How Hands-On O&P Education Builds Clinicians with Arlene Gillis

Send us Fan MailWe talk with Arlene Gillis about how prosthetics and orthotics education is evolving and what it takes to train clinicians who can thrive in modern practice. We dig into hands-on fabrication, residency redesign, and the workforce pipeline that clinics need to keep patient care strong. • Arlene’s path into prosthetics and orthotics through patient translation and a life-changing fitting • How becoming an educator requires a new skill set beyond clinical training • What the move to master’s level O&P education changes for standards, scope, and credibility • Why hands-on fabrication time still matters even in digital and 3D printing workflows • Traditional residency versus embedded residency and how mentorship can continue after graduation • Who today’s O&P students are and how goals shift by background and generation • Work-life balance, debt pressure, and why some young clinicians leave for higher-paying roles • Business skills employers want most including coding, front office process, and cost awareness • Digital workflow training including scanning, CAD, carvers, 3D printers, and EMR exposure • Care extenders as a clinic model to improve access, speed, and workforce capacity Special thanks to Advanced 3D for sponsoring this episode.Support the show