My First Summer Job....at Dankmeyer

My name is Tyler Treff, and I'm 15 years old and a student at North County High School. I had my first job experience at Dankmeyer this summer in the Fabrication Department.  My Mom (Cindy French, Patient Services Coordinator) has worked at Dankmeyer for many years so I have heard a lot about orthotics and prosthetics and made a few trips through the Dankmeyer shop when I was little.  It was really neat to actually get to work in the shop and see what goes on.

Cindy French with son Tyler in Fabrication.

On my first day I was given safety instructions, toured the shop and was given a broom to clean up.  There was a lot of clean up from plaster. After a few days I was taught about the machines in the shop and got hands on experience on how to sandblast, use the Sutton shoe machine for metal, how to rivet straps and punch holes in prosthetic socks. I learned how to sift and mix plaster and pour a prosthetic cast.  I never knew there were so many steps that go into making a prosthesis and it was really neat to see how it is done from start to finish.  I really liked seeing how the custom lamination was done. A lot of hard work and detail go into everything.

Tyler with Jed Newhardt, CPO and Moxie.

I was able to participate in the Amputee Walking School at Dankmeyer in June.  I helped set up and clean up and I was allowed to participate with the amputee exercises and given a partner to work with.  It was a very rewarding experience.  

I was worked in the stockroom, packed, unpacked and stocked shipments and learned how to work the USPS shipping machine. I helped to give the shop a fresh coat of paint, made labels to help organize parts, sanded and refinished a work bench. 

Everyone in the shop and the practitioners took their time to explain and show me things so I could learn what they were doing.  I learned a lot and everyone was very supportive.  It was a great first job experience!  Now it is back to school and sports, until next time.

 

 

Back to School with Dankmeyer Academy

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Are our Physical Therapist friends ready for 2017 Back to School?  Are your books, backpack, computer, notebooks and pens/pencils all ready to go?  Well you don't need all that stuff and you don't need to go far because Dankmeyer is very excited to announce a new education program for professionals launching this fall.

 

DANKMEYER ACADEMY

We are offering this free continuing education series to physical therapists at their location.  This education is intended to be personal and ongoing, with a Dankmeyer clinician visiting your facility quarterly to provide the newest, most relevant curriculum relating to orthotics and prosthetics.  Kelsey Kasten, CO Resident Prosthetist and Nina Bondre, CPO are preparing those materials right now, which your physical therapists can utilize in the treatment of patients who benefit from a prosthesis or orthosis.  The courses we will provide have been submitted to the Maryland Board of Physical Therapy Examiners for review.  

The Academy opens in October 2017.  We will have more details in the very near future, so stay tuned!

New Prosthetic Arm - First of a Kind, One of Kind

A recent issue of “Forbes NEXT” magazine’s Hungarian issue features a Dankmeyer patient, George Levay, on the cover with his new prosthetic arm.  According to Mark Hopkins, CEO of Dankmeyer, Inc., Mr. Levay’s prosthesis is one of a kind and first of a kind.  Dankmeyer is proud to have developed this novel prosthesis along with partner Infinite Biomedical Technologies (IBT).  Mr. Levay worked with IBT in developing the technology for the prosthesis. 

Mr Levay was featured in an article in the Baltimore Sun in September (click here), in which he talks about his own limb loss and interest in developing technology to make life easier for those those with upper limb loss.

This new device is a left above elbow fully externally powered prosthesis.  Some of the components are proprietary, while the power system (battery and charger) is commercially available.  More information will be available about the technology soon and the prosthesis will be commercially available at some point. Stay tuned for developments!

Congratulations Nina Bondre, Certified Prosthetist Orthotist!

Please join us in congratulating Dankmeyer practitioner Nina Bondre - as she is now a Certified Prosthetist Orthotist!  After completing her eighteen month residency program recently at Dankmeyer, Nina sat for her boards and has been waiting for her official stamp of approval.  She joins the ranks of the nearly 4000 certified P&O professionals with the American Board of Certification.  

Well done, Nina! 

Former Intern Sean Herrin Wins Unsung Heroes Award

Sean Herrin, former Dankmeyer high school summer intern, was recently named one of the winners of the McCormick Honors 2017 Unsung Heroes award.  This scholarship is awarded annually by McCormick & Company and is valued at $40,000 over four years.  Sean, of Delaney High School, was one of two students selected from over 111 honorees recognized as Unsung Heroes at the event on May 1, 2017.  These student-athletes represented over 65 Baltimore area schools.  The program was founded in 1940 by Charles McCormick Sr to recognize athletes for unselfish team play and to highlight the efforts of those who contribute selflessly to their teams.   

From the McCormick press release on the event:

"Sean Herrin took special pride in being a Peer Assistant on his Allied Soccer team for players with disabilities.  He spent his time with the kids getting to know them as peers, while helping them achieve athletic success on the field.  Herrin dedicates much of his time and energy to serving students with disabilities in other aspects of his life; he mentors disabled children in bowling, softball and ice hockey, volunteers at Kennedy Krieger’s ROAR for Autism fundraiser, and has spent three summers interning at a company that produces prosthetic limbs.  Richard Reed, Herrin’s Athletic Director, said that he is “quite an amazing young man, one who truly embodies the term ‘Unsung Hero’ on the athletic field and in the game of life.”  Herrin, a senior, will attend the University of Maryland Baltimore County next fall."

Sean Herrin (left) pictured at the Unsung Heroes 2017 award ceremony.

Dankmeyer's summer intern program is well sought after.  Angie Bryl, CPO, Clinical Director, runs the annual program.  Generally, the purpose of prosthetic/orthotic intern programs is to provide students early access to the profession.  Angie was recently interviewed for an article in the May 2017 issue of O&P Almanac about industry efforts to provide grade school and high school students this exposure to prosthetics and orthotics.  The growth of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs in many schools provides a number of students who are interested in STEM related professional explorations.

According to the article, more than 90% of millennials like using their professional skills to benefit a good cause.  O&P offers an environment that embraces technology combined with patient care.  As part of Dankmeyer’s intern program, Sean would have shadowed staff, received hands-on training in the fabrication of devices, conversed with patients, and gained general knowledge about O&P.  Additionally, as the students learn from O&P professionals, the pros can learn from the students.  As Angie says in the article, “We can get stuck in our ways at times, and students often bring fresh ideas… They bring other things that they learned in the classroom or from their experiences to our work.”  Both intern and professional stand to benefit from the exchanges that occur in these programs.

As Sean prepares to graduate from high school, we will also be preparing to welcome a new batch of summer interns.   We are so happy for Sean and this well deserved honor and wish him the best of luck as he continues his education!

If you would like to know more about learning experiences with Dankmeyer, send an email to info@dankmeyer.com.