Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code RIS

Orthotists and Prosthetists

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

Also called: Certified Orthotist (CO), Certified Prosthetist (CP), Certified Prosthetist Orthotist (CPO), Orthotist, Certified Pedorthist, Licensed Orthotist, LPO (Licensed Prosthetist Orthotist), Orthotic Practitioner.

O*NET 29-2091.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $81,110; Middle half earn $61,290 to $99,990. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Master's Degree; 90% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +13% · Much faster than average; 10,100 jobs in 2024, projected 11,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Orthotists and prosthetists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Learning3.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.6 / 5
Medicine and Dentistry4.3 / 5
Design4.0 / 5
Therapy and Counseling4.0 / 5
English Language3.9 / 5
Psychology3.9 / 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.

Realistic83
Investigative68
Artistic17
Social55
Enterprising9
Conventional43

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)

prosthetist-orthotist · DE Orthopädist Prothetik und Orthetik/Orthopädistin Prothetik und Orthetik · FR orthoprothésiste

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.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
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 +0.07. 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 (29-2091).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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