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Orthopedic technician Gröpel with her first leg prosthesis: »I like to take responsibility«
Photo: private
The start of working life is exciting, exhausting - and often completely different than planned. In the series "My first year on the job", young professionals tell how they experienced this time. This time: Laura Gröpel, 20, works as an orthopedic technician in her father's company.
»I was practically born with my job.
Even as a child I played in my parents' orthopedic technology company.
There is this story from a moment when I was three years old: A patient of the same age did not want to put on her new forearm prosthesis.
My father had tried everything, but she simply refused.
Then I must have run to her and said: 'We'll put on the prosthesis now.' I couldn't pronounce the word prosthesis at the time.
So, with my help, she put the prosthesis on – and didn't want to take it off afterwards.
From then on it was clear where I should go.
After graduating from secondary school in 2018, I first completed an internship and then began my training at NovaVis, my father's orthopedic company in Waldenbuch.
It lasts three years in total, but it can be shortened with the Abitur.
In addition to my time in the company, I attended a vocational school in Stuttgart every two months for about four weeks.
There we took compulsory subjects such as anatomy, pathology and materials science.
In addition to theory, there was practical workshop work, divided into orthotics, prosthetics and sewing.
Orthoses are aids designed to support parts of the body, such as knee braces.
In the company I was then able to deepen what I had learned with the patients.
My first self-made prosthesis was a prosthetic leg for a young girl.
About a year ago I was taken on by the company.
The salary varies from company to company.
In the first year after the apprenticeship, I earn around 2,400 euros gross per month.
One prosthesis, many work steps
Nowadays, prostheses are made very individually.
A distinction is made between multifunctional and aesthetic prostheses.
The multifunctional ones have the advantage that they contain electronics that allow the prosthesis to move.
The aesthetic ones are a lighter and less conspicuous alternative for everyday use.
Although I practically grew up with the profession, starting the job was challenging.
Puppy protection was over.
We work with electronic components worth 35,000 euros - I really have to be careful with that.
But I like to take responsibility.
A lot of work goes into every prosthesis: First, a plaster cast is taken.
This is the most important step because it ensures the fit of the prosthesis.
And he needs a lot of practice.
The plaster is dried in the oven for at least twelve hours.
It then moves to the silicone room, where we apply the first layer of silicone, which in turn is cured in the oven.
The prosthesis is then taken to the workshop, where we attach the electronics and a foam covering.
Finally, the prosthesis comes back into the silicone room where we make the outer cover.
Sometimes I sit in the workshop for six hours and put small parts together.
Above all, communication is required because you often work with several people on a prosthesis.
It is difficult to estimate how long the manufacturing process for a prosthesis will take, on average it is around two weeks.
The best thing about the job: the contact with people
People often come to us who have heard from other companies: ›You cannot be cared for, you have to be in a wheelchair.‹ We then try to find a solution anyway.
We also manufacture sports prostheses so that the patients can then take part in the Paralympics, for example.
For me, the best thing about my job is the contact with people.
It makes me happy when I can help people with disabilities.
And I especially like working with children.
At the moment I am organizing a tent camp for the year 2023.
Children who have dysmelia, i.e. who were born with deformities or whose body parts have been amputated, should come together there.
The camp is also a place for parents to exchange ideas.
They often ask me: ›Does my child have any disadvantages because of the prosthesis?
Is it teased?‹
A girl recently requested a mermaid design for her prosthetic arm.
At school she went from a girl with no arms to a girl with a really cool mermaid arm.
Another time I was allowed to build a prosthesis for an eleven-month-old baby.
It was difficult to crawl with only one arm.
I then made a small denture with some baby fat.
Although it didn't have any electronics, it still helped with crawling.«
Have you just started your career yourself and would like to tell us about it? Then write to us at SPIEGEL-Start@spiegel.de.