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Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions.
Communication skills. Orthotists and prosthetists must be able to communicate effectively with the technicians who often fabricate the medical devices. They must also be able to explain to patients how to use and care for the devices.
Detail oriented. Orthotists and prosthetists must be precise when recording measurements to ensure that devices are fabricated and fit properly.
Patience. Orthotists and prosthetists may work for long periods with patients who need special attention.
Physical dexterity. Orthotists and prosthetists must be good at working with their hands. They may fabricate orthotics or prosthetics with intricate mechanical parts.
Physical stamina. Orthotists and prosthetists should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as working with shop equipment and hand tools. They may spend a lot of time bending over or crouching to examine or measure patients.
Problem-solving skills. Orthotists and prosthetists must evaluate their patients’ situations and often look for creative solutions to their rehabilitation needs.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
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95% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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94% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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93% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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93% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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89% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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87% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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85% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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84% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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83% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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83% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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77% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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76% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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73% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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70% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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69% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
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100% | Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities. | |
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67% | Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services. | |
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61% | Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
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83% | Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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83% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. | |
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78% | 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. | |
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78% | Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. | |
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72% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. | |
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61% | Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
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78% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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75% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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75% | Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |
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75% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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75% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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75% | Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |
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75% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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72% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |
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69% | Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |
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66% | Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. | |
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66% | Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |
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66% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
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100% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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99% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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98% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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97% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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92% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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92% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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89% | Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos? | |
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88% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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85% | Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? | |
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85% | Exposed to Contaminants - How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)? | |
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85% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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84% | Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets? | |
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84% | Exposed to Hazardous Equipment - How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment? | |
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83% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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82% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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81% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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79% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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78% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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75% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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70% | Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable? | |
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67% | Exposed to Disease or Infections - How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections? | |
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67% | Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job? | |
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66% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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85% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
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93% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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91% | Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. | |
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89% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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88% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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81% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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78% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. | |
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78% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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78% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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77% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. | |
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74% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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73% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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70% | Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. | |
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70% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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69% | Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork. | |
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68% | Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. | |
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68% | Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. | |
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66% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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65% | Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used. | |
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65% | Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). | |
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65% | Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. |
Orthotists and prosthetists design and fabricate medical supportive devices and measure and fit patients for them. These devices include artificial limbs (arms, hands, legs, and feet), braces, and other medical or surgical devices.
Orthotists and prosthetists typically do the following:
Orthotists and prosthetists may work in both orthotics and prosthetics, or they may choose to specialize in one area. Orthotists are specifically trained to work with medical supportive devices, such as spinal or knee braces. Prosthetists are specifically trained to work with prostheses, such as artificial limbs and other body parts.
Some orthotists and prosthetists construct devices for their patients. Others supervise the construction of the orthotic or prosthetic devices by medical appliance technicians.
Orthotists and prosthetists held about 9,500 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of orthotists and prosthetists were as follows:
| Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing | 33% |
| Ambulatory healthcare services | 29 |
| Health and personal care retailers | 13 |
| Federal government, excluding postal service | 10 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 9 |
Orthotists and prosthetists who fabricate orthotics and prosthetics may be exposed to health or safety hazards when handling certain materials, but there is little risk of injury if workers follow proper procedures, such as wearing goggles, gloves, and masks.
Most orthotists and prosthetists work full time.
Orthotists and prosthetists typically need a master’s degree and certification to enter the occupation. Both orthotists and prosthetists must complete a residency before they can be certified.
All orthotists and prosthetists must complete a master’s degree in orthotics and prosthetics. These programs include courses in upper and lower extremity orthotics and prosthetics, spinal orthotics, and plastics and other materials used for fabrication. In addition, orthotics and prosthetics programs have a clinical component in which the student works under the direction of an orthotist or prosthetist.
Master’s programs usually take 2 years to complete. Prospective students seeking a master’s degree may have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline if they have fulfilled prerequisite courses in science and math. Requirements vary by program.
Orthotics and prosthetics programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
Following graduation from a master’s degree program, candidates must complete a residency that has been accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE). Candidates typically complete a 1-year residency program in either orthotics or prosthetics. Individuals who want to become certified in both orthotics and prosthetics need to complete 1 year of residency training for each specialty or an 18-month residency in both orthotics and prosthetics.
Some states require orthotists and prosthetists to be licensed. States that license orthotists and prosthetists often require certification in order for them to practice, although requirements vary by state. Many orthotists and prosthetists become certified regardless of state requirements, because certification demonstrates competence.
The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC) offers certification for orthotists and prosthetists. To earn certification, a candidate must complete a CAAHEP-accredited master’s program, an NCOPE-accredited residency program, and pass a series of three exams.
Employment of orthotists and prosthetists is projected to grow 15 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 800 openings for orthotists and prosthetists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Demand for orthotists and prosthetists is projected to rise due to the aging population, the growing prevalence of obesity and diabetes, and the continued occurrence of trauma events.
The growing size of the older population and the consequent rise in age-related health issues, such as osteoarthritis and injuries from falls, will increase the need for devices that help improve bodily function and relieve pain. In addition, rising obesity rates will place greater demand on orthoses to alleviate foot and heel pain, and prosthetic care will be needed to address amputations and other complications from diabetes.
Trauma event survivors, such as those who have experienced industrial or car accidents, will need orthotic and prosthetic care to regain or improve mobility.
For more information about orthotists and prosthetists, visit
American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists
Board of Certification/Accreditation
For a list of accredited programs for orthotists and prosthetists, visit
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
For a list of accredited residency programs for orthotists and prosthetists, visit
National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education
For more information about certification for orthotists and prosthetists, visit
American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of orthotists and prosthetists.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Physical Therapists |
Physical therapists help injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain. |
Doctoral or professional degree | $97,720 |
|
Physicians and Surgeons |
Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses and address health maintenance. |
Doctoral or professional degree | $229,300 |
|
Respiratory Therapists |
Respiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing—for example, because of a chronic condition such as asthma. |
Associate's degree | $70,540 |
|
Dental and Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians and Medical Appliance Technicians |
Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians make or repair dentures, eyeglasses, prosthetics, and related products. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $41,180 |
|
Occupational Therapists |
Occupational therapists evaluate and treat people who have injuries, illnesses, or disabilities to help them with vocational, daily living, and other skills that promote independence. |
Master's degree | $93,180 |