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Orthotists and Prosthetists

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)	Projected Growth (2024-2034)
National Statistics	$78310	900	13.3%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$78310

Median Wage (USD, 2024)

900

Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)

13.3%

Projected Growth (2024-2034)

Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Master's Degree

Related Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

Detailed Work Activities

Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
Adjust prostheses or other assistive devices.
Instruct patients in the use of assistive equipment.
Design medical devices or appliances.
Record patient medical histories.
Fabricate medical devices.
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Supervise medical support personnel.
Train medical providers.
Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
Present medical research reports.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort.
Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses.
Maintain patients' records.
Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit.
Select materials and components to be used, based on device design.
Design orthopedic and prosthetic devices, based on physicians' prescriptions and examination and measurement of patients.
Repair, rebuild, and modify prosthetic and orthopedic appliances.
Construct and fabricate appliances, or supervise others constructing the appliances.
Make and modify plaster casts of areas to be fitted with prostheses or orthoses to guide the device construction process.
Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices.
Show and explain orthopedic and prosthetic appliances to healthcare workers.
Train and supervise support staff, such as orthopedic and prosthetic assistants and technicians.
Update skills and knowledge by attending conferences and seminars.
Research new ways to construct and use orthopedic and prosthetic devices.
Publish research findings or present them at conferences and seminars.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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