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I got my Masters in Prosthetics/Orthotics and have been working in my residency for about a month. I graduated in the beginning of last summer and just got a residency position a month ago...I consider myself lucky. I know many Prosthetist residents that have worked as waiters and receptionists for a few years before getting residencies. NCOPE lists tons of residency programs on their website, but they never update the list. There are limited programs and it completely sets you back when you can't get into one. This is just my current experience. I will go into detail about how I got to this point....
So I was in college as a Bio major, 3.8 GPA, unsure about going Pre-Med until I looked into Physical Therapy school and was totally into it. I was always great with my hands. I loved doing projects and working with different materials, but I wanted to apply that to the healthcare field. So I looked a little deeper and found Prosthetics. I was overjoyed because it sounded so amazing. I would use my hands everyday!!! I looked into the career and saw that starting Prosthetists make around $35,000 and couldn't believe it, but I thought if the career was really suitable for me that it wouldn't matter. So then I graduated from college and a few months later I applied to get my Masters....
First let me tell you that these programs are very undeveloped. They keep losing their accreditation and that means if you graduate when they are unaccredited you have to go back and finish the course work when they regain accreditation...or just drop out 'til they regain accreditation and then graduate later on. It is stressful thinking that your school won't supply you with a stable degree. This Masters degree was not required not too long ago, but my mentoring Prosthetist told me to get my Masters because the career would soon demand it. The course work is really difficult, but mostly because professors are extremely unreliable and unprofessional. I couldn't believe how bad they were...I guess they were not used to teaching because these programs are so new, but wow...I would fail tests and they would never give any explanation for why..you couldn't get your tests back at all! I eventually got my Masters after two years of hell. It was 2 years of non-stop negotiating grades with terrible professors and brown nosing so that they would write stellar letters of rec. for residencies. Thinking back on it makes me cringe. It was like undergraduate finals week for 2 non-stop years, which I'm sure is just like Med school but Med schools probably have actual professors that can teach!
So I got certified and here I am...in a residency. I'm regretting my choice of this field. As an ignorant undergrad it sounded so great for me, but you soon learn that the field is not cracked up to how it seems to be. Insurance claims are too often rejected, esp with new insurance changes. The things that are progressing in the field are never covered. Everything I find interesting is not covered by most insurance, just basic limbs are covered. I like working with my hands in the field a lot, but the job is repetitious because I am unable to work with new materials or technology because they are not covered by insurance so patients would never want them even though they are awesome. I do the same thing everyday from 8am-8pm Monday to Friday. So basically...every Prosthetist out there is waiting for a really rich guy to lose his leg or arm so that they try out new technology. Not a very realistic situation....
Patient care is rough. Especially in the beginning. These people lose their limbs. As a prosthetist you are basically their therapist, too. You spend so much time with them that you listen to their problems and become a support person for them. I've gotten a few calls from patients telling me that they are contemplating suicide. Phantom pain, learning to walk on things you've never walked on before, the transition, etc all takes a toll on them. While some patients are really upbeat and motivated (which is great) the majority are very bitter and upset about their condition. I wish they could all be insured for a permanent therapist because losing a limb takes a lot out of you and often their Prosthetist becomes this role.
To end this post, I just want to warn anyone considering this field. NCOPE advertises 100% employment rate, but this is untrue. The field is stagnant now because of the insurance problems. We aren't actual doctors, are care is not always necessary in the eyes of insurance companies, and we are given no status in the eyes of a lot of MD's. They do not realize our skill. It truly is a shame. It would be such a good career if a lot changed. I was thinking about starting my own business with a few other residents but I'm going to be in huge debt since all I will be making for the first 5 years is like 35-40k, which will not sustain a business and my life. It is a shame...I am looking to apply to some Physical Therapy programs. I'm really excited about it because the field is booming now and insurance companies work much better with PT's. My advice to anyone considering this field....Yes, in theory is sounds good...but it is not realistic. Go to PT school and have a stable career with stable training. Prosthetics is flawed.
So I was in college as a Bio major, 3.8 GPA, unsure about going Pre-Med until I looked into Physical Therapy school and was totally into it. I was always great with my hands. I loved doing projects and working with different materials, but I wanted to apply that to the healthcare field. So I looked a little deeper and found Prosthetics. I was overjoyed because it sounded so amazing. I would use my hands everyday!!! I looked into the career and saw that starting Prosthetists make around $35,000 and couldn't believe it, but I thought if the career was really suitable for me that it wouldn't matter. So then I graduated from college and a few months later I applied to get my Masters....
First let me tell you that these programs are very undeveloped. They keep losing their accreditation and that means if you graduate when they are unaccredited you have to go back and finish the course work when they regain accreditation...or just drop out 'til they regain accreditation and then graduate later on. It is stressful thinking that your school won't supply you with a stable degree. This Masters degree was not required not too long ago, but my mentoring Prosthetist told me to get my Masters because the career would soon demand it. The course work is really difficult, but mostly because professors are extremely unreliable and unprofessional. I couldn't believe how bad they were...I guess they were not used to teaching because these programs are so new, but wow...I would fail tests and they would never give any explanation for why..you couldn't get your tests back at all! I eventually got my Masters after two years of hell. It was 2 years of non-stop negotiating grades with terrible professors and brown nosing so that they would write stellar letters of rec. for residencies. Thinking back on it makes me cringe. It was like undergraduate finals week for 2 non-stop years, which I'm sure is just like Med school but Med schools probably have actual professors that can teach!
So I got certified and here I am...in a residency. I'm regretting my choice of this field. As an ignorant undergrad it sounded so great for me, but you soon learn that the field is not cracked up to how it seems to be. Insurance claims are too often rejected, esp with new insurance changes. The things that are progressing in the field are never covered. Everything I find interesting is not covered by most insurance, just basic limbs are covered. I like working with my hands in the field a lot, but the job is repetitious because I am unable to work with new materials or technology because they are not covered by insurance so patients would never want them even though they are awesome. I do the same thing everyday from 8am-8pm Monday to Friday. So basically...every Prosthetist out there is waiting for a really rich guy to lose his leg or arm so that they try out new technology. Not a very realistic situation....
Patient care is rough. Especially in the beginning. These people lose their limbs. As a prosthetist you are basically their therapist, too. You spend so much time with them that you listen to their problems and become a support person for them. I've gotten a few calls from patients telling me that they are contemplating suicide. Phantom pain, learning to walk on things you've never walked on before, the transition, etc all takes a toll on them. While some patients are really upbeat and motivated (which is great) the majority are very bitter and upset about their condition. I wish they could all be insured for a permanent therapist because losing a limb takes a lot out of you and often their Prosthetist becomes this role.
To end this post, I just want to warn anyone considering this field. NCOPE advertises 100% employment rate, but this is untrue. The field is stagnant now because of the insurance problems. We aren't actual doctors, are care is not always necessary in the eyes of insurance companies, and we are given no status in the eyes of a lot of MD's. They do not realize our skill. It truly is a shame. It would be such a good career if a lot changed. I was thinking about starting my own business with a few other residents but I'm going to be in huge debt since all I will be making for the first 5 years is like 35-40k, which will not sustain a business and my life. It is a shame...I am looking to apply to some Physical Therapy programs. I'm really excited about it because the field is booming now and insurance companies work much better with PT's. My advice to anyone considering this field....Yes, in theory is sounds good...but it is not realistic. Go to PT school and have a stable career with stable training. Prosthetics is flawed.
