Rumor has it that some of the certificate programs that are several months
long may be going to one-year long in length . I have some real concern and
opinion about this. Also, I understand that some programs may be cutting out
the technical aspects of their programs, leaving for more of the “hands-on”
experience to the residency programs.
Being a Northwestern Grad. it is my opinion that the fabrication training
that I received at NUPOC is the foundation of all the basic and fundamental
aspects of my training. Being shown how to do things correctly and “by the
book” at the beginning of my O&P career was paramount. Taking away this
educational element may hurt future practitioners from 1) being prepared for
their residency program, 2) ever having an opportunity to doing the essential
O&P skills correctly . I understand there is a push to open more schools and
broaden the opportunities for education. But, to lessen the importance of
this technical training will only further take us away from attaining that
expertise that we all strive for in the field. Final outcomes will
definitely suffer.
I would like to hear pro and con rationale regarding this subject along with
feedback from past graduates and recent residential candidates.
John IzakCPO
