Technician Programs
Century is the only college in the nation to offer both Orthotic and Prosthetic technician and practitioner programs.
Our Technician Programs provide you with the fundamental knowledge and hand skills needed to fabricate and repair prostheses (artificial limbs) and orthoses (orthopedic braces) according to patient measurements, casts and in compliance with a physician's prescription.
Our programs consist of hands-on bench projects reinforced by daily technical reading assignments emphasizing problem solving.
Degrees and Accreditation
We offer:
Century's program are accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE). Century graduates may sit for the American Board for Certification (ABC) registration exam.
Orthotic Technician Program
The Orthotic Technician Program focuses on the fabrication, modification and repair of orthopedic devices, or orthoses.
Emphasis is placed on accurate patient measurements and castings. Certified orthotic practitioners guide your progress.
The Orthotic Technician supports the Orthotist in providing care to patients with disabling conditions of the limbs and spine by fabricating orthoses and their components. Under the guidance and consultation with the Orthotist and or the Orthotic Assistant, the technician fabricates the orthoses to provide maximum fit, function, cosmetics and workmanship. The technician also repairs and maintains the orthotic devices.
Prosthetic Technician program
The Prosthetic Technician Program focuses on creation and repair of artificial limbs (prostheses), prosthetic sockets, and the shaping and finishing of these devices. Certified prosthetic practitioners guide each student's progress.
The Prosthetic Technician supports the Prosthetist in providing care to patients with partial or total absence of a limb by fabricating prostheses and their components. Under the guidance and with the consultation of the Prosthetist and/or the Prosthetic Assistant, the technician creates positive molds resulting in maximum fit, function, cosmetics and workmanship. The technician also repairs and maintains the prosthetic devices.
Orthotic and Prosthetic technicians: job aspects
Important aspects of the technician's job includes:
- Keeping current on new fabrication techniques and properties specific to various materials
- being skilled with hand and power tools.
Practitioner Programs
Century's Orthotic and Prosthetic Practitioner Programs have been preparing students careers in their fields since 1980. Both Orthotic and Prosthetic Practitioner Programs are ten-month, two-semester, post-graduate programs, which qualify graduates for a one-year residency and subsequent National Certification Exam.
Each year, Century accepts twelve students into both disciplines, where they exposed to a variety of prescriptions and are challenged to design, fabricate and fit devices using patient-models. Following each fitting and dynamic alignment session, students critique their efforts with the aid of videotaped evaluations and instructor assessment of patient-model gait, device compliance and success of treatment.
Practitioner curricula consist of:
- Lectures from visiting doctors, surgeons, occupational therapists, physical therapists, field specialists, product vendors, National Red Cross members and University of Minnesota Medical School faculty.
- Demonstrations, including abridged seminars by product manufacturers and engineers.
Lab work challenges students with hands-on opportunities to practice fabrication techniques and develop hand skills required to build fundamental appliances.
- Clinical work emphasizes both patient management and cooperation between the surgeon, practitioner, physical therapist, technician and client.
- Field trips to regional hospitals and clinics, orthotics and prosthetics facilities, and the University of Minnesota Medical School
Accreditation
Century's Prosthetic and Orthotic Practitioner programs are accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) and the Commission on Accreditation of Applied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), a branch of the American Medical Association
Program Description
The Prosthetic Practitioner program prepares you for entry into the field of Prosthetics at the practitioner level. A prosthetic practitioner (Prosthetist) provides care for patients with partial or total absence of the limbs by designing, fabricating, and fitting devices known as prostheses. Didactic and laboratory coursework is combined with patient interaction in the areas of lower limb and upper limb. Each of these areas contains instruction in anatomy, pathology, kinesiology, pathomechanics, and prosthetic design principles. Specialty courses covering gait analysis, biomechanics, muscle testing and material science are also included in the program. The practicum section enables you to practice clinical patient management skills in a prosthetic facility for a minimum of 250 hours.
In consultation with and at the direction of the physicians, the Prosthetist assists in determining the proper prostheses based on individual patient needs. The Prosthetist is responsible for the design, measurements, modifications, material selection, and layouts. Other aspects of care include fitting, aligning, and evaluating the prostheses to obtain maximum fit, function, cosmetics and workmanship, as well as patient education and records.
The Prosthetist must have current knowledge of all new developments concerning patient care. Other aspects of the job could include supervision of support staff, activities occurring in the lab during fabrication of prostheses, and possibly giving lectures and demonstrations to colleagues and other professionals involved in prosthetic care. Participation in research may also be requested.
Patient experience
Student orthotists evaluate, cast and measure, design, fabricate and fit orthoses to patient-models in the each of the major areas of clinical practice coursework during the academic year.
Under the instructors' guidance, student orthotists practice a variety of patient management techniques in both clinical and laboratory settings.
Contact
For information on the Orthotic programs, contact:
Ed Haddon at 651/779-5777
For information on the Prosthetic programs, contact:
Stan O'Connor at 651/779-3420
Program points of pride
- Century College has the largest, most complete Orthotics and Prosthetics library in the world.
- Our O & P programs have drawn students from every state in our 30-year history. Our programs have also attracted students from Japan, China, Korea,
Australia, Columbia, El Salvador, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Nigeria, India,
Puerto Rico, Liberia and Lithuania.
- Seventy-five percent of all the O & P professionals working in Minnesota are Century College graduates.
- Century College is the only institution in the nation to have an active student association, the Orthotic and Prosthetic Student Association (OPSA).
- Our Orthotic and Prosthetic department hosts and annual professional seminar for the seven-state area each spring.