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Many O&P professionals have grown to love their careers, but Jason Evans, RTP, is unusual in that he entered the profession for love. In 1989, Evans was an artistic, detail-oriented high-school graduate working in an auto-body repair shop when he met Stacey Zumwalt, the girl he would someday marry. After they had dated about a year, Zumwalt was diagnosed with bone cancer, and her right leg was amputated above the knee in order to save her life.
Dealing with Zumwalt's illness strengthened their relationship, and Evans became confident that they would marry. After attending some of Zumwalt's prosthetics appointments at the facility that was then Sabolich Novacare, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and learning the cost of her various components, Evans says, "I got to thinking about it and figured, I want to be able to give her the best that I can, so I need to understand how these things are built." He began calling the prosthetics facility daily, angling for a job, and after several weeks a position opened up and he was hired as a prosthetics technician specializing in cosmeses. His career in O&P has spanned the entirety of his marriage—14 years—and Evans says, "I am proud to be able to create prosthetics for my wife as well as other patients that need my help in regaining their lives."
1. How has your career progressed?
I started as a prosthetic technician at Sabolich Novacare. I met Scott Sabolich when he came back from prosthetics school, and we hit it off. Hanger ended up buying the company and Scott wanted something like his grandpa [Lester Sabolich, CPO] had, so he left the company and he asked me to go with him. Scott; Theron Hogue, RTP; and I opened up what is now Scott Sabolich Prosthetics. Several years ago, I became a registered technician of prosthetics (RTP) and was licensed by the state of Oklahoma. I then became lab manager and eventually became office manager as well. It's been a great journey.
2. What are your professional goals?
I want to continue to see people become more accepting of their prosthesis due to its cosmetic appearance. We had a patient come in who wanted a bottle opener on his leg and we did it. I like that stuff because I want patients to go home and when their neighbor sees that they have lost a leg and the patient says, "Hey man, I want to show you my new leg—it's got a bottle opener and Harley-Davidson picture on it," that breaks the ice and the patient feels good about showing their leg off. That's what I strive for.
3. What advice would you give to someone just entering the O&P profession?
Be prepared for a challenge. There's so much more to it than just fabricating. You're messing with something that belongs to a human body, and its owner has a major bond with it. It's not plastic and metal—it's part of them. Techs need to realize that and how important it is to the patient.
4. What are your top goals when working on a patient's prosthetic device?
Our approach to patient care is that not only does the prosthesis need to fit and function correctly, it also needs to be cosmetically appealing to the patient—something that should not be hidden but shown off with pride.
5. How do you set yourself apart from competing businesses and practitioners in your area?
Our facility was built for prosthetics. Patients can be here for a week or a month, and we want them to feel as comfortable as in their own home. We've got a walking trail so patients can walk around a lake and use their prosthesis. All the patient rooms are big, with TVs, Internet access, and big windows so patients can see the lake and the trail. Some patients even bring fishing poles and fish while we're fabricating their legs.
Our lab was designed to be easy to work in—it works like a machine. We put in grates so that when we modify, all the plaster falls down into the grates and we're not tracking it all over the place. Our lab has skylights. In the room where I spray the skin, there are three exhaust fans, and when you turn on one, it turns on an extra air conditioning unit to put more fresh air in the building to replace what's been taken out. We don't have much turnover here because it's just a great place.
