As a consumer, you have a choice of dentist, eye doctor, physician – and prosthetist. If you are faced with the possibility of amputation, whether due to vascular insufficiency, trauma, or disease, you have a choice of who will make your first artificial limb. Smart healthcare consumers should interview a minimum of three facilities when faced with surgery that includes loss of limb.

Myth #1: New amputees should receive their first prosthesis at a rehabilitation hospital.

Fact: Once you are discharged from the hospital following surgery, you may be sent home to convalesce, or you may be sent to a rehabilitation hospital. Your rehabilitation team will consist of you, your doctor, a physiotherapist, a prosthetist, and occasionally an occupational therapist. Regardless of where you convalesce, when your caregiver team determines that your limb is ready for prosthetic fitting, you are free to choose where your prosthesis will be made. If you are receiving wound care in your home and have the support of your family, a prosthetist that is comfortable with “first fits” can make your prosthesis. Ask your prosthetist whether he or she has received training in initial prosthetic fittings.

Myth #2: There are public and private facility prosthetists in Alberta.

Fact: There are prosthetists who work in public rehabilitation hospitals, and there are many who work in free-standing (not private) facilities across Alberta. All prosthetists who work in the province must be certified by the Canadian Board for Certification of Prosthetists and Orthotists. All facilities operate on the same fee schedules provided by the Alberta Aids to Daily Living Program and the Workers’ Compensation Board; there is no difference in the dollar amount claimed on your behalf. Interview the prosthetist who will be making your artificial limb and other staff members to determine your level of comfort.