Technician's Corner

By Scott Tracewell

Attention Technicians: You now have a platform to share your technical expertise and get acquainted with your fellow technical associates across the country. Welcome to Shop Talk! Read on to learn what Shop Talk is all about.

Shop Talk is for technicians from technicians. This means that, even though I will be writing the articles most of the time, the content for each article will come from technicians like "YOU." The articles will not simply be my point of view on how technicians should act or fabricate-they will be as objective as possible with input from the whole field.

Topics for this article are not limited to tech tips (although they are all welcome). Subjects can include safety, lab management, and anything else you feel would be relevant-don't be afraid to submit any and all ideas. I assure you that all submissions will be reviewed and that anyone who suggests a topic will receive a response.

Technical education opportunities will be posted. Education committees are always looking for new people to add to their list, so if you are interested in giving or attending a technical lecture, please contact Shop Talk. The opportunities are endless through this forum, but we need your input; what do you want to hear?

One of our goals at The O&P EDGE is to introduce technicians through these articles. The tech responsible for the topic that is published will receive credit by having his or her name, company name, a short bio, and color photo at the end of the article. The information will also be available online at www.oandp.com/edge .

This is where technicians have a voice and are heard. Shop Talk will appear in The O&P EDGE every other month.

The O&P EDGE understands the importance of furthering technical education. So tune in and get ready to learn something new and meet your fellow techs. Watch for the first technical article in the July issue of The O&P EDGE.

Thanks for reading Shop Talk.

Scott Tracewell is a technician and vice president, Fabtech Systems LLC.

	Laminations and Carbon Fiber - March 2008 Shop Talk
	You Lost My Alignment! - February 2007 Shop Talk
	A Quick, Easy Way to Save Time and Money: Sealing Nylon Vacuum Socks - May 2006 Shop Talk
	Outside-the-Box Solutions for Low-Cost Shop Equipment - August 2005 Shop Talk
	Socket Design for Use with the Harmony® System - February 2004 Shop Talk
	Outsourcing—Converting Clinical Goals to Fabrication Solutions - August 2003 Shop Talk
	Orthotic & Prosthetic Technological Association (OPTA) - June 2003 “The mission of OPTA is to recognize and fulfill the unique professional needs of the orthotic and prosthetic technical specialist.” Shop Talk
	New Online Tech Forum Takes Off - December 2002 Shop Talk

Table Of Contents - June 2002

	Ethics: What Comes First? Balancing clinical, business, and legal priorities - deciding what’s best for your patient, referral source, insurance provider.
	Ethics: What Choices Do I Make? Exclusively Online
	How To Keep Your Best Employees Most companies today are increasingly concerned about the problem of finding qualified applicants. With unemployment rates dropping, the steady stream of qualified applicants that used to be available to managers and small business owners has dwindled. Leading EDGE
	P&O Education: How Did We Get Here - Where Are We Going? Editor's note: Prosthetics and orthotics education is at a critical point. P&O student enrollment is dropping, even as the need for P&O services is rising. Other health care disciplines may try to fill the gap... Education Outlook
	Long-Term Entry Level Education Education Outlook - Exclusively Online
	MCO Contracting: "Nightmare on Elm Street" When it comes to contracting with managed care organizations, you can, indeed, imagine yourself wandering in a nightmare landscape with surrealistic skylines, inadequate directional signs presented in hieroglyphics, and bogeymen poised to pounce... Cutting Edge
	Getting Behind the Scenes: Who’s Really Paying You? Cutting Edge - Exclusively Online
	New Advisory Board Members Welcome
	Volunteer Organization Makes a Difference in Haiti Global View
	Karen Taylor, CP (c) Profile
	Amputees Look Forward to 3,500-Mile Trip Across USA Sports Page
	“Political Correctness” - Enough, Already! Perspective
	From the Editor Viewpoints
	Technician's Corner Shop Talk