Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 10,100 people employed as orthotists and prosthetists in the United States. The median annual salary is $70,200. Entry level employees earn approximately $41,790 per year and senior employees earn approximately $110,130 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Maintain patients' records.
• Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort.
• Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit.
• Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses.
• Design orthopedic and prosthetic devices, based on physicians' prescriptions and examination and measurement of patients.
• Select materials and components to be used, based on device design.
• 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.
• Repair, rebuild, and modify prosthetic and orthopedic appliances.
• Train and supervise support staff, such as orthopedic and prosthetic assistants and technicians.
• Update skills and knowledge by attending conferences and seminars.
• Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices.
• Show and explain orthopedic and prosthetic appliances to healthcare workers.
• Research new ways to construct and use orthopedic and prosthetic devices.
• Publish research findings or present them at conferences and seminars.

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