O&P Visionary
Ralph W. Nobbe, CPO
Experienced O&P businessman and clinician advocates for O&P licensure, prompt pay laws, and clinician volunteerism
R
ecently, I received an email request from AOPA Executive Director Tom Fise, JD, with the subject line, “Would you consider?” He was giving me the opportunity to “state my piece” and “wave the wand of change” for O&P. Hmmmm … I was not sure whether I was flattered for being considered or insulted since my certification number is frequently one of the lowest on sign-in sheets and I am now considered an “old timer.” Following a 30-plus-year career as a second-generation O&P practitioner, I have witnessed some dramatic changes in health care and O&P. As I reflect back on my career, I can recall my original entry into the field and very first patient encounter. Up until that patient encounter, I had worked during vacations, after school, and summers for my father, Erwin A. Nobbe, CPO(E). Just like other O&P professionals who grew up in and around the industry, I did some fabrication and “other tasks as may be assigned”—usually to keep me busy and out of trouble. While exploring careers, I was not entirely convinced that O&P was the best choice. My first venture was
participation in an outreach trip organized through the O&P program at Cerritos College. The O&P students travelled to a clinic in Calexico over a three-day weekend under the supervision of Robert Hinchberger, CPO(E). I recall there were five or six of us who made the trip. One of the patients presented into the clinic with a knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) that badly needed repairs. She was elderly and had travelled quite some distance, spoke no English, and came in with the KAFO under her arm in a wheelchair. I was selected to do the repairs because I had experience using a long arm patcher, knew how to sew leather, and could speak some Spanish. I was able to complete the repairs, then she expressed her gratitude profusely and left—walking out. “OK, that was cool,” I thought. The KAFO patient returned the very next day with her entire family. They had travelled about two hours and brought enough food to feed at least 30 people. They were not satisfied until we had all eaten so much we could not move. My decision was made: I was going into O&P.
Following a 30-plusyear career as a second-generation O&P practitioner, I have witnessed some dramatic changes in health care and O&P.
O&P News | September/October 2018
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