I love patient days at school. I love being able to get to know the people that have time in their day to come hang out with us. And to be poked, prodded and plastered. Many of the patients at Cal State have been coming for years—one for at least 30 years! Patient day is a very social event. The patient models catch up with each other over a cup of coffee, banter back and forth and even joke with the student prosthetists. Even though we are paired up and work with a specific patient model, we end up getting to know everyone in the room.

Last week was our first opportunity to work with the prosthetic patient models. Our assignment was to cast for a check socket. We’d been given a casting demonstration filled with pearls of wisdom about technique, which contours to capture and how much pressure to apply. The teachers make it look so easy. Then we were set free to take our own casts. Patient models are not just our patient models: They become our teachers, too! “Are you sure you don’t want to cast higher?” “Are you sure you’re getting the right landmarks?” (all the while, the patient models are laughing and joking with each other).

This week was fitting day. We, the student prosthetists, were going to fit the “world’s most perfect check socket.” (Student opinion). Reliefs had been added, the edges were buffed smooth, it will fit like a dream. Once again, our patient models endured our poking and prodding, an 8-12 ply fit, a little pressure (hopefully not a pinch) and the “perfect check socket” was transformed to something more likely to resemble their current socket. (Patient model opinion) One would think after all this torture, they would like to leave as quickly as possible. Nope. The patient models we work with stay to chat with us about hobbies, industry news and products, and family life. They hold no grudges. Like I said, I love patient days at school. So if you know a patient model, are a patient model, or even work with one, please thank them for their knowledge and help in our education.