Orthotists and Prosthetists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-2091.00United States
Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions.
- Median annual earnings
- $81,664
- Projected change
- +13%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 10.6K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
90% of the workforce
Growing to 11.98K by 2035
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The work
What orthotists and prosthetists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $45,783
- 25th percentile
- $61,152
- 50th percentile
- $81,664
- 75th percentile
- $102,362
- 90th percentile
- $128,567
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $81,664 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+13%faster than average
202510,598 jobs
2035 projected11,980 jobs
1,382 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 90%
- Bachelor's degree
- 10%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Certified Prosthetist Orthotists435 postings
- 02Prosthetists/Orthotist Clinicians260 postings
- 03Orthotists and Prosthetists169 postings
- 04Orthotists99 postings
- 05Orthotic Fitters61 postings
- 06Orthotic and Prosthetic Technicians46 postings
- 07Certified Orthotists35 postings
- 08Orthotic Technicians26 postings
- 09Pedorthists26 postings
- 10Directors of Allied Health23 postings
- 11Fitters19 postings
- 12Certified Pedorthists17 postings
- 13Clinical Residents15 postings
- 14Clinical Aides14 postings
- 15Prosthetists13 postings
- 16Radiation Oncologists12 postings
- 17Musculoskeletal Specialty Managers11 postings
- 18Certified Prosthetists9 postings
- 19Locums Tenens8 postings
- 20Hematologists/Oncologists7 postings
Top employers
- 01Hanger220 postings
- 02Cranial Technologies139 postings
- 03Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics118 postings
- 04Sanford Health78 postings
- 05Gqr54 postings
- 06United States Department of Veterans Affairs49 postings
- 07Boston Orthotics & Prosthetics25 postings
- 08Pacific Medical25 postings
- 09The Newell Group24 postings
- 10Comprehensive Prosthetics & Orthotics21 postings
- 11All Star HealthCare18 postings
- 12Rothman Orthopaedics Of New York, PLLC16 postings
- 13Alphax Corp14 postings
- 14Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital14 postings
- 15Adapthealth13 postings
- 16Novacare Prosthetics And Orthotics13 postings
- 17Global Medical Staffing12 postings
- 18HCRC Staffing11 postings
- 19Open Bionics10 postings
- 20Ottobock10 postings
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