Ability Prosthetics & Orthotics
What I Did
During the summer of 2017, I shadowed a Resident Prosthetist Orthotist at Ability Prosthetics & Orthotics in Exton, PA. I sat in on many appointments with patients and assisted with fitting patients into leg braces and adjusting patients' prosthetics and orthotics. One of the most notable things I did during the summer was scan a baby's head for a custom cranial remolding helmet. Additionally, I worked on a few patient-specific projects where I selected a certain prosthetic for each individual based on their lifestyle, age, and physical capabilities.
What I Learned
One of the main takeaways from this internship was understanding patient/care-provider interactions from the side of the care provider. From this, I learned how challenging, but also rewarding, it is to provide quality care one appointment after another. Also, as expected, I gained more hands-on experience in fitting patients into and adjusting their existing prosthetics and orthotics.