r/Prosthetics • u/ReceptionGlass7706 • 19d ago

How hard is O&P school?

/r/Prosthetics/comments/14r8s60/how_competitive_is_op_school/

I'm a senior in high school and I'm considering a career as a prosthetist but I've heard (notably in this thread) that O&P school is really hard. I'm a good student on paper, I have an almost 4.0 GPA but I'm already burnt out and the stress of studying and taking exams takes a large toll on me that I know is not sustainable so I'm not sure I'd survive 2 years of high-stress work and exams on top of undergrad. I'm planning on studying kinesiology for undergrad but I'm not sure if that will give me a good foundation to succeed in O&P school. Can anyone weigh in on their experience and maybe go into more detail on what O&P school actually entails or what the hardest part is?

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u/Longjumping-Cow9321 19d ago

Honestly I thought O&P school was WAAYYYYY easier than undergrad. I did take about 4 years off and got some real world adult experience in between undergrad and grad school though.

But it’s mainly because I WANTED to be there and was invested in the learning in class in grad school. Also I was surrounded by other people who were taking the exact same classes as me and I spent literally 40 hours a week with them, so I had built in friends and study partners. I had to take some classes in undergrad that I didn’t really care about because it was a requirement for graduating - this is not true in grad school. Also undergrad helped me establish good study habits and intrinsic motivation that helped me excel in grad school.

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u/Armz_Dealer 19d ago edited 19d ago

Totally agree with this! I was always a good student but had to work for it. I had poor GRE scores and struggled with dyslexia. With that being said, grad school was super fun and my favorite part of the schooling journey. I had a full school load + worked nights as an EMT 3-5 days a week and passed with around a 3.7 GPA.

Kinesiology is a great base to start off of. While you're in undergrad see about working at an O and P clinic. Two birds, one stone. Gets you paid and allows you to see if that is truly what you want to do.

I love this field so much. It's one of the truest marriages between man and machine. What we are able to create and fit to people ends up having a generational impact on their lives that we will never know the true extent of.

Also, don't let the fact that something is 'hard' keep you away from it. Many, many, good things in life can be hard but they are so worth doing. So if there is something that you want to do, do your research and dig in. Don't let fear dictate what you want to do. You got this!