Who are the Casting Experts? We Are!

NAOT was well represented in many facets of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Annual Meeting held this past February in San Diego.  Besides organizing the OT1 program, the AAOS asked NAOT to teach a “Casting Skills Workshop” similar to those we have been offering around the country.  The course quickly sold out and it was interesting to see the types of health professionals who desired the casting training that we were offering – of the 50 attendees, 36% were registered nurses, 26% were physician assistants, 10% were nurse practitioners, with the rest a combination of ortho techs, surgical techs and even two MDs.

One general point that can been drawn from these statistics (and one that is obvious to most orthotechs) is that a number of different allied health care professionals are being asked to become more proficient in casting, splinting and bracing -- skills that are routinely and expertly handled by the orthopaedic technologist.  It’s certainly not a new concept as private practices, clinics and hospitals continually look to consolidate roles and responsibilities in an effort to save money.  But it is important that we remind our employers that we continue to be the experts in this area and are still the most effective and cost-effective providers of this valuable aspect of patient care.

But that not all orthotechs do, as evidenced by the article on “Expanding the Role of the Orthotech” that can be found in this issue of the Journal.   We thank all members who responded to a survey in February that helped us compile an informative piece that provides insight into the wide variety of responsibilities that orthotechs currently hold – and as well as their desire to play an additional part in patient care.

Remember that our 25^th Annual Clinical Symposium is only a few short months away.  NAOT 2007 will be held August 1-4 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Another fantastic educational program has been planned and we expect a large attendance to help celebrate our Silver Anniversary.  See you there!

Cynthia Henderson, OTC, CO
NAOT President