Closing out the month of January, Union Orthotics & Prosthetics Co. wanted to highlight some of our staff for National Mentoring Month. Union Orthotics & Prosthetics Co. is proud to host and train orthotic and prosthetic residents, many of whom continue to work with us once passing their board exams. Over a third of our existing clinical staff did their orthotic and prosthetic residency program with Union O & P. Most of our current staff helps with the residents' mentoring and training. Currently, we have two residents going through our program, Katie Jeter and Isabel Gonzalez.

Isabel Gonzalez is originally from Austin, Texas. She went to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and got her Master of Prosthetics and Orthotics. She is currently our prosthetic resident. She decided to go into the orthotic and prosthetic field after she attended a guest lecture with a working prosthetist.  She completed her orthotic residency in early January of this year. She states a helpful part of her professional journey is the opportunity to work with multiple expert prosthetists, evaluating their “skill sets… and different mindsets” to develop her own craft.  She will finish her prosthetic residency program with us in January 2024. She would like to specialize in general prosthetics after her residency is completed.

Katie Jeter is originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She went to the University of Pittsburgh and got her master’s degree in Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics. While attending classes, she fell in love with the city and would like to call it home. Currently, she is our resident for orthotics. She wanted to become a Prosthetist Orthotist after she had all ten of her toes amputated due to sepsis in 2009. She has loved working at Union O & P for the past 8 months and is glad to be in an environment where “everyone [is] super helpful, willing to answer questions… gauging where I’m at [and] what I need to work on”. She will complete her orthotic residency in June this year and hopes to start her prosthetic residency soon after. She is currently searching for what she would like to specialize in after completing her residency.

Bob Dobson III is one of our prosthetists with 36 years of experience working at Union. He went to Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center and now specializes in lower extremity prosthetics and upper extremity prosthetics. He trains all of our new and upcoming prosthetists. Understanding the importance of quality mentorship and training, Bob is grateful he now has the opportunity to give back to the profession as an influential and helpful mentor.  Bob has been a mentor in and out of work, with his son, Robert Dobson IV, being another one of our clinicians, specializing in prosthetics and general orthotics. He always wants to help residents learn about prosthetics' ins and outs because he remembers how much shadowing helped him grow.

Union Orthotics & Prosthetics Co. is a family-owned and operated company with over 100 years of service in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. We have always been dedicated to providing the highest quality of patient care with a professional and compassionate approach. Our services and techniques are continuously being upgraded to achieve the highest standard of excellence. Union O & P is proud to support the new generation of orthotic and prosthetic care and is dedicated to creating an exceptional teaching environment for all our residents.
 
“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” — Bob Proctor, Author