Anatomy and Art

a blog by Sara Egner

The Clinical Practicum

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So, if you’ve been reading along here you already know that I’m presently up in Dallas finishing up my clinical practicum, and thus the anaplastology track with UIC’s biomedical visualization graduate program. My internship has been here, with Medical Art Prosthetics, and I couldn’t be happier with the exposure I am getting here to new techniques and working with different patients.

So right inside this building, up on the 3rd floor is where the magic happens.  People come in from all over Texas, and sometimes further for the quality prostheses created inside.  In just the short time I have been here, I’ve already seen patients and been a part of problem solving for individual needs. I’ve learned new impression taking and transfer methods and worked with new pigments, and different types of molds than anything I’d worked with previously.

The clinic was originally founded by anaplastologist Greg Gion MMS, CCA. I have only had the opportunity to speak with him on the phone so far, as he is currently based in Wisconsin now, but I am very much looking forward to meeting him in Sarasota next week at the International Association of Anaplastology conference.  As I understand it, this clinic was the first maxillofacial prosthetics facility to be owned and operated by a medical artist.  And now he’s made it happen again with the newer clinic out in Wisconsin.

These days it is anaplastologist Allison Vest, MS, CCA who you will find at the Medical Art Prosthetics clinic though. She is the anaplastologist I have been primarily working with, and I learn something of value from her every time I go in there.  Sometimes we talk about business and what goes in to running a private practice.  Other times we talk about materials or different techniques.  The last time I was in there, I got to open up a mold that I was particularly excited about.  It was a complicated piece, but it worked!  I’m so lucky to get to learn from her.

Also, working alongside Allison, Colette Shrader, MS, has been hard at work launching her own branch of Radiant Impressions, custom breast prostheses, as an alternative to surgical breast reconstruction.  It’s fun seeing her again since meeting her through UIC in Chicago originally.

Also as part of my internship arrangement with Allison, I am doing an observationship with anaplastologist Suzanne Verma, MAMS over at Baylor College of Dentistry, here.

Suzanne is great.  I came and visited her once before and had a great experience doing so.  This time I’m still soaking in information right and left with her, but I’m also getting the chance to follow along with the care of a patient over time.  I think that working with patients and trouble shooting individual difficulties and preferences is one of my favorite things about anaplastology.

All in all, this is proving to be a very valuable time in my training, and I feel fortunate to get to soak in so much exposure to various ways of doing things.

Written by Sara

March 17th, 2011 at 5:24 pm

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