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A Non-Traditional O&P Student View: Putting It All Together
By Rick E. Sevier
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Yolanda and Rick Sevier |
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In today's varying economy, many individuals in
well-established companies are being faced with layoffs that force
them into reevaluating their initial choice of careers. Many of
these people use this time to their advantage to return to college.
These "older" or non-traditional students bring a unique mix of
knowledge and skills to any field of study they choose to
pursue.
I am one of those non-traditional students. I am enrolled in the
Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee AAS O&P Practitioner
Assistant Program. The following diatribe is a look at how all of
the pieces are-and hopefully will continue-to come together.
Looking Back
As a child, I had grown up spending weekends and summers in a
physician's office in which my mother worked, as the hopeful MD
groomed me to someday become a doctor. Later, I worked for nearly
12 years in the world of both electrical and mechanical engineering
design. After that, came a faculty position at the community
college teaching computer-aided design (CAD) for seven years. The
most recent eight years have been spent running my own computer
business.
Why O&P?
Now I find myself surrounded by routers, ovens, and plaster
traps that need constant attention. I often get asked, "Why did you
give up your career to do this?" The answer is simple, yet complex.
The simple answer is that I have always seen it as my
responsibility as an inhabitant of this planet to help others in
any way I possibly can. O&P allows me to fulfill this mission
with great accuracy and in a one-on-one way. The not-so-simple
answer lies in the area of where the past touches the present.
Old Skills, New Applications
As a child in that small clinic, I developed a love and respect
for healthcare. Helping the MD wrap casts and develop X-rays gave
me an early understanding that the body itself was a finely tuned
apparatus. During my career in engineering design, I learned that
some materials had properties that were good for specific
applications, and that some were not suitable. The world of CAD
allows the user to visualize mechanisms and relationships once only
visible in the mind's eye. Finally, the world of computers could
lift many of the burdens from humanity and place them in a very
minute space.
I am not leaving these old skills and tools behind. Rather, I
have the advantage of already having these tools in my toolbox to
use in a whole new application. I simply must learn how my old and
trusty utensils can be used to create a different product.
The Age Issue
For the longest time, I saw my age of 42 as being a disadvantage
in the world of O&P. I was sure that my fellow students would
look at me as though I were the odd one out. But, to my surprise
and pleasure, the inverse is true. The younger students actively
seek out the older students-who comprise about one-quarter of the
class-to ask for their input in nearly all phases of their college
experience. Our previous experience in the workforce is respected
and admired.
Family and Finances
As with many other non-traditional students, I have a family. My
five children are making sacrifices in both the time and financial
arenas. Through federal financial aid and a few student loans, both
my wife and I are able to attend school full-time and work very
part-time. This allows us to concentrate on school during the day,
family in the evening, and homework at night. Work is done on the
weekends. All of these things balance precariously on the family
day planner.
Looking Ahead
With luck and a swift GPA wind at our backs, my wife of 22
years-who was so impressed by the O&P AAS Practitioner
Assistant Program at OSU-Okmulgee that she gave up an 18-year
career as an LPN and enrolled with me-and I will graduate in about
a year from now and be eligible to sit for the American Board for
Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC) registered
assistant exams for both orthotics and prosthetics. We are both
doing our clinical rotation with a major O&P service provider.
We are planning on working as associates until our youngest is out
of the nest, while continuing work part-time on our baccalaureate
degrees. Once finished, we will proceed to Northwestern and cap our
careers by becoming ABC-certified prosthetists/orthotists.
It is our dream to one day go and provide free services to the
many unfortunate landmine victims of Eastern Europe and Asia. Once
there, our mission will be truly complete. 
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OSU-Okmulgee Announces O&P Technician Program
- October 2006
Feature
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The Orientation of a Homing Pigeon
- October 2006
Feature
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Northwestern Survey Identifies Research Priorities
- October 2006
Feature
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Exciting Vision for Practitioners in the Future
- October 2006
Feature
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O&P Ascends Professional Summit
- October 2006
Feature
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Is O&P Education Doing Its Job?
- September 2006
These words sum up the paradigm shift sweeping through US healthcare, including the educational field. Orthotics and prosthetics too is running with the tide, and is in fact, ahead of the wave, according to Robin Seabrook, executive director of the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE)
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Advancing O&P Education: How Are We Doing?
- February 2004
In talking with educational experts and O&P professionals closest to the subject, one can't help realizing that there is "buzz," enthusiasm, anticipation, positive energy--and above all, there is real PROMISE in the record of what's been happening recently and what's going forward already in 2004 with regard to O&P education.
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Distance Learning: A New Era In Orthotic/Prosthetic Education
- June 2003
Education Outlook
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Table Of Contents - March 2003
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