By now most of the orthotic/prosthetic community has been made aware of the recent landmark decision by the Board of Certification/Accreditation, International, (BOC) to elevate their standards in 2013 to the current NCOPE/CAAHEP requirements. On behalf of the ABC Board of Directors I congratulate the BOC and commend them for their vision and sacrifice for the good of the public.
As we all know, the face of the O&P professional has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Physician involvement has decreased, referral sources have expanded and the complexity of the O&P patient (by virtue of diagnoses, etiology and technology) has increased exponentially. Twenty years ago it was obvious the only recourse was to implement a formal education/training process that included basic sciences, core curriculum, universal standards and demonstrated learning outcomes. ABC acknowledges that the transition to the formal CAAHEP accredited educational pathways will indeed be an enormous challenge for the BOC but we are confident that they will be up to it and will succeed. Indeed we will gladly offer assistance in any way we can. When ABC adopted the mandatory bachelors level requirement over 20 years ago we faced a similar uphill battle, but one that was clearly worth the effort. Our ultimate reward was a better educated and skilled professional who was appropriately trained to meet the needs of the contemporary O&P patient in today’s health care arena.
Many of you are also aware that the vision from O&P leadership, after considerable deliberation and planning, has led the profession towards the entry level masters degree. The expansion of the body of knowledge, enhanced autonomy and demands for independent clinical problem solving, all support this natural degree elevation. ABC is confident that the same wisdom and selflessness that led the BOC board of directors to their recent decision will once again prevail when faced with this next challenge. Indeed the end result will be a better served patient in a more efficacious and cost effective manner.
We look forward to facing the future together.
Robert S. Lin, CPOPresident, ABC Board of Directors