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
On Call Requirements
Both prosthetic and orthotic 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 very 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
- Evaluations after each rotation
- NCOPE Quarterly Evaluations every 3 months
- NCOPE Device Competency Forms for the 7 orthotic and 5 prosthetic competencies
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