Unlocking the Potential of Clinical Extenders

Friday, February 20, 2026

2:15 PM - 3:45 PM CDT

Room: Volunteer Ballroom A

Session Leader(s)

Erin O'Brien, CPO, FAAOP (she/her/hers)

Clinical Education Specialist
Hanger Clinic
Portland, Oregon, United States

Moderator(s)

Fanny Schultea, MS, MSEd, CPO, LP, FAAOP(D) (she/her/hers)

Executive Director
The Orthotics and Prosthetics Foundation for Education and Research
TOMBALL, Texas, United States

Speaker(s)

Erin O'Brien, CPO, FAAOP (she/her/hers)

Clinical Education Specialist
Hanger Clinic
Portland, Oregon, United States

The clinical extender is an often-underutilized position within the field of orthotics and prosthetics. Attend our session to find out the different types of extenders, what they can do for you, and how they can improve patient care. You'll be working through your own pain points in clinic to find areas that could be helped with the use of an extender. Please review the uploaded slides for pre-work to make this course most effective.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the different clinical extender roles and what their scopes of practice are.
Assign appropriate tasks in clinic to clinical extenders
Understand the importance of all levels of clinical extender in clinic