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O&P: A Profession Still in the Making
By Donald E. Katz Relative to some others in healthcare, orthotics and prosthetics
is a fairly young profession, if one accepts the definition as
requiring a collected body of knowledge, the development of
standards and ethics, ongoing research, and a commitment to
lifelong learning. On many levels, those defining elements are
still in development.
 Thirty-four years ago the Academy was founded by
some forward-thinking orthotists and prosthetists certified by the
American Board for Certification in Orthotics & Prosthetics
(ABC) who appreciated the need for a professional association for
individual practitioners who can focus their efforts in furthering
both scientific and education attainments of the field. Today, the
Academy is as vibrant as ever, with almost countless initiatives
being pursued to fulfill this never-ending charge.
Professional Development: Now and into the Future
The largest collection of activities by the Academy toward the
continued development of the profession are contained within
Project Quantum Leap. These include the documenting of Clinical
Standards of Practice through multidisciplinary consensus
conferences, establishing a "Master Agenda" of topics for these
conferences and subsequent research areas, studying the need for
post-graduate P&O education within the United States, and
taking steps necessary to continue the viability of the profession
by attracting talented young minds. These activities are perhaps
the most important ever undertaken by the Academy and will not be
accomplished in two years or even ten. They are the first steps of
many toward cementing the professionalism within the
profession.
Fellow Program Promotes Professionalism
Another way the Academy promotes professionalism is through its
Fellow program. The intent of this program is to recognize those
members who demonstrate a sustained commitment to professional
development and excellence in education. Members began earning this
title in 1998 with 26 inductees, and the number of Fellows has
since swelled to a current total of 266. Recently, the Academy
Board revised some of the criteria for those seeking the
distinction, as well as for those interested in renewing the title
(which is every five years). The purpose of the changes was to
further recognize the various ways in which an individual
practitioner can contribute to his or her professional society or
even the community we serve.
Dr. Marc Asher said it best in his Presidential Address to the
Scoliosis Research Society in 1997 when he stated, "Fellowship is a
responsibility, not a credential." Those that serve the Academy
through volunteer leadership, whether through their local chapters
or among the many opportunities within the national organization,
truly help "chart the course" for the future of the O&P
profession.
We are obligated to be as forward-thinking with our actions
today as were our founders some three decades ago. Ensuring the
viability and success of accredited schools, being proactive in
making more young people aware of the very existence of the field
of P&O as a potential career choice, and establishing standards
of care by which future professionals can assess clinical advances
are just a few examples of some of the more far-reaching Academy
goals and initiatives of today.
Be Both Student and Teacher
"When you teach your son, you teach your son's son." A writing
from the Talmud, this paradigm has as much to do with being a
professional as anything else. All orthotists and prosthetists
should discipline themselves to be both student and teacher. After
all, the word "discipline" means "to teach." This attitude is
germane to interactions an orthotist or prosthetist may have with a
resident practitioner, another colleague, a visiting student, or
simply a patient on how best to make use of the service we provide.
Creating a culture of intellectual curiosity in our day-to-day
practice will serve not only to buoy the level of clinical practice
of prosthetics and orthotics, but also enhance the level of
professionalism into the future. Fostering this culture of
professionalism should always be an underlying theme for the
multitude of important endeavors by the Academy. Don Katz, CO, LO, FAAOP, is an associate fellow with the Scoliosis Research Society and director of the Orthotics Department at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Dallas. 
Table Of Contents - March 2004
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