Case Studies

Whilst I was the BAPO short course co-ordinator, I made contact with the Trustees to look for ways of integrating the aims of the Association and OETT to develop postgraduate training of orthotists. I was invited to become a Trustee in 2001 and with the other Trustees have looked for new ways to progress professional development now advertised on this website. I encourage any orthotists with an interest in formal postgraduate study to apply for help from the OETT and to realise your educational ambitions.

My tips for making a successful application are to be well organised and particularly:

1. Apply well in advance of when you want to start, and to demonstrate initiative and enthusiasm in your application.
2. Provide as much information about what you wish to do as you can, include any relevant course promotional material and website addresses.
3. Make a coherent case for why this educational opportunity will help you to further your career in orthotics.
4. Think through and detail clearly all the costs involved.
5. Think of alternative sources of funding, such as your employer, and mention in your application what contribution they are willing to provide.
6. If you need more than the 50% of funding that the OETT usually provides then make a persuasive case.

Remember: the Trustees want to help you but they are duty-bound to only authorise funding for appropriate cases; therefore make your application as clear as possible and you will have more chance of success.

Peacocks Medical Group, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

The two challenges to learning and professional development of an individual are time and resources. I have been most fortunate in that the time offered by my employer has been complimented by financial support from OETT.

This has developed my orthotic knowledge and understanding by allowing me to attend short courses in several areas including functional foot orthoses and diabetes.

My special interest in adult neurology has been enhanced by learning the associated skill of application of functional electrical stimulation at the approved course at Salisbury. My breadth of knowledge and understanding was further broadened by attending a physiotherapy “Bobath” course on posture and balance.

My interest in gait anomalies and links with ORLAU and our local gait laboratory in Newcastle where enhanced by completing the Strathclyde University Postgraduate certificate in clinical gait analysis.

More recently I have been involved in both my London orthotic interest group and the ISPO consensus conference on orthotic management of stroke. Both of these involvements made me aware of the importance of supporting our work with good quality research and evidence. To this end I was fortunate to be funded to extend my Post Graduate certificate to a Master of Science degree. This both gave me an understanding of research quality and how to perform it well and to carry out a piece of in depth research.

My research embodied my learning of clinical gait analysis and stroke as I investigated the effect of rigid AFOs on knee alignment and muscle recruitment in the early recovery of stroke. This was considered to large a project for a MSc and consequently I co-opted a fellow student to carry out the muscle recruitment study. We hope to publish our findings in a peer reviewed journal later in 2006.

I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank the OETT for the support in my career development and would encourage all orthotists and their employers to take advantage of this superb support and opportunities offered.

OETT helps make dreams come true !

Since graduation in 2000 I had retained my focus and primary interest on nurturing team approaches in community and acute teams, as the gold standard to providing rehabilitation from neurological injury. I have been privileged to work alongside expert Orthotist, AHP and medical colleagues at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust where we aim to provide the highest standards of integrated rehabilitative care for spinal cord injury survivors who encompass the widest possible spectrum of abilities and goals.
I had long pondered the fundamental factors underlying motor learning – the lasting (or plastic) changes in behaviour and underlying neurophysiology which underpin therapy – the lasting skills improvements and adaptive short-term variations which allow us to meet goals in a dynamic environment. In the spring of 2007 I sent a proposal to OETT, setting out the aims and objectives which would be satisfied by undertaking an MSc in Neurorehabilitation at Brunel University. This course is aimed at specialist AHPs and medical professionals who seek a deeper understanding of the field and are considering embarking on neurorehab-focused research or evidence-based service delivery as part of their future career.

My NHS Trust supported me superbly in both spirit and study leave, but OETT was most generous in supporting me through this 2 year part-time taught course with 2/3 of the course funding. So I graduated in 2009, having met my personal learning objectives and having been exposed to a mind-boggling range of quantitative and qualitative themes along the way! My dissertation focused on the effect of non-invasive brain stimulation twinned with voluntary activity and FES on brain plasticity (cortical stimulation having the potential as a novel class of orthotic device to boost brain performance and skills learning), which earned me a Distinction.
I’m now embarked on a full-time PhD in Health Studies looking at brain plasticity and motor learning, and the effect of brain stimulation to enhance rehabilitation from tetraplegia following spinal cord injury. Though I was lucky to have been awarded a PhD Research Scholarship from Brunel, and continue working part-time at the RNOH, without the continuing help from OETT in the form of a 50% grant for travel expenses I simply would not be able to continue my career journey.

Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust, Reading

I am currently undertaking a Masters in Clinical Biomechanics at Staffordshire University. The decision to undertake this was not an easy one both from a financial and time point of view.

I put forward my application for funding help to the OETT board and received the full allocation. Working a full time job within the NHS and studying for an MSc is no easy task but the personal and professional rewards out-weight the long nights and weekends sat in front of the computer.

As I trawl through all the research in my travels, one element becomes very apparent, the lack of Orthotists doing research and adding to our practice. I do believe that this is a trend that will change, it has to if we, as Orthotists are going to be seen as influential members in the management of conditions and not facilitators in order for the other professionals to get what they want.

I hear in the back of my head people saying to me “what are you studying for, I still see Orthotists that can’t do footwear correctly”. The simple truth is that if we don’t, we will, if we are not already, be left behind.

So I encourage you all to pick up a new piece of research today, analyse it, and use it as a method to prove or disprove treatments. Look at others ways for you to expand your knowledge base and moved up the clinical ladder. One thing you can be sure of is that the OETT will be there, ready and waiting for your application to help in any way they can.

My aim is to add to my profession, for a fellow professional to read my research (the title changes from week to week) and use or not use it in their treatment regimes. At the very least it should spark conversation and discussions.

I would not be doing this MSc if I didn’t have the backing from the OETT, the costs are too great. I cannot thank the Board enough for their help

The 2013 OETT sponsored BAPO Conference parallel Technician training programme was exceedingly well supported and a resounding success.
Contributions were received from eminent presenters e.g. Dr Stephen Hutchins, Andy Dewsbury and Marsh Gibson as well as some new contributors namely; Blake Jackson, Rob Bradbury Mark Corrigan and Lee Willan.

Presentations covered future technician training, new materials and manufacturing techniques as well as updates of more established orthoses for the newer generation present. All this was shared in an open and generous dialogue which enabled all attendees to learn, contribute and greatly enjoy this event.

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford

I have recently completed an MSc in Applied Biomechanics from the University of Strathclyde. This would not have been possible without the generosity of the OETT in funding all of the course fees. I applied well in advance of the start of the course and my application outlined the content of the course and how this would benefit my clinical practice and ultimately my patients. I also outlined how I would be able to put this new knowledge into practice and share it with other orthotists, I was awarded 67% funding.

Postgraduate study can be a daunting prospect, by choosing an area of interest where I thought there was a gap in knowledge made this an enjoyable and rewarding experience. I was pleasantly surprised by the number and willingness of people to help me along the way. I am very grateful that the OETT are available as a source of funding for such courses that can be very rewarding. If you feel that there is a better way of making orthoses, delivering your service or gaining new knowledge then I would strongly encourage you to give it a go, it might take time and hard work but I can assure you will be very rewarding.