(openPR) - Success is when people walk again

Having successfully passed their journeyman's examinations as prosthetists, all seven graduates are also guaranteed jobs. They received advance confirmation from the companies that trained them, provided they passed in theory and practice. Everything went like clockwork with an average mark of 2.0. "A strong
group" exulted Karl Becker, member of the examination commission and Education Manager at Ottobock, when he received the results.

Duderstadt has been hosting the journeyman's examinations for Lower
Saxony/Bremen for seven years. The paths that lead to three and a half years of
vocational training are often as different as the plans for the future.

Julia Bötticher (20) from Breitenworbis will stay with Ottobock. She obtained
information on the requirements and prospects as a prosthetist at two career
information days in Leinefelde. "You need to be skilled at working with your
hands, and empathy with patients is essential," is how she describes the
combination that makes this occupation so appealing to her.

Her next objective is to obtain her general qualification for university entrance
while working in her new job. She plans to study medical technology later. While
she earned the Euro-Pass – a professional qualification recognised throughout
Europe – during a three-week multi-company course in Holland, she prefers to
remain in the Eichsfeld over the long term "because my boyfriend and my family
are here".

Dennis Bolm (26) from Braunschweig obtained his training at Sanitätshaus
Kemnitz in Peine after the father of a friend pointed out that they had an open
apprenticeship position: "I just jumped in without a lot of planning, and soon
found that I enjoy this sort of work." Now he wants to gain additional practical
experience there before deciding whether to work towards the master's
examination.

One thing they both agree on as a defining experience in their training is their
first success with an individual fitting. "Fabricating the first complete prosthesis
on my own and then seeing how happy the patient was to receive it was truly
special," Dennis Bolm says. Julia Bötticher photographed the first person fitted
by her: "I was really proud when I saw him starting to walk with the prosthesis.
His picture is still hanging up in my room."

In addition to empathy and a talent for working with your hands, technical
aptitude is also a key to success. "Wooden legs are long since obsolete," says
Karl Becker. "Electronics and high-end materials are used today." Constantly
working with anatomy and biomechanics can also have an impact in everyday life.
Dennis Bolm: "Whenever I see people, I immediately find myself observing the
way they walk."

Prosthetists are in demand. Anyone interested in training for this career can
request a corresponding brochure from the HR department at Ottobock.

Ottobock - Technology for People

Otto Bock HealthCare helps people maintain or regain their freedom of movement with innovative products. Founded in Berlin back in 1919, the medical technology company has become a global market leader in the field of prosthetics. Other business units include orthotics, Mobility Solutions with wheelchairs, seating systems and child rehabilitation devices as well as, since 2006, neurostimulation. The activities of the global company with sales and service locations in 44 countries are coordinated from the head office in Duderstadt, South Lower Saxony. Professor Hans Georg Näder, the grandson of company founder Otto Bock, took over the management of the family company from his father Dr. Max Näder in 1990 and carried on as the third-generation CEO ever since.
Further information: www.ottobock.com

Karsten Ley
Director Corporate Communication
Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH
Max-Näder-Str. 15, 37115 Duderstadt
Phone: (05527) 848-3036, Fax: (05527) 848-3360
E-mail: karsten.ley@ottobock.de
www.ottobock.com