Have you ever wondered about the journey taken by those who work in the field of prosthetics and orthotics? Claire Kilpatrick, a prosthetist and orthotist with a background in engineering, takes us on an inspiring trip of her career. From her pivot away from product management to finding her calling in prosthetics and orthotics, Claire's narrative is a testament to the power of unexpected discoveries and life-changing decisions. She also opens up about her innovative approach of combining traditional fabrication with additive manufacturing to provide the best possible care for her patients.
Claire doesn't stop at technical expertise. Her practice thrives on an essential ingredient – compassion. As she interacts with her patients, Claire uses empathy as her compass, guiding her to understand their distinct needs. In the second chapter of our discussion, we delve into the importance of physical and emotional wellness in patient care, as well as the benefits of a rotation-based residency program. Claire offers unique insights and valuable advice from her personal experience, making this a must-listen for any healthcare professional or aspiring clinician.
As we wrap up, Claire takes us to the front lines of medical technology. She highlights her experiences with additive manufacturing and its transformative impact on patient care. Not only has it allowed her to produce better products, but it's also paved the way for her to create custom solutions for her clients. The future of prosthetic design, as Claire sees it, is boundless. From the utilization of CAD design to the advent of direct fit systems, this episode provides a compelling glimpse into the future of prosthetics and orthotics. Dive in and get inspired by Claire's journey and vision.
Have you ever wondered about the journey taken by those who work in the field of prosthetics and orthotics? Claire Kilpatrick, a prosthetist and orthotist with a background in engineering, takes us on an inspiring trip of her career. From her pivot away from product management to finding her calling in prosthetics and orthotics, Claire's narrative is a testament to the power of unexpected discoveries and life-changing decisions. She also opens up about her innovative approach of combining traditional fabrication with additive manufacturing to provide the best possible care for her patients.
Claire doesn't stop at technical expertise. Her practice thrives on an essential ingredient – compassion. As she interacts with her patients, Claire uses empathy as her compass, guiding her to understand their distinct needs. In the second chapter of our discussion, we delve into the importance of physical and emotional wellness in patient care, as well as the benefits of a rotation-based residency program. Claire offers unique insights and valuable advice from her personal experience, making this a must-listen for any healthcare professional or aspiring clinician.
As we wrap up, Claire takes us to the front lines of medical technology. She highlights her experiences with additive manufacturing and its transformative impact on patient care. Not only has it allowed her to produce better products, but it's also paved the way for her to create custom solutions for her clients. The future of prosthetic design, as Claire sees it, is boundless. From the utilization of CAD design to the advent of direct fit systems, this episode provides a compelling glimpse into the future of prosthetics and orthotics. Dive in and get inspired by Claire's journey and vision.
Welcome to season six of the prosthetics and orthotics podcast. We are absolutely thrilled to have you on board. We're talking to experts who know their stuff, the patients who've experienced these technologies firsthand, the vendors who provided the tools and the thought leaders shaping the future. Together, we will uncover the ways to make the lives of those relying on these incredible technologies even better. We hope these discussions are going to be the highlight of your day.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone, my name is Joris Peels and this is another edition of the prosthetics and orthotics podcast with Brent Wright.
Speaker 1:How you doing, brent. Hey, joris, I'm doing well, but not as well as you. You're on vacation and just for our listeners I mean, joris is dedicated to the prosthetics and orthotics podcast he is recording this on his vacation. How cool is that?
Speaker 2:I know, I know this feels like a little bit like an extension of my vacation. I don't mind, I don't mind. We went hiking this morning I went to some like we hiked along the cliffs stuff and south of France here and it was beautiful and this is also going to be really wonderful and enjoyable and I were wonderful to including this podcast.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what's interesting is. I did run a few stats on the podcast and it's pretty wild band. We've been in 82 countries and believe it or not. Over 40% of our listeners are outside of the US.
Speaker 2:Wow, I didn't expect that. I did not expect that to be all.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I mean, it's a lot in Europe, a lot in Asia, new Zealand, australia, so it's a special thanks to those people that tune in on a consistent basis when, hey, we're always looking for not only guests but ideas where to go, and definitely something's resonating and I think that's the fun part of this podcast.
Speaker 2:Totally, I have a feeling, an idea for an episode or something like where you want to know, or where you want us to talk about, or any kind of idea for any kind of topic you'd like us to delve more deeply into than just to reach out to us. So who's on the show today? Rhun.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm really excited to have Claire Kilpatrick on the show today. She's a prosthetist or orthetist, also has some background in engineering, and we start working together quite a bit. It's been over a few years and Claire, just she's one of those people that gets it. As far as you know, there's definitely times where you do traditional fabrication, but there's also times where you think of how additive manufacturing is going to help you, and Claire seems to have a really good handle on that and I really enjoy working with her kind of brainstorming through ideas and going from there. So I'm really excited to kind of hear her story. I don't know actually her history of how she got into the field, but then just I think our listeners will benefit from a little bit of her thought process of where does that fork happen and where do you put on your additive manufacturing hat and say, hey, this is direction I'm going.
Speaker 2:Cool sounds good. Welcome to the show, claire.
Speaker 3:Awesome. Thanks so much. I'm glad to be here talking with you guys.
Speaker 2:Awesome, I'm so glad to have you. So first off, Claire. So how would you get involved with OMP?
Speaker 3:Sure. So I studied biomedical engineering in college and took some time. I kind of. My plans took a right hand turn somewhere along the way. I had been working in product management and electrical and software engineering and had a job all lined up for after graduation. I was going to be a safety consultant, traveling 70% of the time on boats and in plants looking at how they'd set things up and trying to design solutions for them. So I accepted the job.
Speaker 3:It was my last year in college and I started to just feel nauseous whenever I would think about the path that was ahead of me. I felt like I was not going to be doing anything that would allow me to interact with individuals on a daily basis and help them. Which is why I'd gotten into biomedical engineering was the hope that I could improve the lives of others, and so at the time I was in an elective course it was my senior year on the design of prosthetic components, and so we were looking at the mechanisms of action and the pieces that were used to build something like a friction break knee or a microprocessor knee or an energy storage and return foot, and I loved the class To help bring the idea home. A portion of that class was our professor brought in a prosthetist to speak to us and with him came two of his patients. And you know it's a, it's a roomful engineers, and engineers like to solve problems. And so the final question posed from the professor to the patients was you have a roomful of engineers here, what should they work on? What would improve your quality of life?
Speaker 3:And the one gentleman had shared earlier in the conversation that this was not his first prosthetist, this was not his first prosthesis and he had struggled a lot with socket fit and comfort moving to that point. And so he just said you know, honestly, I am just so happy to be walking without pain. And you know, in that moment I had this moment of well, I could do that. I love working with people, I don't like being behind a desk, and I decided that I was going to apply to graduate school to become a prosthetist, and it was. It was a late decision, but I got into Georgia Tech's program and I went. I said I'm really sorry, but I'm not coming to work for you guys as a safety consultant and I got to Atlanta and since then it's been everything I had been looking for. So that's how I got into the profession.
Speaker 2:So was it the search for meaning Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it was. It was a search for meaning. I think I do find a lot of value in my work. I come from a family where people are really passionate about what they do and I had hoped to find that. And it was just. I think I knew about the field of prosthetics and orthotics but I had no idea how to get there and I had no idea that there was a path that was direct patient facing, that would allow me to still use the problem solving skill set from engineering but be interacting with individuals and designing solutions that would help improve their mobility.
Speaker 2:Okay, but that also sounds like it could be like a kind of you're setting yourself up for failure because it's like oh, I want a meaningful job, I want something that really matters and then also maybe in the real in reality it's not like that and but in your experience it is actually like that or did it really match the expectations, or their ways were complete, was, was different.
Speaker 3:So I think largely it's matched. I think the one thing I remember getting down to Georgia I was shocked at the physical nature of the work. For the first like six months I never expected the hardest part of my masters to be lifting it KFO mold, but that's where it ended up for a bit. But no, by and large I have found meaning in my career. I I love working with my patients. I'm passionate about health literacy, which I think really lines up well with prosthetics, orthotics, and I love, I love using my hands at work. So it's been a really good fit.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's good. It's really hopeful, because one thing that keeps coming back here is that there's not enough like new prosthetics or orthotics and people like that. There's not enough new people coming in the business, especially in the States, right. But the other thing we hear from younger people now that are entering the workforce is that they do want meaningful jobs. They do want jobs that are kind of you know about more than just making yourself another deal of money. So do you think that's an opportunity for this industry?
Speaker 3:I think. So I think you're touching on a really good point. I think you know I'm about five years into my career and I have had really meaningful conversations with friends and family members and people are looking for work to be more than just a nine to five, I think, by and large. And prosthetics orthotics, I think, is very similar to many other direct client-facing roles where, yes, there are it's a double-edged sword, right, Because it is hard, it is emotionally demanding as well as physically demanding, and there are jobs that would be easier. But the takeaway is that you come away and I think I feel like I've hopefully helped some people, but I feel like I learned something new every day from not just my work but from the people I meet along the way. So I think that prosthetics orthotics is a great example of a career where you do have the chance to find fulfillment in your work.
Speaker 1:I think, claire, I think that's an interesting point that you make on. It's really a combination right. It's a meaningful profession but there's a lot that goes into it. I mean, it can be absolutely draining and you kind of touched on it a little bit like emotional involvement with the patients, some of the difficulties or the wins and you know, not-so-great wins when people are in pain and such. Can you share a little bit about that with our listeners? Because you know, joris and I we've talked about a lot of aspects of the job, but we haven't talked about that aspect of really being there, present with your patient and then being kind of quote-unquote, reliant on you as well, as you're kind of tackling this project difficulty, whatever it is the solution that you're trying to provide. So I'd love to hear that from you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think that you know, one of my favorite parts of my job is actually the post-amputation consult, and it was something that I didn't expect and I think it really ties in nicely to what you're bringing up, because I think it is one of the hardest moments is to step into a room immediately after an amputation with someone who's lost a limb for whatever reason and try in that moment to share a little bit of information and to bring into a perspective that this is not the end, right, this is a chance to continue to move forward.
Speaker 3:So we talk a lot about in our office this idea of trauma-informed care.
Speaker 3:Right, losing a limb, having a stroke, whatever the mechanism is, it's traumatic Function is lost, people are grieving, and I think you do have to have the ability to walk into a room with people who have undergone a trauma and be present and be compassionate.
Speaker 3:And so when I go into those rooms, I think that the reason I find so much meaning in that moment is that we're looking at it from a perspective of this is not a failure. This is something that we're going to try to move forward from together, right, and it's one day at a time, and so with that I think that having that ability to be compassionate and present in the moment with your patients makes you a better clinician. I think it allows you to understand, maybe, the nuances of what they need from you. As a prosthetist, right Someone they're comfortable with, someone they've established a relationship with. They're going to be more open about the good days, but also the bad days, and so that's when I think you can really find the information that maybe you're missing to design the solution that is absolutely appropriate and the best solution for the patient.
Speaker 2:I think that's a really interesting attitude. Are you kind of like a bull, a guy? What approach would you really like suggest? Is the best Like grab the bull by the horns, be direct and clear, or do you have to be delicate? Or is it different per person?
Speaker 3:I would say, you know, I think people, everyone has a different style when they interact with patients. I think my style is compassion first, so I probably the question is, tell me about you? Right, it's trying to allow for a connection outside of that immediate situation in the hospital room. Then focusing on what are we going to look at moving forward? Right so I touch on physical wellness, so talking about contraction management, talking about shrinkers, talking about residual limb protection, talking about working hard in PT. But I also talk about emotional wellness, right? So? Peer support, mental health support we use, and so, I think, acknowledging that there are really hard days and that the loss of the limb is traumatic and it's, there will be good days and there will be bad days. And you now are building your team with your doctors, your nurses, your therapists. If you would like to work with me, if it makes sense, me as a member of that team or one of my colleagues as a member of that team, what would you be able to do to help navigate those harder days?
Speaker 2:I think that's good. I think it's almost to be about the harder days, but are you kind of like because the one hand you could decide to be very positive, but on the other hand, I could imagine that somebody who's super chipper and like let's do this? It would actually be really really annoying as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think I aim for a really grounded approach and I again we have a lot of conversations about this in my office. I think we all, we all do the same. It's trying to project this idea of building from this point. Right, it's acknowledging again that there are hard days and there are good days and but. But this is not a failure. This is we've got to move forward from this, and so not in any way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and just for your sake is it like? Because I know friends of mine that are like emergency physicians, for example, they say that sometimes you can't always be that big emphatic doctor that really cares about every single patient because you have to leave it at the office. You have to kind of leave the deaths and then the terrible situations at the office because otherwise you're just not going to last in that profession. Do you compartmentalize as well, or do you take a lot of what your patients experience home with you every day?
Speaker 3:I think it's a process, right, and I think there are days that everyone is better at certain things than others. I'm a newer clinician, right Five years in, so two years that was residency and so I'm learning every day, right On what strategies I can use to make sure that I am an empathetic practitioner. But also, just like you touched on right, how do you go home and be able to take that moment to separate so that you can continue to provide that empathetic care the next day? Right, there has to be self-compassion, there has to be self-care, so that you can, the next day, approach it from that same perspective.
Speaker 2:Okay, that sounds very, very accessible, I think. And then, what did you do? So you went into residency first. What kind of clinic was that? A big one, small one? What kind?
Speaker 3:of thing, it was a big one. So I did my residency at Shekin Cyrus, so it was a 24-month combined residency where it was rotation-based, so every four months I would rotate clinics and mentors, and so, yeah, that was two years.
Speaker 2:And that's interesting because a lot of the people we spoke to so far like they got one guy, girl, where's Sue, is there a mentor? And they stay with them for the whole thing. Do you think there's different ways to do anything? Does that help you? Or do you think it's interesting to consider someone who's, like you know, going to take you through lots of different cases and you develop more of a bond with them?
Speaker 3:I thought it was fantastic to have the rotation-based system. I think you know, being in Chicago, it was a really established set of clinics so the experiences were good at each one and different areas of exposure were kind of the focus at each one and like there was a hospital-based rotation, there was a acute rehab-based rotation, there was a rotation that was heavy on prosthetics, with pediatric prosthetics, and so the scope that I was able to get throughout those two years I think was really remarkable. And I think too, again, it goes to the idea of seeing different ways of thinking, seeing different ways to do things and using that information you get to begin to build your own clinical opinions on what may work best in a different situation, so building kind of your toolkit of different strategies for patient management.
Speaker 1:Okay, in your residency. Did you surprise yourself, did you think, hey, I'm going to go this one direction, whether it's, you know, like prosthetics or pediatric prosthetics and you're like, oh, actually, I really like this aspect that if you wouldn't have had a rotation, you wouldn't even really know about that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that there, certainly I was. I think when I entered the profession, I was more interested in prosthetics and I think what the rotation showed me was how prosthetics is not just this one enveloping term right, there's so many different facets, whether it's upper extremity, lower extremity, vacuum, atomic suspension, pediatrics and I think it was really the how significant the exposure was that allowed for me to appreciate all the different opportunities within that space.
Speaker 2:Okay, and then? Why did you decide to do, what path did you take after that and why did you decide to go that way?
Speaker 3:So after that, you know, I finished my residency in June 2020. So COVID was in full swing and at that time there had been an acquisition, and so I chose to stay on. And the reason I chose to stay on is I really had a great experience in Chicago with my residency, and I loved the network of mentors and peers that I had built, and so it was a good fit to stay and begin to build my own practice in this city.
Speaker 2:What did you learn so far where you're like, oh, I wish I had that taught them in school. Were there stuff where you're like, oh, wow, accounting, they didn't do anything about accounting, or they didn't do anything about marketing. Were there really stuff where you're like, oh, I wish I would have? Like they would have taught us more about that.
Speaker 3:That's really a good question, I think. From orthotics, I think that we could have definitely spent more time on complex case management. So I think we got really good at straightforward situations. But I think, how do you manage a contracture? What angles do you set the brace at? What happens when you introduce different materials? What happens to your trim lines, things like that. So, going a little bit deeper, beyond just the solid AFO and I think from other perspectives, I mean, I think there's always you could have always done more on coding, but a lot of that too was learned in residency, but I think I would have looked. I think you realize how in two years with school they can only teach you so much. You need that experience in residency to really begin to understand how many different options and how many different ways to do things there are.
Speaker 1:In residency and even as a new clinician. You know how important is it for new clinicians to not only kind of blaze their own trail but also have, say, a little bit of a safety net or a mentor or whatever, that is, that you're able to bounce those ideas off. It sounds like you're in a really good situation there. So you know, for our listeners or people that are interested in getting into the field and then maybe they've had a more narrow residency or what have you what is your suggestion? As far as, hey, I've got this new piece of paper. I'm a certified process orthotist, but you don't know everything, and so how do you have that balance of blazing your own trail and also getting help when you need it?
Speaker 3:I think a key piece of it is self-awareness and knowing that you are new and that you are still learning. But I think that's why residency is so crucial and why the focus really does need to be on education, as opposed to how quickly can you become independent? Right, because what that allows you to do is, if it's the focus of that education, you're going to find resources that you'll have for the rest of your career. There's people you'll be comfortable with turning to, with questions and not being self-conscious about those questions or the content, and so I think that the importance cannot be overstated about that ability to build up a clinical network where you can turn and say, hey, what do you think about this plan or what would you do here? Because that's gonna allow you to continue learning throughout your career and I think I'll create better outcomes for patients.
Speaker 2:And so at one point in your practice did you come into contact with additive or through your printing?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I was thinking, when Brent did that introduction I think it was I wasn't finished with my residency yet I think it was the spring of 2020, like early spring of January and I had, you know from, I think, engineering. I've always used LinkedIn pretty heavily, and so I had seen some stuff pop up from Brent and what was the name of that. I can't remember the name of that first company, but it was the first company Brent was, I think, working with, or the one I was aware of, and I wanted to do an expandable wall socket and thought that additive manufacturing would be a really elegant and potentially successful way to do it, and so I reached out with that idea, so jumped right in with a pretty complex vision for what might work.
Speaker 2:Okay. So on the one hand, it's the perfect way to get started with who you're brain. When you're stuck right, a lot of people just start to get started because they're curious or because it's cool and then you end up not seeing the value. If you're stuck with something, you need it, so it's just wonderful you have a jumping in on the deep end. Yeah, that always has its problems in whatever you do, really right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think. And this one was deep, holy moly, wow, yeah.
Speaker 3:I think what I think brought it up was I was a very big skeptic when it came to 3D printing. We had touched on it in school and it was really a focus lens on hobbyist printers with nonprofits for upper extremity interventions for pediatrics, and I think, unfortunately, it really colored my perspective and I think I wasn't enthusiastic about use of FDM style. Again, when it's equivillated to hobbyist printers and the different types of material properties, you're gonna get in multiple directions, and so I was not enthusiastic. But then I started seeing stuff pop up and I started paying attention to the multi-jet fusion option.
Speaker 3:And this was a case where I think, when you think about something like an expandable wall socket as a profession, it's a hard socket to do right, it's expensive, it's bulky and I don't think we've ever really optimized the fabrication. And so that's really when I started thinking about it a little bit more and saying, well, what if I approach this from, if we say that with this type of printer we can get the material properties where they need to be for it to be safe and useful for a patient? If we approach it from that perspective and we say, well, what if we can do something better than we can do it with traditional fabrication. What if that's the use here? And that's what really pushed it over the edge was I thought I think we can do this better. And I didn't have the design skill set and I saw that it looked like there was really great work coming out of Brent's group and reached out and said this is what I think I wanna do.
Speaker 1:So with that, when we had the idea in the discussion and then you actually got the product in your hand, would that? Was that a key moment for you to work for starting to think additive manufacturing as a tool in your toolbox?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. I think I was really excited with the consults you and I had done, right, I think it was great, because I love learning and I think that's what was so great about working together was pulling up the model on the screen, looking at the alignment right, talking through how this might work. I mean, I think, just by nature of having those conversations, I began to learn, and having in my hand and seeing its function was just great. And from there, I think every box I got was one of my favorite things to open, right, because it was like what's gonna be in here this time. And so I think getting my hands on the product and showing it in the office to my colleagues, I think we all started to think about things a little differently.
Speaker 2:Right, it is a tool, so Okay, and then would you, if you like you know yourself, you have done a lot of experience with it. Are there any kind of like tips? You were like, okay, this is what you need to take into account, or a little bit of expectation management maybe, or this is how you can orient yourself.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think the grounding thing for me through all of it has always been going back to the idea of what can we not do well with traditional fabrication? And then, looking at it from that perspective, I think I try to think really critically about every device I utilize in clinic, because it is so important that they're functional and that they're safe, and so focusing on those pieces, of course, but I think when it comes to getting familiar and beginning to utilize it in your practice, I think that is a really good way to start is because that's gonna put it to the test in, I think, a really functional way I wanted to see is this something that is going to improve my clinical practice? Right? And the way that would do that is by allowing me to do something better than I can do it otherwise.
Speaker 2:Okay, and were the things that you were a lot more difficult than you thought there would be?
Speaker 3:I think, I'm trying to think. Let's see.
Speaker 1:Talk clear on that. Just talk a little bit about one of the issues that we had with scans.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 3:I forgot about that. So, yeah, with that that was, I was using a structure iPad scanner to I would go through a traditional check socket fitting or fitting and I would have a modified mold that I would scan prior to diagnostic fitting and then I would use that to send to Brent to say, okay, this is what we're gonna build off of. And I did that for one and everything looked fine. And I go into the room and I can't get it on, and so I then I'm measuring it, and Brent's measuring it, and I'm measuring the mold and my scale was off on the scanner and so things you don't think about, right, scaling, really, or the lighting in a space. And so then going through that process of, okay, where do we go from here? And in that case, right, I was so thrown off. I think I'd shipped Brent the check socket and says, okay, you scan it, but that was that was something that I didn't know, didn't even think didn't occur to me, but that all that happens so much also with software, just changing it in the software.
Speaker 2:That's happened so many times where I've literally shipped things to people like it's the wrong size and it ends up that their software changed and our software changed, and that's very basic, but don't worry, it's a ton of people that have exactly the same issue, so you are definitely not alone.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so what I had started doing is I think I still do it now as I throw a bulldog lock dummy into the frame, and so there's always, if something looks weird or we're not sure, there's a scaling element built into this scan.
Speaker 2:Okay, and then where have you? But once you did this one thing, like do you when did you go to using additive more and more in your practice? Like, was it take a long time for you to do this, or did you fairly quickly ramp up?
Speaker 3:I think it's been, I think, a pretty deliberate use. So again I go back to the idea of if I'm looking at a case and I have a solution, but the solution can't be done well with traditional fab, and so I think that's led to a bit more sporadic use within my practice. As to finding the cases where I believe it's appropriate and I believe it will result in a is a positive patient outcome, yeah, so it's pretty deliberate. I don't think I'd look at it as like a ramp in my case.
Speaker 2:Okay, and have you thought of getting your own machines, or are you like? No, please just outsource this.
Speaker 3:I think the thing I thought more about is the design is thinking about it. I modify all of my prosthetic sockets by hand. I do the same for KAFOs and complex low-rexhermity orthotics, and so I thought more about it, I think, from the design perspective rather than the machine perspective. So I had, in my head, thought that would be the next step for me was beginning to become more familiar with the design work, but I just haven't made the time investment yet.
Speaker 2:Okay, and is it the yeah? And what do you think? This is going to be a huge. You're like, oh my God, it's the future of everything. Or are you like, no, that's just something I have in my toolkit. I want to use it every one. I want to keep using this occasionally.
Speaker 3:I think that there is going. I think that we will see more. It will grow. I do think that it's a really I think the I may think I want to phrase this I think that this is, it's something that will absolutely grow and become more of a mainstay in our profession, because I do think it allows you to really do completely custom solution work, which is where I think our value is as a profession is designing completely custom solutions for our clients and patients, and so I think it is a natural fit and it's a matter of developing the skills and the understanding to use it in a meaningful way as a profession.
Speaker 2:Okay, and how about through you scanning? I mean, you're working with it. Is that also something that? Because for a lot of people, I think that what we found so far in this is that, yeah, it's more tricky than they would like, maybe.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think I'm working with it. I have again. When I was beginning to use this, I was so focused on trying to make this a diss. If something went wrong, I knew exactly when it went wrong, and so I didn't change my workflow completely. I use a hybrid workflow, so when I bring in additive manufacturing, I would bring it in at the stage of definitive fabrication so that I knew up to that point everything else had been done the way I would have expected otherwise, and so that's how I've modified my workflow, without the manufacturing. With scanning, I have a lot of experience scanning for low-work shimity AFOs For prosthetics. I do take hand casts for everything because I find that that allows me to apply the pressures that I would like to see in the socket that are in the right place with the right amount of force behind it. But I think there's certainly a space for using more scanning. I'd like to begin scanning my molds and then modifying digitally Again. It's just been how to build in the time to make that a reality.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's good. And CAD for you. We're always here, we're talking to older practitioners. There's always, oh, the younger kids, they got it, and the young kids are all going to 3D print everything. And now you're like five years in. Look at CAD, for example. Do you think you should do that more CAD? Is this CAD going to become a bigger part of your practice? Or, again, do you see it as just kind of like a small, kind of tool?
Speaker 3:I think CAD, again, it's a time commitment to you. So I have an experience with CAD just from engineering school. But I think CAD surrounding prosthetics and orthotics is new for me, and so it's just as you get comfortable modifying with plaster, you get comfortable taking a cast. I think it's about investing the time to become proficient and effective in CAD. I think it'll be interesting to see how that happens. I don't know if it will be clinicians doing the design work or it will be technicians or third party. I would imagine, just like now, it'll be some of each. But I think that it would be nice for me to do some of the design work, even for a period of time, so that I have a better ability to articulate what I'm looking for to those doing the design with me.
Speaker 1:So I mean, that sounds really interesting what you're saying about. Okay, you want to educate yourself on what is possible in the CAD design, but it's not like you're opposed to actually letting somebody else do the design. So it sounds like it's a little bit of education of what can be done, but also it's about how to communicate what's important. And we're saying, quote unquote, a decentralized design. It sounds like that's a true possibility. What would you say about that?
Speaker 3:I agree, I think you know, I think even in other activities, whether it's OMP or not, I think that it is learning as much as you can so that, when it comes to communicating what you're looking for or what should be possible, you have the personal experience to be able to do so. And so I think that it is possible to have decentralized design, to work with third parties, to work with technicians, but I think, to make that an effective solution, clinicians have to be really aware of what the parameters are, what design means and what is possible in those spaces.
Speaker 2:So are there any trends that you're seeing in ortholexic prosthetics that we didn't discuss so far that you think are really interesting things that are really happening for you?
Speaker 3:That's a good question. I think one thing that has come up again and I think it's not necessarily a new trend, but I've seen some new products with it is direct fit systems, whether it's molding over the patient's limb for a definitive device or molding in office over a plaster mold. So I think we're seeing some shifts there into. I think the big thing is efficiency. How is time used, more efficiency and is that one way to do it? Is it molding directly on the patient with a material that can be utilized as a definitive, or bringing sound production in house? So I think that that's an interesting thing that I've seen a few different products pop up with and conversations around it.
Speaker 2:And Claire, you've got a long way to go in your career in ortholexic prosthetics. Are you hopeful about that career? You're like, oh my God, this is going to be an amazing ride or do you see tough times ahead?
Speaker 3:I am hopeful. I think that prosthetists orthotists have a really unique position where we get to do two things we get to work with patients and we get to design solutions, and I think with those two things, there are so many different ways that you can continue to develop in your career. I think the key is finding spaces where you are able to develop, whether it is in things like design work related to orthotic and prosthetic devices, or whether it's in focusing on outcome measures, working very closely with PTs and focusing on functional mobility. I think that that's the really great thing about our profession is that there are so many different paths that you can choose. To say this is something I'm really passionate about and something I'm going to invest time in, so I am really hopeful.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's good to know. It's good to know. Hey, Claire, thank you so much for being with us today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, thank you. Thank you guys very much for having me. This was great.
Speaker 2:And Brent, thank you for being here with us today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you so much, Claire, for sharing your story. I know that there will be a lot of people that get a lot out of it, and I appreciate you letting us know what those tipping points were, how you're thinking about additive manufacturing and this hybrid solution too, which I think is here to stay, for the near future at least. So thank you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, great Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. This has been a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:Awesome and thank you guys for listening. This is an episode of the Prosthetics and Orthotics podcast with Brent Wright, New York Spears. You have a great day and I will see you soon.