Adam Regli
Orthotic/Prosthetic Technician (S102)
Graduated 2013
Prosthetics-orthotics grad applies skills and creativity
Adam Regli decided to pursue a career as a prosthetic technician because he saw it as a way to help people while also making use of his B.Sc. in Kinesiology. “It’s the perfect combination of working with technology and the human body,” says Regli, who graduated from Western University. He also recognized the potential for innovation in the field. “I believe that prosthetics is still a developing field, very innovative. There’s a lot of stuff happening under the surface and I wanted to be part of that,” he says.
Today, he is: after graduating from George Brown College's Orthotic/Prosthetic Technician S102 program in 2013, he’s been working ever since as a prosthetic technician for Edmonton, Alberta-based Troppman Prosthetics Ltd.
Program provides knowledge but also inspiration
Regli says that most skills he uses in his daily work creating prosthetics come from the program: from technical aspects such as how to drape plastic or how to laminate sockets, to communications skills such as the terminology he uses to speak to other health professionals.
Even more significantly, the program also taught him to brainstorm new solutions. He recalls as an example one class where his professor would use case studies from actual patients and then challenge students to design something even better.
Today he applies that creative thinking constantly in his workplace; for example, in working on a prosthetic to help a client play golf, he realized the standard solution wasn’t allowing the wrist to swing as should. After some thought, he realized a prosthetic intended for the lower part of the body would work better, and the client is out swinging again.
Keep learning from others
Yet another advantage of the program was the opportunity to learn from his classmates, says Regli. "I enjoyed the workshop atmosphere and having fellow classmates working on their projects beside you. There's a real camaraderie in the program," he says.
Now that he's in the workplace, Regli has learned that learning doesn’t stop. In his current position he works closely with clients, clinicians, and even students, including those from George Brown, who come in for work terms. His best advice to newcomers reflects what he’s learned about sharing knowledge and staying creative. “Understand that there are many different methods of accomplishing the same task,” he says.
