The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics Inc. (ABC) announced its sponsorship of the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) Futurity Project. The Futurity Project is an NCOPE initiative to proactively market and support five new master’s level O&P programs at targeted colleges and universities in the next 5 years. In addition, the project will promote the establishment of pre-O&P programs at colleges and universities nationwide that can serve as feeder programs into master’s level programs.
“The transition to the master’s degree is an important step in the evolution of the profession and ABC is confident that this initiative will positively impact the profession as well as the patient population,” Catherine A. Carter, ABC executive director stated in a press release.
The Futurity Project was an outgrowth of an NCOPE and American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists Education Summit in 2005. The outcome of that summit and further studies recommended that O&P education transition toward an entry-level master’s program, which led to the creation of the Futurity Project. To meet this goal, NCOPE has retained a marketing and communication firm to develop the strategic plan, the communication strategy and obtain market research.
