"There are a lot of pros and cons to consider.
      "With the way reimbursements are going and the hassles you go through with Medicare and Medicaid and everything on the payment side, I don't know if I'd recommend it. You end up taking only an 80 percent allowable on a lot of services, which is tough. The payer agencies and the government are making it so hard to make a living.
      "Now, on the patient side, with being able to help and care for people, I would recommend it.
      "But, considering all that's involved on the business side, it's a hard decision to think about."
Alan Lett, CPO
Secretary/treasurer
W VA Orthotic & Prosthetic Center Inc.
Beckley, W.V.

     "Yes. The main reason is because of the growing population needs. There aren't enough individual practitioners to cater to that need. 
     "I also like this profession simply because it's one of the few professions out there that gives you flexibility in where you want to live and work. In this field, all you have to do is look in the classified ads if you get bored in one area.
      "And, there aren't straight, cookie-cutter ways of doing things. You have the flexibility to experiment and use your imagination because of all the materials that are out there. Not every one is exactly the same. Your creativity is balanced in what you do."
Paul Hatcher, CPO, FAAOP
Central Brace & Prosthetics Inc.
Lexington, Ky.

     "I have already recommended O&P as a career to young people and will do so again.
      "Twenty-three years ago, a certified practitioner recommended O&P as a career to me, and I have worked in the field ever since. I feel lucky to have a job that I honestly like to do. It pays well, and it is challenging and rewarding. I enjoy working with people and finding a way to meet their different prosthetic needs.
      "Sometimes my job seems easy and other times very difficult, but helping someone by doing my best work always provides me with an added bonus—feeling that I have helped make a person's life a little better.
"I have a great passion for the profession, and I love what I'm doing."
Kevin John Gilg, CP
Director
Gilg Prosthetics Inc.
Pensacola, Fla.

      "Yes, I would recommend it as a career.
      "[O&P] is a unique opportunity to work with people with challenging circumstances and help them return to their normal and active lifestyles."
Lisa Miller, CP
American Limb & Orthopedic Co.
South Bend, Ind.

      "I would definitely recommend O&P as a career. We need compassionate, caring young professionals, not just those out to make a living.
"I've been doing this for a long time, but we need new blood in the profession. We need people who will be able to relate to patients and will care about the people they're working with.
      "They can't just be in the profession to do the work. They have to have a compassionate understanding of their patients, the elderly in particular."
Samuel T.Y. Feehan, CPO
Owner
Master's Orthotics & Prosthetics
Silverdale, Wash.

      "Absolutely. O&P is an extremely rewarding profession.
      "Our specialized care of patients is unparalleled in health care delivery. When we work hand in hand with other members of the health care team and each contributes their clinical expertise, then optimum treatment interventions are designed and very favorable outcomes are obtained.
      "Opportunities abound in general or specialty O&P care for folks who are concerned and compassionate with their patients. It is a wonderful career that affects many peoples' lives in many different ways."
Michael J. Allen, CPO, FAAOP
Allen Orthotics & Prosthetics Inc.
Midland, Texas 

Want to answer a question? Call Marique Newell at (571) 431-0876, ext. 256, and give her your "two-cents worth" on the next topic of the month.

Do you have a question you've been dying to ask your colleagues? Here's your chance to ask it. The O&P Almanac is looking for a few good questions for this column. If you have suggestions, submit them to Marique Newell at mnewell@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0876, ext. 256.