The HOPE Careers Consortium Grant team toured the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, the largest veterans’ hospital in the United States and an employer for SPC students certified in orthotics and prosthetics , on Friday, July 15.

Upon arriving, Chief of the Orthotics & Prosthetics Lab Joseph Shamp C.P.O., an Army veteran, retired police reservist and former upper-limb prosthetics instructor at SPC, greeted team. He was a fantastic host, showing us the ins and outs of the O&P floor at the hospital. He introduced us to his “family” of co-workers. We were even able to check-in on some SPC alumni while they were working.

On our tour, we were able to get a closer look at all of the labs and, boy, were these were state of the art! Only the best for our veterans. We saw the oven room, laminating room, plaster and grinding room, dust lab, wheelchair assembly room, and several neatly organized storage areas.

The hospital employs mostly certified orthotists, prosthetists and orthotic fitters. Each clinician has their specialty. Whether it’s high technology orthotics or supplies for out-patient facilities, everyone has their duty. Joe said he hopes that in the future they will have a separate O&P facility where they will be able to hire technicians and maybe mastectomy fitters, as they have a very busy hospital with many orthotics and prosthetics being produced daily.

Hiring orthotics and prosthetics certified SPC students

Joe explained that he felt  blessed to have such wonderful students come from SPC’s programs. They are experienced in the lab and need very little training once they are hired at the hospital, he said. Students who receive fitter certificates from SPC are job-ready with “boots on the ground,” he said.

Are you interested in the O&P field? Check out our pedorthist, mastectomy fitter and orthotic fitter certificates or our O&P Technology associate’s degree program and get started in this rewarding career now!