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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.

What you’d do

  • Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.
  • Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels.
  • Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
  • Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.
  • Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.
  • Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components.
  • Test medical supportive devices for proper alignment, movement, or biomechanical stability, using meters and alignment fixtures.
  • Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.

Skills that matter

  • Critical Thinking
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Active Listening
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Judgment and Decision Making

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Certified Orthotist (CO)
  • Certified Prosthetist (CP)
  • Orthotic Technician (Orthotic Tech)
  • Prosthetic Technician (Prosthetic Tech)
  • Certified Pedorthotist
  • Hearing Aid Repair Technician (Hearing Aid Repair Tech)

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