Profession prosthetist-orthotist

Prosthetist-orthotists design and custom fit prostheses and orthoses for individuals who are missing a limb from accident, disease or congenital conditions or for individuals who have impairments, deficiences or weaknesses due to injury, pathology or congenital malformation. They mix patient care with the design and fabrication of these devices to address their patients' needs.

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Personality Type

• Social / Realistic
• Investigative / Social
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Human anatomy

  The dynamic relationship of human structure and function and the muscosceletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, integumentary and nervous systems; normal and altered anatomy and physiology throughout the human lifespan.

• Prosthetic devices

  The various artificial replacements of body parts or limbs, which were lost during a trauma, disease or an accident.

• Biomechanics

  The use of mechanical means to understand the function and structure of biological organisms.

• Kinetics

  The study of movement and its causes.

• Rehabilitation

  The methods and procedures used to help an ill or injured person restore lost skills and regain self-sufficiency and control.

Skills

• Create lifecasts

  Use specialised products such as silicones to create moulds of a person's hand, face, or other body parts in a process called lifecasting. Use moulds or other materials to create medical devices in the prosthetic and orthotic field.

• Communicate effectively in healthcare

  Communicate effectively with patients, families and other caregivers, health care professionals, and community partners.

• Ensure safety of healthcare users

  Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.

• Apply health sciences

  Apply a broad range of bio-medical, psycho-social, organisational, educational, and societal aspects of health, disease, and healthcare to improve healthcare services and to improve quality of life.

• Listen actively

  Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.

• Contribute to the rehabilitation process

  Contribute to the rehabilitation process to enhance activity, functioning and participation using a person-centered and evidence-based approach.

• Contribute to continuity of health care

  Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.

• Interact with healthcare users

  Communicate with clients and their carer’s, with the patient’s permission, to keep them informed about the clients’ and patients’ progress and safeguarding confidentiality.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

• Archive healthcare users' records

  Properly store the health records of healthcare users, including test results and case notes so that they are easily retrieved when required.

• Instruct patients on supportive devices

  Inform patients on the utilisation and care of orthoses and protheses.

• Modify lifecasts

  Fix and appropriately modify lifecasts to ensure their accuracy.

• Comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice

  Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.

• Advise on rehabilitation exercises

  Educate and advise on rehabilitation exercises to aid long-term recovery, teaching the appropriate techniques to ensure health is maintained.

• Design medical supportive devices

  Compose, create and evaluate orthopaedic and prosthetic devices after consulting with physicians, examining and measuring the patient in order to determine the size of the artificial limb.

• Answer patients' questions

  Respond in a friendly and professional manner to all inquiries from current or potential patients, and their families, of a healthcare establishment.

• Record healthcare users' progress related to treatment

  Record the healthcare user's progress in response to treatment by observing, listening and measuring outcomes.

• Collect healthcare user's general data

  Collect qualitative and quantitative data related to the healthcare user's anagraphic data and provide support on filling out the present and past history questionnaire and record the measures/tests performed by the practitioner.

• Comply with legislation related to health care

  Comply with the regional and national legislation that is relevant to one`s work and apply it in practice.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB