oandp.com

Orthotic Prosthetic Student Association & the "Golden Hammer Award"

I recently received an invitation to present a talk at the annual Orthotic & Prosthetic Student Association banquet at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It has been heartening to see this organization grow over the years from a few students' shared vision into a thriving association that exemplifies what P&O is all about: making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work.

The list of projects the students have completed just this year was impressive. In addition to a number of social activities enabling students to get to know each other outside of class (picnics, bowling, Minnesota Twins game, etc.), they collected over 300 non-perishable food items for 2nd Harvest Heartland food pantry. Throughout the year, OPSA members collected box tops for to support public education, Yoplait Pink lids for Breast Cancer awareness, & Toys-4-Tots at Christmas. This January, they sponsored their 5th annual wheelchair basketball demonstration with the Minnesota Blaze.

There were approximately 100 current and former students, faculty, technicians and practitioners in the audience. This reflects both the strong community support for the Century College program as well as the cohesive feeling of being part of the field that the faculty and staff foster among their technician and practitioner students. A substantial number of their practitioner students enter the field by first completing the tech curriculum as part of their undergraduate work, so there is a real esprit de corps between the classes. [As an aside, the Century tech program is now running three full shifts to accommodate all the qualified applicants. Many are adult learners with substantial technical experience in other fields, such as airline mechanics who are changing careers due to local industry downsizing.]

My presentation summarized some of the Academy's efforts as part of Project Quantum Leap to increase the scientific foundation for P&O care by fostering the development of advanced academic educational options in the field to train the scientists who will become the next generation of faculty and researchers. If the enthusiastic response from these students is any indication, there will be no problem recruiting talented people from the field to enter those programs as they develop.

For me, one of the highlights of the evening was the opportunity to see the Golden Hammer competition. This Century College tradition is an intense rivalry among the students to fabricate the best possible prosthesis or orthosis. Immediately adjacent to the registration desk, a series of display tables showcased the 21 P&O devices entered into the competition. Everyone in attendance was invited to vote for the best orthosis and best prosthesis, so this is a "peoples' choice" selection.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to take photos until after the reception had ended, so some of the students had already departed with their work. But, a sampling of some of the competition is offered below.

Kristen Jasken's hybrid KAFO was the orthotic winner, featuring a biomechanically sound combination of a traditional molded leather thigh corset and bale locks with thermomolded plastic thigh and shin segments, including an integral heel flare to increase stability within the shoe. The competition among the prosthetic entrants was equally strong, but Eric Hansen's joints and corset prosthesis was the winner in this division. His detailed hand work including intricate embossing of the leather corset, decorative copper rivet work, and machine turning to dress up the side bars, created a prosthesis with a historic look from two centuries earlier.

In an era when there is concern about the loss of technical proficiency within the field, it is encouraging to see that the spirit of pride in craftsmanship is alive and well in Minnesota, and being transmitted to new members of the field.