"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." —Marcel Proust, French novelist, 1871–1922
To honor those individuals who are just beginning their journey into the O&P profession, The O&P EDGE asked clinicians and academicians who are well into their O&P journeys what advice they have for soon-to-be and new graduates of O&P and pedorthic education programs. Among their answers, you'll see a number of themes that we hope will encourage and inspire you on the professional path you have chosen.
"When starting your career, it's important to take a very open-minded approach. When providing care to patients, consider all the options and don't be afraid to ask questions and seek advice from your seasoned colleagues. Be a good listener to both your patients and colleagues, as that will take you far."
Kevin Carroll, MS, CP, FAAOP
Vice President of Prosthetics, Hanger Orthopedic Group
"You have completed the first phase of your education. Choose your residency wisely for your continued growth, and never stop learning and refining your skills to meet the ever-changing needs and goals of your patients. Listen to your patients. By asking good questions and listening to the answers, you will be able to consistently achieve positive outcomes for your patients."
Dennis E. Clark, CPO
President, The Orthotic and Prosthetic Group of America (OPGA)
"Never stop learning. The end of your student learning experience signals the beginning of your professional learning experience. Each day will bring a new question, a new thought, a new problem, a new patient, and hopefully a new solution. The most successful orthotic and prosthetic clinicians continue to actively seek out information to enhance their knowledge and skills relative to the product options available and to increase their understanding of patient conditions and pathologies."
Deanna Fish, MS, CPO
Director of Orthotics, Hanger Orthopedic Group
"Build upon this significant accomplishment in your life by establishing a lifelong desire to continue learning and growing as a professional. Bottle up the zeal you have right now and the passionate desire to improve lives, and open it back up when you reach the stagnant plateaus that come along from time to time."
Mark D. Geil, PhD
Director, Biomechanics Laboratory
Georgia State University, Department of Kinesiology and Health
"Learn to write a cogent letter which advocates for your patient's medical needs as they relate to O&P. The one thing which separates a successful practitioner from an unsuccessful one is the ability to convey technical information in an untechnical manner to a layperson who reviews treatment requests."
Brian Gustin, CP
President, Forensic Prosthetic and Orthotic Consulting
Immediate Past President, American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA)
"Listen to your patients. They are the reason you have a profession. Their needs far outweigh your needs. I wish someone would have told me that it is okay to fail with a patient fitting, so long as you fail forward to success."
Scott Hornbeak, CPO, FAAOP
Coordinator, Orthotics & Prosthetics Program
California State University, Dominguez Hills
"Feel proud of your accomplishment and the hard work it took to qualify in the profession. However, gaining a credential doesn't translate into success. Everyone needs to take full responsibility for his or her own career. Whether you work for yourself or for someone else, you need to prove your worth every day. If you always do the job to the very best of your ability, opportunities will arise, and you will flourish."
Seamus Kennedy, BEng (Mech), CPed
President and Co-Owner, Hersco Orthotic Labs
"Stay focused always on what is best for your patient.Remember that the device you will be fitting is only a small part of the services you will really provide. The biggest part of your services is making sure the patient understands the reason for the device, how to properly use the device, and to give a realistic assessment of your expected outcomes. Communication is often more valuable than the device itself."
Roger Marzano, CPO, CPed
Yanke Bionics
"Chose your residency wisely, as it will set the tone for your entire career. Match yourself with a company that will invest in your education and that will share your philosophies of patient care. Once you have done this, the rest is in your court. Take advantage of every waking moment. Work hard, study hard, and don't be afraid to speak up for yourself to make sure you are getting the experience that you need in order to become the practitioner that you want to be."
Angela Montgomery, CPO
Practice Manager, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics
"The key to business success is having happy patients who return to you. However, what the patient says they want in order to be happy, and what you feel may be best for the patient (or what your employer or the insurer feels is best for themselves) may not always be the same. In these cases, you will need a set of principles to help you make decisions.
"I also recommend that you attend support-group meetings where patients vent their frustrations. It is a rare practitioner who manages to escape criticism from someone in the group. What appears to be important is: (1) your willingness to work with your patients to resolve problems; (2) the amount of time you are willing to spend with your patients; and (3) your technical competence."
Edward S. Neumann, PhD, PE, CP
Director, Center for Disability and Applied Biomechanics
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
"Be as well-rounded as possible in the skills, talent, and knowledge that encompass the field of O&P today so that you are marketable or can be independent in your own business. Become educated and board certified in orthotics, prosthetics, and pedorthics, as that is what will be needed to survive in this country.
"Food for thought: Charlie Wright, CP, my first O&P employer, said that I would not get rich as a prosthetist, but that I could make a comfortable living at it. I did not get rich, but I did become a wealthy man in ways that I would never trade for money."
Al Pike, CP
VA Medical Center, Regional Amputation Center
"Choose your residency very carefully. Remember that your residency is your last year of education, not your first year of employment. (This is actually a quote from Mark Taylor, CPO). What you don't know, and knowing that you don't know it, is often more important than what you do know."
Robert L. Rhodes, MPA, CO, FAAOP
Director, Orthotic & Prosthetic Program
Eastern Michigan University
"This piece of college-graduation advice was offered to me by the late Charles Taggart, CO: ‘Be proud of what you make and do. That's it. It is that simple.' To this day, pride in what I do is what makes referrals, patients, and me confident in the orthosis I am designing, fabricating, and fitting.
"I would also highly recommend that as a first-year resident you absorb all aspects of the field from the fabrication/technical side, to the clinician, to billing, to public relations. Each is part of a team that makes a successful office, and leading an office requires knowledge of each and every one of these roles. All too often, the first year centers on the clinician side only. True leadership develops from understanding the various roles of the O&P office."
Keith Smith, CO, LO, FAAOP
Orthotic & Prosthetic Lab
Immediate Past President, American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists
"Live up to the three Rs:
Be resourceful. Continue your study well beyond your classes and internship. It takes a lot of effort to read esoteric journals after a long day at work, but it keeps you current with a much broader perspective.
Continually recommit to the profession. Recognize errors in thought and/or action and correct them immediately. Set your goals higher to achieve a certification, advanced degree, or improve quality.
Respect yourself, your clients, and your peers. Embody the image of a professional in appearance and practice. Address patients in a lab coat or scrubs rather than a shop apron, and use clinically appropriate terminology such as ‘orthosis' instead of ‘brace,' and ‘residual limb' instead of ‘stump.'"
Gerald Stark, MSEM, CPO, LPO, FAAOP
Vice President of Product Development and Education, The Fillauer Companies
"Pick a practice, not a location. There is tremendous variability in size, scope, specialization, and, frankly, clinical skill sets in the different practices around the country. Pick a practice that appeals to your interests and has good mentors from which to learn. Take the city that comes with it. Once you've matured in the field, you can focus on location."
Phil Stevens, CPO, FAAOP
Clinical Director, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics
"Treat every patient as if you were treating a family member, and success will ultimately follow. Embrace new technologies and constantly try to find better ways to do things."
Daniel Strzempka, CPO, LPO
Area Practice Manager, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics
