RBWH Orthotic and Prosthetic Team Leader Jessica Angus

The RBWH Orthotic and Prosthetic Department may be hidden away, but they are certainly a busy team! Between the eight clinicians, four technicians and one clinical assistant, the team were responsible for the fabrication of more than 100 prosthetic limbs, over 2000 custom orthotic devices and more than 2000 off-the-shelf braces. Team Leader Jessica Angus provided an overview of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Department.

What exactly does the team in orthotics and prosthetics do?

The team in Orthotics and Prosthetics consists of both clinical orthotist/prosthetists and orthotic/prosthetic technicians. Orthotist/prosthetists are university-qualified health professionals with expertise in the assessment and provision of orthotic and prosthetic treatment. Orthotic technicians are responsible for assisting with the fabrication of orthoses and prostheses as prescribed by the orthotist/prosthetist.

Orthotist/prosthetists are trained to assess and treat the physical and functional limitations of people resulting from illnesses and disabilities, including limb amputations. This involves clinical assessment, provision of an orthosis or prosthesis, and ongoing clinical support including education, therapy and maintenance of the orthosis or prosthesis.

Here at RBWH we see predominantly outpatients who have been referred for a wide range of conditions. We are the only public orthotic and prosthetic department from the north side of Brisbane to Townsville. We are fortunate to have an onsite fabrication workshop, where our team can custom make or modify devices to suit individual patient needs. We are also part of the Amputee Clinic within our Physiotherapy department, providing an interim limb service post amputation.

Why did you decide to specialise in this area?

I decided to specialise in Orthotics and Prosthetics after attending the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland) open day as a high school student. I was unsure about what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to work in healthcare. The combination of clinical skills along with the use of biomechanics and design seemed like the perfect mix, as I couldn’t see myself having a traditional desk job.

What does a day in your life in the department look like?

One of the best things about working in the Orthotic Prosthetic department is the fact that there isn’t a typical day. We can spend the day either in outpatient clinic seeing patients for custom orthoses or at a MDT clinic such as the amputee clinics, high risk foot clinics or spasticity clinic. We could be taking a cast of a patient’s affected body part or manufacturing their required device which usually takes 10-15 hours. There’s so much variety in our roles.

What’s your favourite part about the work you do?

I think the best thing about the work we do is the difference we can make to patients’ lives. I work predominantly in prosthetics, so when people first come to see us there is, understandably, a lot of fear and grief for what has been lost. To then see that patient standing and walking on a leg you have made can be quite special.