About NCOPE
Purpose
The National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In 1972, the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC) created the Educational Accreditation Commission (EAC) to meet the O&P profession's need for an institutional accreditation program. That same year the EAC set out to establish criteria to assess and compare orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) curricula.
In 1991, the EAC was reorganized and became an independent organization under the National Office structure. In December 1999 NCOPE became an incorporated accreditation agency and totally independent from the sister O&P organizations (AAOP, ABC and AOPA). The Corporation is organized and operated for scientific, educational and charitable purposes. NCOPE has the following responsibilities:
- Promote education in the field of orthotics and prosthetics and raise the standards of education in the field;
- Develop standards for, and accredit orthotics and prosthetics programs;
- Establish accreditation and evaluation procedures in orthotics and prosthetics education;
- Aid the development of new orthotics and prosthetics programs;
- Publish and annual report on orthotics and prosthetics education
The organized O&P profession, including AAOP, ABC and AOPA works closely with NCOPE in a cooperative realtionship to ensure people entering O&P is receiving formal preparation related to current requirements for professional O&P practice.