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A recent accreditation site visit for the Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program at Salus University went well according to program director Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO.
Representatives from the accrediting body, the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE), were on campus Nov. 13-14, looking to see if what the program had originally put into its self-study for candidacy was accurate and met accrediting standards.
Among the things NCOPE officials looked for was if the program was providing the correct O&P educational experience and classroom standards. They met with key stakeholders such as the administration for support of the program and with O&P students to make sure they thought they were getting the experience they expected.
“The site visit went very well and the initial report showed no areas of concern,” said Dr. Duncan.
He anticipates a decision from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and NCOPE on accreditation will come sometime between late January and early February 2024.
Patient Models Honored
In addition, the O&P department recently honored its patient models, who played a critical role in the delivery and teaching of O&P students this past year, with an appreciation day.
“Students could not get the experience of assessment, evaluation, impression taking, and patient management without our patient models,” said Dr. Duncan.
There are approximately 15 patient models who participate at various levels. They are recruited from local facilities and from within the Salus community. Even Salus president Michael H. Mittelman, OD ‘80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE, and several members of administration served as patient models for foot orthotics. The models were invited to campus for a luncheon as a thank you for volunteering their time and bodies to the program.
“We thanked them not only for what they do for our students in the classroom but for what they do for the whole program, which helps us with accreditation,” said Dr. Duncan. “We couldn’t meet our standards without them.”
The O&P program is always looking for patient models. Click here for more information and to apply.
