Caroline Prosthetist “When I told career advisers at school I wanted to work with people and machines they told me jobs like that didn't exist – so I did my own research and discovered the work of prosthetists. It took me less than five minutes after the interview for my training course to decide that's what I wanted to do.”

After Caroline finished her training she worked for 6 months as a prosthetist then 6 months as an orthotist. Caroline has been working for about 3 years as a prosthetist, full time, four days a week in a city rehabilitation centre and one day a week in a hospital clinic.

What happens in a normal clinic?

I'm not sure there is a normal one! I see patients from 9am till 1pm – generally about five or six patients. Sometimes they're coming in for the first time, sometimes because the prosthesis isn't fitting correctly; patients may need a replacement or a replacement part because something's broken.

What happens with a first time patient?

For a first time patient there are three stages – cast, fittings and delivery. We try to do fittings and delivery on the same day for new patients.

There's a lot of other help here too – a team here might have consultants, nurses, counsellors, occupational therapists and physiotherapists; we also have orthotists. Patients can also get advice on practical things like benefits, driving instructors and which of their local swimming baths can cater for their needs.

What might happen during a fitting then?

We always have to make sure the prosthesis is the right length. If it's an arm, I need to make sure it's comfortable. Then I need to make sure it's secure, that it holds on, and, if there is one, that the harness fits correctly. I also have to check it looks natural. If it's a leg, I need to make sure it’s comfortable. I need to make certain the patient can walk in a natural way and that it's not tipping them forwards, backwards or sideways. We try to attend some of the physio session with patients if they're going there. We might give advice on footwear, too.

I hadn't thought about that.

It's important. And, particularly for young women we might need to think about heels or flat shoes.

Does that make a difference?

Young women might need two legs, one for flat shoes, one for heels – a 2 inch heel is easy, a 2.5 inch heel possible, but that's about the highest. You can get legs that can be adjusted with a key.

I suppose young men are becoming more fashion conscious too?

Yes. But some men want the 'Terminator look'. They want people to see the hardware.

But can limbs look very realistic now?

Very. We can have veins on them, freckles on them. You can have hairs on them too – though we can't do that on the NHS, it's too expensive. And then, for instance, if you have a hand fitted, you can hide the join with a sleeve or a watch. But an artificial limb can't ever be exactly the same as the one it replaces. Think how complicated a hand is for instance – do you know there are six different basic types of grip? But we can make artificial hands that grip through body power (shoulder movement) or electronics (by detecting tensing muscles).

You run a clinic in Nuneaton. Do you do the same thing there?

Sort of, but it's a very different feel. The patients are all from the same hospital so they tend to know each other; they sit in the waiting room laughing and joking together. And they think of it as 'their' clinic so they sometimes come in without appointments. I take some technical support with me but it's nothing like we have here. It really feels different though, and I like that.

You sound as if you really enjoy your job.

I do. And it's a terrific team. And nobody is precious about their knowledge – every day, almost, someone will come into the office and say “Help! How do I do such and such?”. We've got some people who have been at it for forty years and some who have only been at it for one; and everybody helps everybody else.

Are there any bits that are particularly hard?

Long hours sometimes. My clinics here are supposed to finish at 1.00... they sometimes go on till 3.00. You have to clear your paperwork before the next clinic otherwise you're sunk. So it means staying late or coming in early.

You sound as if there are lots of good bits though.

Ever so many. When a patient comes in sitting in a wheelchair but walks out because of something we've done. The first time a person who's lost a hand or an arm sees themselves with two hands again. You should see the look on a patient's face who's had a leg or part leg amputated when they take their first steps. That's what it's about.