My husband spent 30 years in the HVAC trade, and partially because of that, I have an appreciation for careers that are more hands-on. They can be a great fit for those who are not interested in a four-year college degree and enjoy working with their hands. As he got closer to retirement, however, there were fewer people entering the field, and there was a common refrain from employers in his field that I often hear from O&P facilities that are recruiting technicians—they have job openings, but there is a shortage of trained workers to fill them. This led employers to hire people with mechanical aptitude and interest and train them on the job to fill the need—preparing them to take any necessary certification tests as needed.
In this issue, we discuss the strategies educational institutions and employers are using to help fill a technician shortage and how technicians can embrace new processes and materials to protect them and the environment as they fabricate the devices O&P patients rely on.
Like clinicians, some potential technicians may not gravitate to the occupation due to the lack of visibility of O&P as a career option. But the pathway to entry can also be a barrier for new techs given the cost of education and that there are only four accredited programs in the United States. “Building an O&P Technician: New Paths to an Evolving Occupation” discusses the way schools are adapting their programs to make them more accessible and increase enrollment as well as alternate informal apprenticeship arrangements employers are using to train individuals to become technicians.
Resistance to change is common, and it appears that may be a significant factor in the slow adoption of greener processes and materials in O&P. “Is O&P Ready for Eco-Friendly Fabrication?” explores several materials and processes currently available that are safer for technicians and the environment and the barriers to their widespread adoption—including some hope for overcoming them.
Finally, “Medicaid Changes Would Have a Major Impact on O&P Care” examines provisions that would have a significant impact on O&P contained in the House Budget Reconciliation Bill that had gone to the Senate for debate and a vote at the time of this writing.
Happy reading.
