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Spring 2024 Newsletter

Click here to view the IIOP Spring 2024 Newsletter.

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Laurel Harrington – Student Blog 4/16/24

Hi Everyone!

Core 34 has launched into the world of prosthetics with incredible patient models for patellar bearing sockets and ABC prep. Midterms are over and core 34 is moving on to their total surface bearing socket projects. Along with understanding sockets they are gaining knowledge in components, liners, alignment, and patient encounters. Core 34 extends an immense appreciation to the patient models and looks forward to the continuation of the IIOP process.

-Laurel Harrington

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Megan Merryman – Student Blog 4/15/24

The Zen 10 have been enjoying the calm before the storm of finals, which will already start with the gait final this Friday!  In the meantime, we’ve been having fun in gait class with our various labs.  One involved analyzing each other’s gait while wearing a number of different orthoses.  We were also privileged to have Doug from RunDNA spend a day with us and even look at our running gait using the Helix 3D software.  Outside of class, we enjoyed an amazing BBQ lunch, provided kindly to us by Grace Prosthetic Foundation, and we had the opportunity to see the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team play!  

Stay tuned for my next post to see how the Zen 10 are fairing during the midst of finals!

Megan Merryman  

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Scholly | Sallie Mae Updated Scholarship Resource

Scholly joined the Sallie Mae family! Scholly is the top app for scholarship seekers – It’s free and easy to use.

Click here to learn more about Scholly & other useful Sallie Mae resources.

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Carly Smith – Student Blog 3/20/24

Hi everyone!

This week at IIOP we made our first solid ankle Ankle-Foot-Orthoses (AFO). We made much use of all of the equipment here at IIOP during the fabrication process. We practiced patient interactions, gait assessments, and completed checkouts with our instructors. Looking forward to diving deeper into various styles of AFO’s.


– Carly Smith

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Megan Merryman – Student Blog 3/19/24

Hi everyone!

I am writing the first post ever for Spring ’24 cohort, the Zen Ten!  Despite our name, we are full of energy and eager to be in our first semester.  It is crazy to say that we have already reached the halfway point of semester one and have survived almost all of our midterms, with the clinical gait analysis midterm still looming ahead of us this week.  

The Zen Ten will complete their individual presentations this week in our pathology and neuroanatomy classes, with many interesting disorders and case studies being covered.  Lots of time, effort, and creativity were put into these presentations, which can be seen in the pictures!  

I look forward to sharing more with you all as we continue on our journey this year!

Megan Merryman

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Choosing the Right O&P Residency Takes Self-Awareness, Persistence, and Patience

Earning a master’s degree is a critical step in the journey to becoming a certified orthotist or prosthetist. Once a graduate achieves that milestone, the focus shifts to finding and completing a residency program. Because the residency experience will shape their entire career, it’s imperative to find the right fit—but what makes that fit is as unique as the individuals themselves. This article from O&P Edge discusses what O&P practitioners need to know. Click to Read more.

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Laurel Harrington – Student Blog 1/30/24

Core 34 is moving right along! Fresh in their white coats, in the past few weeks they’ve learned all about tools and how to use them safely. From the bandsaw to the drill press, from bending metal to riveting, they have gotten comfortable quickly in the lab and have moved into clinical evaluations such as range of motion testing and manual muscle testing. They are looking forward to putting all their new learned skills together!

Thanks for reading!

-Laurel Harrington

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Laurel Harrington – Student Blog 11/30/23

What an amazing couple of weeks for Core 34! From the Special Olympics in Orlando to a festive Thanksgiving gathering, from gait outcome measures to touring the RCAI facility in St Pete, Core 34 is sailing through the last bit of this semester. Preparing to wrap up finals while reflecting upon all of their experiences so far. Grateful, and ready for winter break to refuel ourselves for next semester!

– Laurel Harrington

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Laurel Harrington – Student Blog 10/10/23

Hi everyone!

Midterms are underway, and core 34 has created some great study games, study groups, and some pretty funny acronyms to help them comprehend the material provided up until this point.  Nonetheless, to throw some fun in they’ve gotten their hands into some plaster, attended a Tampa Bay Lightning game, and visited an elementary school to promote and provide education about the O&P field. Keep cheering them on & stay tuned for some insight into the volunteer events coming up such as Fit Feet, Pig Jig, and the Special Olympics.

Thanks for reading!

Laurel Harrington

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