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ASOPA and NAOT create an alliance for professional development and education
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The annual meeting of the American Society of Orthopaedic Physician’s Assistants and the National Association of Orthopaedic Technologists was held in August in San Diego. This was the organizations’ fourth combined meeting since forming a joint partnership in 2008. This year’s conference had more than 24 hours of continuing medical education and was open to all orthopedic allied-health professionals.
This year, we were fortunate to have outstanding speakers from the University of California San Diego Department of Orthopaedics, U.S. Naval Medical Center and several private orthopedic practices and clinics in the San Diego area. All subspecialties were covered, and topics included the management of surgical knee infections, spinal trauma, ACL injuries in women and advanced interventional pain therapies. Some of the more notable presentations included battlefield trauma and how to maximize independence at home for joint replacement patients. Additional courses in basic casting and suturing were also popular. To assist attendees with billing processes, there was a presentation on the challenges and pearls of billing for surgical assistants, as well as how to improve the chances of surgical reimbursement.
Each annual conference provides attendees with the most updated information in orthopedics through a combination of surgeon-based lectures, breakout sessions and hands-on sessions. They are a great chance to learn about something new in different areas of orthopedics.
NAOT
In 1979, the National Association of Orthopaedic Technologists (NAOT) was the vision of a few individuals and vendors in Tulsa, Okla. The group believed that individuals who worked closely with orthopedic surgeons in surgical assisting and traction services should have a professional association of their own. The initial name of the association was the National Federation for Orthopaedic Technologists, which was changed in 1982 to its present name.
Cynthia Henderson
Membership has progressively increased to almost 1,000 members. Most members are certified by the National Board for the Certification of Orthopaedic Technologists, the only certified board for orthopedic technologists. Since the mid-1980s, NAOT has cooperated with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses to co-chair annual courses at the AAOS meeting. When NAOT was established, the members either obtained training on the job or from the military. Today, NAOT recognizes eight orthopedic technologists programs, six certificate programs and two associate’s degree programs. NAOT provides a wide array of educational opportunities for its members with casting skills workshops, educational interactive webinars, publications and a yearly national clinical symposium.
ASOPA
The American Society of Orthopaedic Physician’s Assistants (ASOPA) was formed in 1976 by the AAOS. Orthopedic surgeons were looking for well-trained individuals who could not only assist in patient care responsibilities, but also had the knowledge and skills in immobilization techniques to assist in the operating room. Today, orthopedic surgeons have voiced that they are looking for physician extenders who have the skill sets to make an immediate impact without spending a vast amount of hours to train them.
ASOPA remains the only organization that represents orthopedic physician assistants at the national level. The orthopedic physician assistant’s role is to support efficient health care delivery, provide the highest quality of care to patients and better balance the professional workload to orthopedic surgeons. If properly used, an orthopedic physician assistant can make a clinical practice more efficient.
Jason Mazza
ASOPA supports the training of orthopedic physician assistants through a formally recognized master’s degree program at the University of St. Augustine in Florida. Graduates of this 2-year program complete a rigorous first year of didactic science courses focusing on orthopedic principles followed by a second year of clinical rotations in the major subspecialties of orthopedics. Graduates are then able to sit for the National Board Certification of Orthopaedic Physician Assistants examination to become a certified orthopaedic physician’s assistant (OPA-C). This type of training allows the OPA-C to be immediately assimilated into a surgeon’s practice with minimal training.
Common goal
The partnering of the organizations makes sense on many levels. Members have the opportunity to learn from each other while they maintain separate identities. Our members often serve as the right hand of an orthopedic surgeon and are the gatekeepers when working with the device industry. Some attendees hold membership in both national organizations and have dual credentials. Additionally, many members work in the same clinics, hospitals and academic centers and may have an overlap in their scope of practice.
Orthopedic device and other vendors also provide members with outstanding educational support. Conference attendees can evaluate many new products and bring this information back to their surgeons for possible incorporation into an orthopedic practice.
The common goal of ASOPA and NAOT is to provide education for all allied health providers who work with and for orthopedic surgeons. The organization also offers affordable and accredited workshops and credentialed training programs throughout the year across the United States. ASOPA and NAOT are set to partner again for their annual meeting in 2013. For more information, visit www.naot.org and www.asopa.org.
Disclosures: Henderson and Mazza have no relevant financial disclosures.