The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Pedorthics (ABC) is pleased to announce a groundbreaking new non-profit group and the establishment of a state-of-the-art center for O&P excellence. The Veterans Stride Foundation at IIOP, Inc. has announced plans to open the International Institute of Orthotics & Prosthetics (IIOP) in Tampa, Fla. in 2017.
The Institute will offer a multitude of innovative O&P activities with the mission of improving the lives of veterans living with amputation, their families, and patients through education, training, research, and collaboration worldwide. The Institute will offer office and conference space for the IIOP Master’s program as well as services for O&P education, veteran’s rehabilitation, counseling for people living with amputation, and peer programs along with community health services for the mind and body wellness.
The Institute will also work with O&P researchers, clinicians, statisticians, patients, and manufacturers to develop O&P outcome measures for use throughout the profession. Their efforts will include working with researchers seeking grants for O&P research and innovation benefiting the entire profession.
“ABC’s contribution has been invaluable in bringing the vision to fruition. The strong alignment of mission and vision jointly held by ABC and IIOP will be important in assuring the success of the Institute as we move forward,” says Dale E. Petersen, Chairman of the Board, Veteran’s Stride Foundation, Inc.
The work of the Institute supports ABC’s mission of establishing and advocating for the highest patient care and organizational standards in providing safe and effective patient care services. According to ABC President Eric Ramcharran, CPO, “the monies we are donating to the Foundation will not only further our mission and provide valuable benefits to the profession, but will provide a truly innovative environment for ABC to continue to modernize, develop and administer our Clinical Patient Management exam to the next generation of practitioners.”
The Institute has purchased an existing building in Tampa and will begin renovations immediately with the goal of occupancy by clinicians, researchers, and educators by mid-2017. ABC hopes to administer the Clinical Practice Management exam for practitioners this summer at the new facility.
Link to learn more about Practitioner Exam Prep is here
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Located in Alexandria, Va., the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics, Inc. (ABC) is the national certifying and accrediting body for the orthotic, prosthetic and pedorthic professions. The public requires and deserves assurance that the persons providing orthotic, prosthetic and pedorthic services, and care are qualified to provide the appropriate services, and it was on this basis that the ABC was established as a credentialing organization in 1948. ABC sets the highest standards for the profession and certifies more than 14,000 individuals and accredits nearly 7,000 facilities.
