona, and by Elaine Uellendahl, CP, a prosthetic consultant from Scottsdale, Arizona. Despite the focus of this conference, it was recognized by participants that biomechanical analyses of devices used for ambulation with PFAs are only one aspect of prosthetic/orthotic prescription. Factors affecting protection of fragile skin, prosthesis comfort, and aesthetic value are also of critical importance when selecting the most appropriate prosthetic prescription.

The results were published as proceedings in July 2007 and mailed out with the JPO, and will be converted into a self-paced educational module on the Academy's Paul E. Leimkuehler Online Learning Center by the end of 2007. The online modules for SSC#6 Prosthetic Outcomes and SSC#7 KAFOs are now available at the Online Learning Center. The courses were awarded 32 and 19 PCEs respectively.

Evidence-Based Practice and Other Certificate Programming

On October 26–27, the Academy will present two, one-day certificate programs on Deformational Plagiocephaly and Evidence Based Practice: Justifying Patient Care. These one-day seminars provide a concentrated learning environment for practitioners and allow them to fulfill one of the requirements for attaining the prestigious designation of Fellow of the Academy.

The plagiocephaly program is based on the results of the Academy's third SSC, which was conducted under the Academy's first federal grant with the U.S. Department of Education.

The evidence-based practice program is being offered to provide practitioners with the tools necessary to become better consumers of scientific research in today's environment. The session will also help participants better understand how evidence-based practice directly affects clinical care, their practice, and their patients. The curriculum is being developed with funds from Grant Year IV.

Advancing the Residency Program

In late June, educators gathered in Chicago, Illinois, to discuss and develop new residency standards and programs in an outcome-based format that will complement the future master's-level educated resident. Included on the agenda was a review of the existing residency program and a current draft of the master's-level education curriculum guide. Discussions took place relative to the development of outcome-based standards for residency programs and the anticipated length of the program. Draft recommendations have been developed and will be discussed further at a second meeting later this fall before submission to the National Commission on Orthotic & Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) board for approval.

These meetings, led by NCOPE, were underwritten predominantly by the Academy through its grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

For updated reports on the grant and its findings, visit our grants page.