<img style="float: right;" src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2003-11_09/rob_kistenberg.jpg" hspace="4" vspace="4" /> <b>Have you ever really thought about it?</b> As orthotists and prosthetists, we construct and create. In addition, we possess something that differentiates us from architects and engineers--those who fall under the overarching heading of "builders." We possess a desire to serve the extraordinary populations who have either lost or were born missing limbs or who suffer from the broad range of diseases that leave them in need of an external appliance for support or correction. Because our "buildings" are designed to heal, we are healthcare practitioners too. At some point in our mutual histories, we decided that just working in healthcare or being a builder alone would not suffice--we needed to be both. The profession of orthotics and prosthetics afforded an outlet for that unique combination. We realized that we could help people recover from their disability one brace or limb at a time. Perhaps upon this realization you chose, as your mission in life, to utilize your skills and talents towards creating devices that would make people's lives better. A prosthetist/orthotist was born. <i>" <b>Make your life a mission --not an intermission." --Arnold Glasgow</b></i> A mission, as defined by Merriam-Webster is: "a specific task with which a person or group is charged." Another definition depicts the religious aspect of a mission: "a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work." While a mission may refer to a specific task, ("We're on a mission from God." --Elwood Blues from <i>The Blues Brothers</i> movie), one's calling goes beyond this: "the vocation or profession in which one customarily engages" or from a spiritual core: "a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action, especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence." Whether you are a prosthetist, orthotist, or both, consider how and why you became interested in our profession. Was it because you enjoy the challenge of being charged with the task of solving people's problems as they relate to orthopedic insufficiencies? Was there a defining moment when you recognized prosthetics and orthotics as the occupation for you and you never looked back? Did you have an influential uncle, aunt, or grandparent who impacted you as a child? Perhaps it was because you decided at some point that you were called to help people however you could and making limbs and braces was a profound way to do so? Amid the harsh realities of insurance battles for authorizations and payment, shriveling reimbursements, endless paperwork, and encroaching competition, it is a good time to reflect upon that initial motivation or inspiration that brought you to this point. We are part of a vital network of medical professionals dedicated to healing, uplifting, and nurturing. We do it because we genuinely care. We do it because we can. As with the fit of any device, situations and circumstances change, resulting in necessary adjustments. Ask yourself if are you continuing to be true to your mission or calling. Ask yourself, "Is it time for an adjustment?" Remember that we can touch the lives of human beings in need in many different ways. It can be through mission work in war-torn, landmine-laced countries or by volunteering in developing nations with limited or no access to services. Your contributions to our professional organizations further the evolution of our profession, which in turn reaches out around the globe. Teaching or being a positive mentor to students creates a legacy of excellence. Whatever your fingerprint upon our profession may be, your service is invaluable. And never forget that something as simple as taking the extra time to really get to know the persons sitting on your examination table beyond their diagnoses can change their lives and affect their perspective on their disability.
