Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Practice Analysis Task Force
- Introduction
- Executive Summary
- Survey of Practice
- Results Related to Professional Background, Work Setting, and Demographic Information
- Domains, Tasks, Knowledge and Skill Statements
- Domains
- Tasks
- Knowledge and Skills Statements
- Results and Discussion Related to Practice Areas, Devices, and Activities
- Highlights of Results Related to Qualitative Responses
©2024 by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be produced in any form without written permission of the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics, Inc.
Practice Analysis of ABC Certified Orthotic Fitters
January 2019
Survey of Practice
PES developed a survey of practice, the Practice Analysis Survey of Orthotic Fitters, including the following components:
Introduction – including a description of the purpose of the survey and instructions for completing the survey.
Screening question – to ensure that the respondent was currently working as an orthotic fitter.
Section 1: Tasks – including 32 delineated tasks in association with six domains of practice.
Section 2: Domains – including six domains of practice.
Section 3: Knowledge and Skills – including 36 knowledge statements and 18 skills grouped in six general areas.
Section 4: Practice Areas and Device Lists – including percent of time spent in five areas of practice and activities performed in connection with 58 orthotic devices.
Section 5: Qualitative Questions – including four open-ended questions regarding expected changes in the profession over the next three years related to reimbursement, credentialing, professional status, and expansion into diabetic/wound care along with one question concerning the availability of continuing education.
- Section 6: Background Information – including questions about the respondent’s patient population, educational and professional background, work setting, and demographic characteristics.
Review of Data
PES analyzed the data, developed a description of practice, and developed empirically-derived test specifications.
Survey Response Rate
An invitation to participate in the survey was sent out to the entire population of 1,540 ABC Certified Fitter-orthotics via email. Two hundred forty-five orthotic fitters completed the online survey, for a response rate of 17%. The number of responses was far greater than that achieved in previous surveys of the profession and is large enough to generate a valid test content outline for the CFo examination. This response rate is very acceptable when compared with studies of other professions where potential respondents were required to respond to a detailed and comprehensive study such as that used in the current study.
