Vol.11, No.4

July 2006

U.S. Department of Education Grant Update

Curriculum Guide Development
On June 9, 2006 NCOPE convened a one day meeting of nearly twenty representatives from all O&P education programs to work on the development of a curriculum guide for the bachelor's level. The meeting was underwritten by an Academy grant from the U.S. Department of Education (H235R050001) and in part by NCOPE.

NCOPE serves in cooperation with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) for accreditation of educational programs. CAAHEP is a nationally recognized non-profit organization that accredits educational programs in 17 allied health disciplines, totaling 1,300 allied health education programs.

In response to CAAHEP's recommendation, the participants gathered to continue work from a previous meeting to move specific curriculum issues from the new outcome standards to a more comprehensive curriculum guide. The completed curriculum guide will offer more direction for current and future O&P education programs. Future meetings have been planned for August and October to begin work on a curriculum guide for the master's level.

NCOPE Chair Bryan Malas, MHPE, CO commented, "As NCOPE moves towards entry-level master's education for O&P we would like to acknowledge our appreciation of the Academy for their continued support of this transition. In particular, we are appreciative of their willingness to fund several important meetings that have brought us a step closer to realizing entry-level master's education for the field of O&P."

Awareness Programs Heat Up this Summer
Practitioners and residents around the country are volunteering to participate in career awareness programs in conjunction with the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine and Area Health Education Centers. Both organizations offer excellent venues for accessing high-achieving secondary students that are interested in health careers. The Academy also conducted two workshops at the national Health Occupations Students of America Annual Meeting in late June in Anaheim, CA. Academy member, Randy Alley, BSc, CP, FAAOP, CFT, an upper-extremity specialist, offered a unique perspective and shared a wealth of knowledge about advanced O&P technology in addition to fielding questions from interested students eager to learn more about the profession.

Research Council Update
The Academy's Research Council (RC) continues to move forward with various projects to advance the profession. Academy President Gary Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP will step down as chair of this council as he takes over his presidential duties. A new chairperson will be replacing Berke. "We are in the process of naming a chair that will continue to pursue the appropriate avenues for securing future research and research funding."

The Grant Committee is working on criteria for the research section of the Academy's planned new Education and Research Foundation. The new foundation will ultimately help fund future O&P research.

The Research Education Committee has been tasked with reviewing Resident Research Papers. By month-end, a final recommendation on which papers should be included in the Academy's "Best of Residents" series. Further information on human research protocols will be forthcoming as well.

Wieland Kaphingst, Dipl.-Ing., CPO took over as chair of the Standards and Protocols Committee. His first order of business was to recruit additional members to serve on his committee which now totals nearly a dozen. They will hold their first conference call mid-July to assess what current terminology standards exist, if any, and what resources offer the most insight to the O&P profession.

One-Day Seminars: 2 New Certificate Programs to Debut in October

Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Chicago, IL, October 23-24, 2006 – The Academy's 2006 One-Day Seminars are designed to provide you the opportunity to participate in focused education programming on Prosthetic Foot/Ankle Mechanisms and Current Pediatric Orthotic Practice while earning Certificates for Professional Development and working towards attaining the prestigious designation, Fellow of the Academy.

This year's new certificate programs will focus on a variety of different topics within each subject area:
Prosthetic Foot/Ankle Mechanisms
Biomechanics of foot function/gait, bridging the communication gap, rationale and practice of prescribing prosthetic feet, mechanical analysis of feet, how the research can improve prosthetic prescriptions and patient outcomes, a physical therapist's view of the relationship between prosthetic foot selection and outcomes, and future research priorities.
Current Pediatric Orthotic Practice
The Ponseti treatment method for Idiopathic Clubfoot, orthotic management of the pediatric and adolescent spine, cervical spine and halos, management of the pediatric hip, plagiocephally, lower extremity management of Spina Bifida, and current pediatric lower extremity case studies.

We have worked hard to make sure that your continuing education dollars are well spent. You'll walk away with one or two certificates, at least 12 PCE credits and a wealth of knowledge that you can apply to your practice the following day! You can register by using the online registration form, printing the registration form (PDF) and mailing or faxing it to the Academy, or calling Matt Beierschmitt at (703) 836-0788, ext. 206.

2006-2007 Board of Directors

PRESIDENT
Gary M. Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP
PRESIDENT- ELECT
Wendy Beattie, CPO, FAAOP
VICE PRESIDENT
James P. Rogers, CPO, FAAOP
TREASURER
Keith M. Smith, CO, LO
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Paul E. Prusakowski, CPO, LPO, FAAOP
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Peter D. Rosenstein

DIRECTORS
Robert N. Brown, Jr., MS, CPO, FAAOP
James H. Campbell, PhD, CO, FAAOP
Scott D. Cummings, PT, CPO, FAAOP
Marc D. Kaufman, CPO
Mark Muller, CPO, CPed
Mark K. Taylor, MLS, CPO, FAAOP