Career Information
All visitors to our career website are encouraged to watch our career awareness video, "The Sky"s the Limit!" This ten-minute video provides a snapshot of the O&P profession, what educational background and training is required, and how you too can make a difference every day by helping your patients and their families. This video is a great start to any career presentation. O&P professionals, residents and students are encouraged to share their stories about what attracted them to the profession, the schooling option they chose and why, as well as what they enjoy most about their work in O&P.
O&P professionals and residents who want to create a slideshow can download this PowerPoint presentation and text for career presentations at local schools and career fairs. We encourage you to first show the video and then tailor this PowerPoint to your needs. Be sure to personalize things to engage the students in your talk. Incorporating hands-on activities is a great way to get the students involved and interested in learning more about O&P.
Career Materials
A series of $1M grants from the U.S. Department of Education has enabled the Academy to develop a sustainable national awareness and recruitment campaign. Our career kits are available here for download and may be copied as needed.
For helpful hints on using the video, PSAs and printed materials to promote the profession in your local area, please see "Tips for Working with the Media". This will help you maximize the use of our career materials and strengthen ties with the media and the community.
Student Surveys
O&P professionals, please help us track our outreach efforts and the increased awareness of orthotics and prosthetics among students. Download a post-survey for students to measure their understanding of the materials you presented.
Special thanks to John Frederick, Jr., a board eligible orthotist at the time, who helped develop this survey as part of his residency research paper on "The Awareness and Perception of High School Students of Orthotics and Prosthetics as a Profession."
O&P Professional Credits
O&P professionals can earn Category II PCE credits when making career presentations if the appropriate documentation and paperwork is completed. Download the form and complete the application. O&P professionals are required to submit the completed form to ABC for review in order for credits to be awarded.
O&P Residency Requirements
Residents are encouraged to make career presentations as part of their residency requirements. The Academy sends a full career kit to residents to assist in fulfilling this requirement, although all of the materials are also online (see Career Materials). If you have questions or would like materials to hand out at your presentations, please contact the Academy at least two weeks before your scheduled programming at 703-836-0788 or email: .
Please have the students you visit complete the student survey to help us track our outreach efforts. Forms can be returned in bulk to the Academy at the completion of your high school outreach programs. Thank you for helping to spread the word about O&P!
Job Shadowing Days
Job shadowing gives students an opportunity to "shadow" an orthotist or prosthetist during their daily work activities. Studies confirm that more than 86 percent of students report that participation in job shadowing activities positively changes their attitude about working. 72 percent were highly engaged and informed by these experiences. Job shadowing is a win-win for all involved. Here are some tips to help the student get the most of their job shadow experience and a survey to help assess what they"ve learned.
Learn more about the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, the professional society for the O&P profession.
|
