February 25, 2022
Oakland University has earned Candidate for Accreditation Status from the National Commission on Orthotic Prosthetic Education (NCOPE), providing the School of Health Sciences with permission to launch the first Orthotist Prosthetist Assistant (OPA) Studies program in the country.
“Orthotist and Prosthetist Assistant Studies is a growing, community-engaged field that, simply put, changes lives through its distinct blend of academic thinking, patient care, and hands-on design,” said Dr. Kevin Ball, dean of the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University.
“We are confident our students will enjoy participating in meaningful experiential learning, and our graduates will soon be helping improve the health, function, and well-being of people and communities,” he added.
To earn Candidate for Accreditation Status, NCOPE measured the program against accepted quality standards for the selected field. The standards address all areas of the program, including where it is housed, appropriateness of facilities, supplies, funds, equipment, faculty, etc. The process also includes site tours, which are implemented to permit a visual inspection of the facilities.
“This formal evaluation serves to protect the students by validating the program and providing strong indicators of quality,” said Tamara Treanore, C.O., founding director and special instructor of OPA.
Combining a unique blend of disciplines (human movement, materials science, and creative design), the 26-credit hour OPA specialization prepares students with the skills needed to serve patients in many ways. In addition, a new 18-credit OPA minor is available to students in any major across the university.
“The orthoses and prostheses field provide amazing patient care opportunities for the hands-on, patient care driven individual,” Treanore said. “In this field, we design the interventions — whether a prostheses for a missing limb or an orthoses (brace) for a child with Cerebral Palsy — based on patient care assessments. It is an incredible meld of design, hands-on skills, and patient contact.
“As an assistant, you will be in the midst of it all — working with clinicians and patients in a lab and in a patient care room,” she added. “We are a new area in an old field that inspires passion. Come visit, we are excited to help you learn about this rewarding field.”
Now enrolling students, Oakland University is pursuing full accreditation of the OPA specialization through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). This evaluation is aimed for 2024 and timed for the graduation of the program’s initial class.
For more information about the Orthotist and Prosthetist Assistant Studies program, visit www.oakland.edu/shs/human-movement/orthotist-and-prosthetist-assistant-undergraduate.