Occupations/51-9082.00
Medical Appliance Technicians
Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.
Usually a certificate, vocational program, or associate degree — not a bachelor’s.
AI automation risk
34%
More resilient
Human characteristics
64%
Strong human-characteristic mix
Task orientation
62%
Mixed exposure
A day in this job
- Mostly human
Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
- Task
Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.
- Task
Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.
The tasks we can read here lean on people, judgment, or hands-on work. The AI risk number is still this job’s rank against other occupations.
Core tasks
- 01Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.
- 02Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.
- 03Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.
- 04Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components.
- 05Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
- 06Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks3.21
- Degree of automation1.78
- Time sitting1.96
- Originality (ability)3.00
- Conflict situations2.74
- Hands-on objects/tools4.48
- Outdoors / weather1.18
- Disease exposure2.91
- Decision freedom3.86
Top abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.88
- Oral Comprehension3.88
- Near Vision3.88
- Visualization3.75
- Oral Expression3.75
- Deductive Reasoning3.75
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.75
- Information Ordering3.62
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension3.62
- Active Listening3.88
- Writing3.00
- Speaking3.62
- Mathematics2.75
- Science1.88
- Critical Thinking3.75
- Active Learning3.00
- Learning Strategies2.88
- Monitoring3.25
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 50 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $68,200 | 12% | 92% | 1 yr $74,576 2 yr $73,823 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $68,200 | 4% | 96% | 1 yr $74,234 2 yr $68,219 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
San Jose State University San Jose, CA · Public | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $8,200 | 77% | 71% | 1 yr $73,635 2 yr $71,015 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
Lincoln College of Technology-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Private for-profit | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $18,600 | 100% | 64% | 1 yr $72,083 2 yr $72,320 Doctoral · CIP 51.23 |
Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI · Public | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $4,900 | 100% | 27% | 1 yr $71,575 2 yr $71,225 Doctoral · CIP 51.23 |
Emory University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $60,800 | 11% | 91% | 1 yr $68,698 2 yr $67,173 Professional · CIP 51.23 |
New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $60,400 | 12% | 88% | 1 yr $66,355 2 yr $69,547 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $6,400 | 23% | 89% | 1 yr $64,307 2 yr $69,673 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $11,400 | 88% | 67% | 1 yr $60,771 2 yr $53,775 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $12,600 | 48% | 84% | 1 yr $57,318 2 yr $61,516 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $10,700 | 70% | 76% | 1 yr $53,358 2 yr $55,151 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public | Orthotist/Prosthetist 51.2307 | $9,000 | 17% | 91% | 1 yr $50,231 2 yr $46,087 Master's · CIP 51.23 |