Arizona Robbins' prosthetics.
In medicine, a prosthesis, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part lost through trauma, disease, or congenital conditions. Prosthetic amputee rehabilitation is coordinated by an inter-disciplinary team of health care professionals including psychiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, and prosthetists.
A prosthetist is a person who measures, designs, fabricates, fits, or services a prosthesis as prescribed by a licensed physician, and who assists in the formulation of the prosthesis prescription for the replacement of external parts of the human body lost due to amputation or congenital deformities or absences.
Notable Prosthetists
- David Moore (Prosthetist at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital)
Notable Cases
- Arizona Robbins (I Saw Her Standing There): Some time after her amputation, Arizona came in to be treated by prosthetist David Moore to assess her post-operative healing, fit her with a prosthetic, and assist her in acclimating to its use. Arizona initially showed heavy resistance to treatment and was at odds with David; eventually, she and David were able to reconcile and move forward, allowing her to finally walk again. She was also later fitted with a prosthesis which allows her to wear high-heel shoes. This resulted in mild discomfort that was then later treated by her wife, orthopedic surgeon Callie Torres.
Notes and Trivia
- Prosthetists are not medical doctors and are not required to have post-secondary degrees in order to practice this field.
- Prosthetists also do not wear full-length lab coats as seen in I Saw Her Standing There.