Prosthetics & Orthotics:
Bachelor of Science in P&O

Curriculum

Upon acceptance to the Division, the student enters the professional phase, which consists of two academic years or seven consecutive quarters of study. This phase includes courses in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, medical sciences, clinical evaluation skills, psychology and ethics of rehabilitation, and extensive didactic, laboratory, and clinical instruction in prosthetics and orthotics.

Professional Phase Curriculum

The following schedule is the quarter sequence of courses in which all prosthetic-orthotic students enroll beginning Autumn Quarter. Only University of Washington course work is accepted toward professional phase requirements. For detailed course descriptions, see General Catalog.

Rehab 403 -- Exercise Physiology for Rehabilitation Professionals(2 credits)
Rehab 341 -- Upper Extremity Prosthetics I (4 credits)
Rehab 444 -- Functional Musculoskeletal Anatomy (4 credits)
Rehab 451 -- Functional Anatomy Lab (1 credit)
Rehab 504 -- PT Procedures I (3 credits)
Quarter total: 14 credits

Rehab 400 -- Medical Science (4 credits)
Rehab 343 -- Upper Extremity Orthotics (2 credits)
Rehab 445 -- Functional Musculoskeletal Anatomy (4 credits)
Rehab 452 -- Functional Anatomy Lab (1 credit)
Rehab 506 -- PT Procedures II (2 credits)
Conj 480 -- Neuroscience for Rehabilitation Professionals(5 credits)
Quarter total: 18 credits

Rehab 401 -- Medical Science (4 credits)
Rehab 402 -- Medical Science Lab (1 credit)
Rehab 342 -- Upper Extremity Prosthetics II (4 credits)
Rehab 430 -- Engineering Concepts (2 credits)
Rehab 442 -- Applied Kinesiology (4 credits)
Rehab 448 -- Applied Kinesiology Lab I (1 credit)
Rehab 428 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics II (1 credit)
Quarter total: 17 credits

Rehab 420 -- Lower Extremity Prosthetics I (8 credits)
Rehab 428 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics II (2 credits)
Rehab 499 -- Introduction to Research (3 credits)
Quarter total: 13 credits

Rehab 340 -- Spinal Orthotics (5 credits)
Rehab 414 -- Psychological Aspects of Rehabilitation (2 credits)
Rehab 423 -- Lower Extremity Orthotics I (6 credits)
Rehab 427 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics I (1 credit)
Rehab 428 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics II (2 credits)
Quarter total: 16 credits

Rehab 421 -- Lower Extremity Prosthetics II (11 credits)
Rehab 427 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics I (1 credit)
Rehab 428 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics II (3 credits)
Quarter total: 15 credits

Rehab 424 -- Lower Extremity Orthotics II (8 credits)
Rehab 427 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics I (1 credits)
Rehab 428 -- Applied Prosthetics/Orthotics II (4 credit)
Quarter total: 13 credits

• Third Year: 49 credits
• Fourth Year: 57 credits
  
  Total: 106 credits

Program

Technical standards, as distinguished from academic standards, refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the curriculum, and the development of professional attributes required by the faculty of all students at graduation. The essential abilities required by the curriculum are in the following areas: motor, sensory, communication, intellectual (conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities for problem solving and patient assessment) and the behavioral and social aspects that impact the performance of a prosthetist-orthotist.

The University of Washington Division of Prosthetics-Orthotics curriculum requires essential abilities in information acquisition. The student must have the ability to master information presented in course work in the form of lectures, written material, and projected images.

The student must have the cognitive abilities necessary to master relevant content in basic science and clinical courses at a level deemed appropriate by the faculty. These skills may be described as the ability to comprehend, memorize, analyze and synthesize material. He/she must be able to discern and comprehend dimensional and spatial relationships of structures, and be able to develop reasoning and decision making skills appropriate to the practice of prosthetics-orthotics.

The student must have the ability to take and document an appropriate history, and perform a physical examination. Such tasks require the ability to communicate with the patient and family. The students must also be capable of perceiving the sign of disease, especially neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction as manifested through the physical examination. Such information is derived from observation and palpation of the body surfaces. The student must have the ability to discern skin, subcutaneous masses, muscle, bones, and joints.

A major component of the practice of prosthetics-orthotics is the assessment and management of movement disorders. Therefore, the student must have the ability, within reasonable limits, to safely assist a patient in moving, for example, from a chair to a bed. The students must also have the ability to move him or herself and the patient in three-dimensional space in order to perform motor function tests. Additionally, the student must be able to ensure the physical safety of a patient at all times.

The student must be able to communicate effectively with patients, family, physicians, and other members of the health care team. The communication skills require the ability to assess all information including the recognition of the significance of non-verbal communication and immediate assessment of information provided to allow for appropriate, well-focused patient care. The student must be capable of responsive, empathetic listening to establish rapport in a way that promotes openness on issues of concern and sensitivity to potential cultural differences.

The student must be able to process and communicate information on the patient's status with accuracy in a timely manner to colleagues and other members of the health care team. This information needs to be communicated in a succinct yet comprehensive manner and in settings in which time available is limited. Written or dictated patient assessments, etc., must be complete and accurate. The appropriate communication may also rely on the student's ability to make a correct judgment in seeking supervision and consultation in a timely manner.

The student must be able to understand the basis and content of ethical prosthetics-orthotics practice. He/she must possess attributes which include compassion, empathy, altruism, integrity, responsibility, and tolerance. He/she must have the emotional stability to function effectively under stress and to adapt to an environment which may change rapidly without warning and/or in unpredictable ways.

The student must have sufficient body muscle coordination to practice safe use of hand and machine tools necessary for technical implementation in the fabrication process.

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