Prosthetists and orthotists deal with the assessment, diagnosis and management of the whole of the body. Prosthetists provide artificial limbs (prostheses) to people who have all or part of a natural limb missing. Orthotists provide supportive braces and splints (orthoses) to people with various conditions of the limbs or spine. Prosthetists and orthotists work with people of all ages and with different requirements.
On the course you will learn how to assess, diagnose and treat people requiring prosthetic and orthotic care. The strong practical emphasis will be taught in conjunction with relevant theory and background information.
This course offers the opportunity to learn through placements in prosthetic and orthotic clinics across the country. As you move through the course, you will gradually require a greater depth of learning and increased competency in dealing with people, meeting their needs and deciding on the most effective treatment to offer.
This course takes three years to complete and includes a wide variety of clinical, practical and theoretical learning. You will spend most of your time at the University but you will also spend time in clinical placements where you will get the chance to see real patients wearing their prostheses and orthoses. You will also get the chance to see patients at the University, within our purpose built facilities, and work with the latest technologies and equipment that are used for today's prosthetic and orthotic devices.
Year 1
Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2
In this module you will learn about the basic structure of the human body, with particular reference to the foot, ankle and lower leg. You will also learn about the workings of the human body, with a focus on those functions that are particularly important to prosthetists and orthotists.
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Materials and Design
This module helps you learn about the design of prostheses and orthoses, how they are made and the different materials that are commonly used to make them.
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Introduction to Prosthetic and Orthotics Practice
This module introduces you to clinical and workshop practice. You will be able to see professional patients and make and fit prosthetic and orthotic components for them, under careful supervision. This module focuses on the common lower limb prosthetic and orthotic conditions, introducing you to concepts that will be important not only here but later on in the course. You will spend two weeks within a prosthetic or orthotic clinical facility within this module, to help you relate the work you have undertaken at University with actual clinical practice.
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General Prosthetic and Orthotic Practice
Prosthetists and orthotists provide a valuable service in health care, both nationally and internationally. This module builds on what you will have learned in the introduction to prosthetics and orthotics but focuses more on the importance of the service and your role as a prosthetist or orthotists. You will also see patients, but with different prosthetic and orthotic requirements and levels of limb absence, building on your experiences within earlier modules.
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Concepts in Health Care
You will learn effective communication skills, ethical issues, professionalism and codes of conduct and relate these to health care practice within this module.
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Introduction to Motion Analysis
The Motion Analysis modules will foster your skills in the calculation of forces applied during prosthetic and orthotic management and the effect if they are altered. This module introduces and then develops your knowledge and skills in human movement analysis through the use of the human movement laboratory and classroom sessions.
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Introductory Placement (two weeks)
The clinical training period is shared equally between prosthetics and orthotics each two weeks in duration. The placement training is undertaken at specially selected accredited clinical training facilities. These may be predominantly prosthetic or orthotic in nature, but most importantly will be undertaken in an interdisciplinary, multi-professional environment, and you will be shown the ethos of team working and the principle of holistic care.
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Year 2
Core Prosthetic Practice
This module will introduce you to new levels of prosthetic management for lower limb prostheses and enable you to build upon the common threads that run through the prosthetic clinical practice introduced in year 1. You will gain a greater appreciation of key skills associated with patient assessment and develop your clinical skills including casting, cast modification and prosthetic fitting.
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Core Orthotic Practice
This module will introduce you to new areas of orthotic clinical practice as well as consolidating and expanding your orthotic knowledge from previous modules. You will also gain a greater appreciation of the effect of functional loss to the orthotic user.
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Anatomy, Physiology and Pathologies
As a prosthetist or orthotist you will require a good understanding of human anatomy and how the body functions and related diseases. This module will provide you with a basic understanding of the anatomy of the thigh, hip and spine and its relevance to prosthetic and orthotic practice. It will also provide you with a basic understanding of the endocrine and immune systems of human body, and their relevance to prosthetic and orthotic practice.
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Research Methods
As a clinician you will naturally wish to examine the validity of how current treatment plans are progressed or perhaps you may wish to explore new and different orthotic and prosthetic solutions. This module is designed to acquaint you with research methods and analysis which may be applied to professional practice and the planning of their own research. It will also develop your critical awareness of research design, particularly when reading other research reports
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Motion Analysis
The content of this module will enable you to apply the theory from the previous 'Introduction to Motion Analysis' module to pathological gait. It will provide you with hands on experience of techniques used in biomechanical assessment. You will be introduced to methods of assessing gait in both clinical and research settings.
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Intermediate Placement (14 weeks)
The placement period is shared equally between prosthetics and orthotics and is designed to introduce students to the more common clinical presentations requiring prosthetic and orthotic intervention. You will be exposed to clinical situations relevant to your prior learning and will actively engage in patient care. The placement will enable you to further develop their patient assessment and communication skills. The placement is located at end of the second semester in year two and extends into the summer period.
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Year 3
Final Placement (16 weeks)
This placement is located at the start of year 3. It encompasses the whole of the first semester and extends over the Christmas period. Once again the placement period is split equally between prosthetics and orthotics. During the final placement you are expected to be able to consolidate your learning from the previous placements, particularly the recent intermediate placement. You will be exposed to an ever expanding variety of case studies where you will continue to further develop your clinical skills. You will develop a greater understanding of the rehabilitation process and in particular develop your skills in presenting viable management plans including problem solving and prescription ideas. You will also be able to demonstrate your ability to competently execute the key clinical skills (casting, measurement, cast modification, prosthetic/orthotic fitting) necessary to fulfil the agreed prescription.
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Broad Scope Prosthetic and Orthotic Practice
You will be introduced to rare sites of amputation surgery and unusual orthotic clinical case studies. You will also be exposed to new developments within prosthetics and orthotics and encouraged to extend your knowledge in these emerging technologies.
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Health Care Management
This module will enable you to reflect on the broader issues affecting health and social care, with a particular focus on prosthetics and orthotics. You will be introduced to support groups, user groups and a variety of professional organisations which have a significant impact on how prosthetic and orthotics services are delivered and progressed. The content of the module will continue to develop your appreciation of the importance of evidence based practice within the clinical environment.
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Methods of Inquiry
For this module you will conduct an in-depth evidence-based study on a topic of your choice. This will give you the opportunity to plan and execute your own work and explore the links between research and practice. In so doing you will be better equipped to enter into a clinical setting and investigate areas of interest in a clear and objective manner.
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