Limb And Brace Technician Training Program: ICD Again Offers Basic Course
Because of the continued world-wide shortage of skilled technicians in the field of orthotics and prosthetics, the Institute for the Crippled and Disabled, a total rehabilitation center in New York City, is again offering a 9-month basic course in limb and brace making.
For many years, the Institute has conducted this program which is the only formal schooling designed to give men adequate basic training in this field in a minimum of time, thereby affording to dedicated men the opportunity of entering into the service of the handicapped.
The student is instructed in the area of prosthetics or orthotics. It is the objective of the course to equip the student sufficiently so that upon the completion of his course he will be a valuable and productive man.
Basic curriculum covers such subjects as anatomy, psychology of the disabled, rehabilitation techniques, and ethical and professional relationships. In addition to these, an introduction to laboratory management, including purchasing, safety practices, and the utilization of power machinery and hand tools are covered. Approximately 20% of the students' time will be devoted to these subjects.
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The orthotic technician (brace maker) will receive instructions in the proper selection and design of materials, He will have actual laboratory experience in the fabrication if a wide variety of appliances. The fabrication techniques as practiced in the Institute utilize the latest developments in pie-fabricated parts and equip the student to design and fabricate specific components for problem cases. The development of plaster east techniques is a part of the effort devoted to the proper measuring and drawing procedures to initiate orthotic construction. The student will have an extensive experience in fitting patients with braces. In addition he will have an opportunity of observing the functional value of the devices as they are put to use in the Institute's therapy department.
The prosthetic technician ( limb maker ) will receive the same general type of instruction as the orthotist except that he will be concerned with the lower extremity amputees rather than with bracing. In keeping with modern developments in prosthetic construction, the student will make extensive use of plastics. The fitting techniques used in prostheses utilize the mechanical advantages of adjustable jigs for both the above and below-knee amputees.
The students will benefit from a wide exposure to instructors and facilities. Laboratory instruction at the Institute is under the supervision of certified orthotists and prosthetists. Professional staff members of the Institute, as well as other specialists, contribute to the academic curriculum. Students' curriculum includes a series of visits to leading hospitals and agencies in the greater New York area.
This program is designed to prepare the student for taking the examination offered by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics, Inc. The effectiveness of past programs has been proven by the extensive service which is being performed today throughout the world by Institute-trained students. Handicapped people in fat-off places such as Thailand. South Korea, and the Philippines are receiving modern prostheses and braces from these men. to say nothing of such closer neighbors as Spain, France, and Holland. Graduates who are working in the United States are making no less of a contribution to our ever-growing army of people who are devoted to rehabilitation. These men are contributing as technicians and fitters. Many of them today are proudly holding their certificates of Certification.
The new course will begin September 12, 1960 and end June 30, 1960. Tuition for the entire course is $550.00. Basic pre-requisite for students from the United States is the High School diploma. In order to assure a high level of personal instruction, enrollments are limited.
For further information or application blanks, contact Charles R. Goldstine, C.P.&O., Institute for the Crippled and Disabled, 400 First Avenue, New York 10, N.Y. Inquiries received prior to August 1st, will be given preferential consideration.
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