The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists

Archives for May 2024

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Invitation to share experiences of the AHP educator career framework

Dear Members,

As part of the work that Beverley Durrant is leading for us on the Educator Workforce, she has secured a great opportunity for members to get involved with the next stage of development of the AHP Educator Career Framework.

Please see below for more information.

 RE: Invitation to share experiences of the AHP educator career framework

We are contacting you as you may already be using the Allied-Health-Professions-Educator-Framework.pdf (councilofdeans.org.uk) or attended the ‘Bringing the AHP Educator Career Framework Alive’ event in March 2024.  Whether you were there or not, you may like to be involved in the next steps of the framework development.

We are looking to conduct some short interviews to obtain people’s views and experiences of how they have used the AHP Educator Career Framework. This would involve participating in an interview that may take between 20-30 minutes via TEAMS at a time that will be negotiated with you but is likely to be in June 2024. 

It is very important to us that you have all the information you require about this project before you decide whether you wish to volunteer to participate.  Please do take some time to read the  participant information sheet and consent form below.

Consent_form AHPed v1 – 090424

Participant_Information AHPed v1 090424

If you have any questions (about this email or the attached information sheet) or are happy to proceed, please do reply with the completed consent form to any of the project team at Canterbury Christ Church University. If you are replying to agree to be contacted for an interview could you also indicate if you have used the AHP Educator Career Framework before and a brief description in what capacity.

We would appreciate it if you could respond to this request within the next two weeks.

We thank you in advance for your further support and look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes
The project team.

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BAPO Regional Conference West Midlands SOLD OUT!

We are pleased to confirm that we are sold out for the next BAPO Regional Conference in the West Midlands.

The event is scheduled for Friday, September 6th, 2024, at the Tower and Hamilton Suites, Drayton Manor, Drayton Manor Drive, Fazeley, Mile Oak, Tamworth B78 3TW. You can find information on how to get there HERE

Our one-day event theme will be based on  “Sustainability in Prosthetics and Orthotics.” 

It will feature a combination of invited speakers and free paper presentations aimed at prosthetic and orthotic professionals. 

The program will commence at 10:00 am and conclude at 4:00 pm, with registration and exhibition starting at 9:00 am. There will be a 1-hour lunch break and two 15-minute coffee breaks in the morning and afternoon. All will be served in the room opening onto the exhibition area.

The event is targeted at P & O professionals and the wider P & O community. It is open to both BAPO members and non-members.

It is a great opportunity to enhance knowledge, support continuing professional development, network with colleagues, and engage with exhibitors in a face-to-face environment.

Come along to learn, collaborate, communicate, and share ideas!


Please note –  Oral Presentation:

  • Time limit for oral presentation is 15 minutes. A 5-minute maximum Q & A session will be allowed following the presentation.
  • All submissions will be reviewed by the BAPO review panel which reserves the right to accept or reject the application based on pre-approved criteria.
  • All submissions will receive a written acceptance or reason for not being included in the regional event.
  • We recognise and value the amount and depth of work which goes into preparing a submission. We want to encourage as many submissions as possible, which if not accepted, may be reconfigured for a future event.
  • There is a £200.00 prize awarded to the selected best oral presentation
  • The selected oral presentations will receive free registration to the conference.

Please note – Posters:

  • There will be an award of £100 for best poster.

If you have any questions, please email: enquiries@bapo.com

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BAPO Short Course – The Rehabilitation KAFO and Improving Manufacturing Outcomes.

Introduction:
The prescription of Knee Ankle Foot Orthoses (KAFOs) often presents challenges for those lacking
extensive experience, whether in understanding the rationale behind prescription, design, and
alignment, or in effectively communicating these needs between clinical and technical staff.
Additionally, manufacturing KAFOs can be complex, with technical staff sometimes struggling to
grasp various aspects of the process.


Aims:
This course aims to bridge the gap in information exchange between different professional groups
within the industry, addressing challenges stemming from a lack of experience and confidence. By
simplifying the patient journey and technical process, we seek to save time, money, and improve
consistency in practice and outcomes, both clinically and in manufacturing.


Learning Outcomes:
Participants will gain knowledge in the following areas:
1. Physical and biomechanical background relevant to lower limb orthoses and KAFOs more
specifically.
2. Understanding basic presentations and making appropriate design choices.
3. Applying principles of prosthetics science to KAFO design, including underlying rationales.
4. Considering social and health status factors in KAFO prescription.
5. Manipulating Ground Reaction Force (GRF) for optimized outcomes and increased stability.
6. Conducting assessments and making informed prescriptions and component choices.
7. Overview of locked, posterior offset, and optimisable stance stabilised KAFOs.
8. Manual shape capture techniques, including corrections and alignment.
9. Preparation of casts for ease of use by technical staff.
10. Building Line of Progression or anatomical KAFO designs.
11. Efficient preparation time shortcuts for technical and clinical staff.
12. Establishing an auditable trail in cast and orthosis manufacturing.
13. Conducting test fittings and implementing fitting tips and tricks.
14. Appraising existing KAFO designs and measuring outcomes effectively.
Intended Participants:


This course is designed for Technicians and Orthotists, with particular emphasis on the synergy
between Technician and Orthotist teams. Collaborative participation is encouraged to maximize
learning outcomes and practical application. Please note: This course is not available to Students.


Note: please bring shorts and the tools you normally use for negative model capture
(casting).


Faculty:
Dave Buchanan – Technical Director and Consulting Orthotist, Technical Director Becker-UK,
Becker Orthopedic International Consultant, TalarMade Ltd
Venue and website:
TalarMade Ltd, Edinburgh House, Millenium Way, Chesterfield, S41 8ND. https://talarmade.com/
Parking – there is a large car park around the back left of the building. It is free for attendees to use.
Please don’t park at the front of the building.

Date & Time:
Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 June 2024
Registration 08:30 – 09:00am on day 1
Start 09:00am, finish 5:00pm on both days
2-day course ticket includes lunch (30 minutes) and refreshments


Places available:
12 – tickets are available to purchase on our website – https://www.bapo.com/
Ticket Prices:
BAPO Members £435.00 including VAT (£362.50 excluding VAT).
Non-members £600.00 including VAT (£500.00 excluding VAT).


We encourage Orthotist attendees to apply online for reimbursement from OETT (The Orthotic
Education and Training Trust).


Applications can be made on the OETT website at https://www.oett.org.uk/
Requests for reimbursement must include evidence of reflective learning/CPD.

To purchase tickets, please log on to your BAPOnline account and click the KAFO poster it will direct you to the ticketing area.

Not a member? follow the link below and select “Non-Member Events Registration” once registered it will allow you to purchase the ticket. If you have any trouble, please contact enquires@bapo.com 

Purchase tickets here