The National Commission for Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) has announced that its board approved the Standards and Guidelines for Accreditation of Educational Programs in Pedorthics at its March 15 meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Since the April 2010 Education Summit meeting, the Committee on Accreditation of Pedorthic Education (CAPE), under the NCOPE umbrella since 2009, and NCOPE, have revised the standards and brought the minimum education level for the pedorthic profession to a certificate level housed within an academic institution. The approval process included the creation of new certificate-level curriculum based upon the profession’s Practice Analysis and the results/recommendations of the education meeting in April 2010, and public comments on the draft curriculum by the pedorthic community, according to an NCOPE press release.
“This is a new era in pedorthic education and a culmination of several years of effort by many groups and individuals,” CAPE Chair Chris Costantini said. “Many in the profession have long felt that this is a much needed move and a positive step in the evolution of this profession.”
The new standards are effective immediately for any new programs seeking accreditation and all currently accredited programs will transition to the new standards by the end of 2012.
For more information on the new standards and the transition of current programs to the new standards, contact Robin Seabrook at rseabrook@ncope.org
