A Letter From the President, Adam Miller: June 2023

Published in Orthotics & Prosthetics on June 23, 2023

June is somehow upon us. I have two elementary school-aged daughters who recently completed first and fifth grades, respectively. It is this time of year (every year) that I seem to forget that the end of school and the beginning of summer holds so much excitement for them. So many of our family plans that were made over the long Iowa winter and spring are quickly approaching. Various summer activities like vacations, hometown festivals, swimming pool visits, and theme park trips are suddenly smacking us in the face like the first 90 degree Midwest day.

What also accompanies that realization is a change in schedules and daily routines. No longer am I getting up every weekday to make sure backpacks and water bottles are ready for school. Now most days I will be leaving for the office before my girls are even out of bed or working from home on a different day to accommodate child care with my wife.

As I reflect on their excitement for a change in their everyday routine, I realize that a change in routine is actually good for me too. Changing our day to day, much like the changing of seasons, is good for us as adults, too. I try to take that approach to my professional life. It allows fresh ideas, perspectives, and energy to come into play. Consistently leaving myself open to embracing change leads to being open to finding new ways to be more efficient, more productive, and just being an overall happier team member and dad/husband.

Almost on a daily basis, we continue to see change in our profession. Sometimes it's good change and other times it's not, but one thing is for sure….it's happening all around us, all the time. I would encourage everyone to take change with the mentality of a kid getting out of school on that last day – as an opportunity. It is an opportunity to change your perspective, change how you’ve done things for the last six months, and explore those opportunities to find a way to become better because of it. Maybe it’s a new methodology, technology, or product, or maybe it's just a change in your mindset.

I hope the start of summer can bring as much excitement (and the good kind of change) that we felt as kids on the last day of school.

As always, thanks for all you do for our profession and the patients you serve.

Adam Miller