Karen Lynch, CPO, CFm, decided to join the O&P profession when she was a junior in college. She was taking mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a full academic scholarship when she completed a report on robotics that touched on myoelectric prosthetic devices.
The work was enough for Lynch to change two of her technology electives: one to a biomechanics course, the other to an independent study with a doctoral student who was researching human locomotion. “We worked in a gait lab with volunteers and determined that it was a valid model,” Lynch says.
After Lynch graduated in 1989, she went to each of the local O&P facilities and “begged for a job as a technician, so I could get my foot in the door and see if l liked the field,” she says.
She landed a job at Pioneer Valley Orthotics & Prosthetics in West Springfield, Massachusetts, where she worked for three years learning to “fabricate a variety of orthotic and prosthetic devices from start to finish.” She attended the Newington Orthotic & Prosthetic Practitioner Certification program and graduated valedictorian of her class. She received her American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC) certification in 1996 and became CPO certified in 2001.
Lynch started Sunrise P&O in November 2007. She acquired the assets of Prosthetic & Orthotic Labs of Worcester, Massachusetts, where she had worked for nine years. Lynch relocated to a new office in Worcester and had the office completely renovated to include a fully equipped fabrication lab, business office and a patient care center. In addition to the central office, Sunrise also has a satellite patient care center in Milford.
Lynch says starting out as a technician fabricating prostheses and orthoses not only made her a better practitioner, it has allowed her to work with technicians to get specific with the modifications and improve patient outcomes.
Lynch began working with SPS about six years ago. The SPS sales manager at the time would visit Sunrise P&O. “He was very good about getting us what we needed in a timely fashion and resolving any issue that came up,” Lynch says. “He was finally able to get me to switch to using SPS for almost everything after trying to get our account for several years.”
Lynch says she enjoys working with her new sales representative, sales manager, and SPS, particularly its customer service team. “The team is great,” she says. “They can usually resolve any problems, they carry many of the products we use, and are often a lot more [economical] than the competition.”
Now, more than ever, many women are making O&P their chosen profession. Diversity in O&P will only make the profession stronger, Lynch says. She estimates that when she started in O&P women then made up less than five percent of the field. “Having more women involved is good for the industry,” she says. “Diversity brings different ways of thinking about the problems our patients face and since women have been the primary caregivers in many households, they can add a more holistic total patient care approach in many cases.”
Lynch would advise women entering O&P to make certain they are entering the field for the right reasons. “Patient care is tough, and dealing with insurances can be disheartening,” says Lynch, who is also past president of the New England Chapter of the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists. “But if you are in it to help people, it can be rewarding.”
Lynch says Sunrise P&O owes much of its success to its employees. “Having good employees is key,” she says. “Everyone on the team has to know the importance of treating patients well and doing their best to provide excellent service and the best possible functional outcomes.”
Learn more about Sunrise P&O.
View the original feature in SPS Xpress.
Sign up to receive the latest SPS news and resources:
