The National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) is accepting comments on Appendix B of the master’s level core curriculum. Comments will be accepted through October 26.
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) requires review of the educational standards every five years. NCOPE began the review in 2015 and found that only Appendix B, which relates to the core curriculum requirements that all accredited programs must comply with to attain and maintain accreditation, requires updating. The current draft of the appendix was developed with input from several face-to-face meetings with each of the 13 accredited O&P master’s programs.
The core curriculum includes four interrelated and complementary sections to ensure that students achieve the educational competencies for entry-level clinical practice. The updates are intended to enhance the competency-based requirements (e.g., contour metals to include squaring of joints) and reduce a device-centric focus, according to the instructions for submitting comments.
To access the survey and Appendix B, visit the NCOPE website under NCOPE News.