Production · Holland code RIC
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.
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), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Orthopedic Technician (Orthopedic Tech).
O*NET 51-9082.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $48,030
- Middle half earn $42,210 to $60,580. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Take patients' body or limb measurements for use in device construction.
- 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.
- Instruct patients in use of prosthetic or orthotic devices.
- 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.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
- Active Listening3.6 / 5
- Speaking3.6 / 5
- Monitoring3.3 / 5
- Active Learning3.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.3 / 5
- Production and Processing4.2 / 5
- Design3.5 / 5
- Administrative3.4 / 5
- Engineering and Technology3.3 / 5
- English Language3.2 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative49
- Artistic10
- Social37
- Enterprising0
- Conventional44
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- audiology technician · DE Hörgeräteakustiker/Hörgeräteakustikerin · FR audioprothésiste
- dental technician · DE Zahntechniker/Zahntechnikerin · FR technicien de fabrication de matériel dentaire/technicienne de fabrication de matériel dentaire
- prosthetist-orthotist · DE Orthopädist Prothetik und Orthetik/Orthopädistin Prothetik und Orthetik · FR orthoprothésiste
- prosthetic-orthotics technician · DE Orthopädietechnik-Mechaniker/Orthopädietechnik-Mechanikerin · FR technicien podo-orthésiste prothésiste/technicienne podo-orthésiste prothésiste
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Medical and dental technicians (3213)40,000 employed
- Other health professionals n.e.c. (2259)111,700 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.49. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-9082).
Related careers
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