Orthotics & Prosthetics Residency Overview
The resident will participate in all aspects of orthotic and/or prosthetic care with a schedule of mentors to guide their progress with increasing levels of independence.
Clinical Experiences
The O&P residency is structured as a series of rotations in technical fabrication skills, pedorthics, inpatient orthotics, outpatient orthotics, and outpatient prosthetics. The resident has a schedule of mentors to guide their progress with increasing levels of independence. We offer exposure to all patient populations and O&P devices to satisfy NCOPE residency requirements.
The O&P Center consists of a large outpatient center with an onsite technical department, as well as 3 smaller satellite offices. Michigan Medicine is a level one trauma center and teaching hospital affiliated with a nationally ranked medical school. O&P clinicians work closely with physicians in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Orthopaedics, and Neurosurgery to provide O&P care.
O&P Residents attend a variety of specialty clinics including:
Lower extremity prosthetic clinic
Upper extremity prosthetic clinic
Pediatric and adult orthopaedic clinics
Polio clinic
Myelo clinic
CMT clinic
Brachial plexus clinic
On Call Requirements
O&P residents take part in covering on-call service on weekends. The resident should expect to be on-call every fourth weekend. Residents are directly supervised and accompanied by a certified clinician. The amount of actual time on call will vary according to need and the supervising clinician's discretion. The on-call participation is an opportunity to experience unique situations and procedures not always available during normal clinic hours.
Interdisciplinary Interaction
As part of the patient management team, the resident will interact with other health professional areas. These include:
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Nursing
Speech and Language Pathology
Physicians, Resident Physicians, and PAs
Residency Structure
Orthotic Residency
During the first half of the residency, the resident will complete a series of clinical rotations in pedorthics, acute care, and outpatient orthotic care. These rotations will take place at the main office and satellite offices, and are 5-8 weeks in length.
During the second half of the year, residents will have their own patient schedule, allowing them to evaluate and treat patients with increased independence yet still under the guidance of a clinical mentor.
Residents attend a variety of specialty clinics including:
- Pediatric and adult orthopaedic clinics
- Polio clinic
- Myelo clinic
- CMT clinic
- Brachial plexus clinic
Prosthetic Residency
The resident will complete three 16-week rotations with exposure to all levels of prosthetic care. The amount of autonomy will increase throughout the length of each rotation. The resident will spend most of their time at the main office, with occasional days at a satellite office.
Residents will gain experience in a fast-paced clinic setting as well as days with traditional scheduled appointments. Residents will participate in the following clinics:
- Lower extremity clinic
- Upper extremity clinic
Dual Discipline Residency
Dual discipline residents will complete clinical rotations with clearly defined orthotic or prosthetic focus. Residents will rotate through all orthotic and prosthetic physician clinics during the course of a 24-month residency.
Research
Each resident will work on a research project in accordance with the NCOPE research track. There are opportunities to join existing research projects under the mentorship of O&P clinical staff. Residents have access to the Medical school library and other research resources.
Additionally, residents will give bi-monthly journal rounds or case study presentations to the clinical staff.
Academic sessions
Residents will participate in monthly academic sessions. These didactic sessions are led by clinical mentors. The purpose is to do an in-depth dive into the theory and practice of specific O&P skills.
Performance Evaluations
Formal and informal feedback is provided throughout the year using the following methods:
Monthly meetings with the residency director
Monthly meetings with your research mentor
Evaluations after each rotation
NCOPE Quarterly Evaluations every 3 months
NCOPE Device Competency Forms for the 7 orthotic and 5 prosthetic competencies
Life in Ann Arbor
Michigan Medicine is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a place truly as special as our programs. Explore what it’s like to live, learn and grow here, year-round with videos, transportation information, local guides, festival listings, housing and recreation resources and more.
