Medical Appliance Technicians

Median salary

$48,030

Average salary

$52,730

Employment

11,280

Projected growth

3.7% growth

Annual openings

1,500

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Medical Appliance Technicians Do

Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Production and Processingimportance 3.9/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.7/5
English Languageimportance 3.5/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.4/5
Designimportance 3.3/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.1/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
Exposed to Contaminants4.7/5
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.6/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.5/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Chemical Technicians91% skill match
Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters88% skill match
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners87% skill match
Dental Laboratory Technicians87% skill match
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders87% skill match
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers86% skill match
Surgical Technologists86% skill match
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand85% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.8/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.6/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.5/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.5/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Footmaxx Metascan software
Gait analysis software
Ohio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer System
Orthotic fabrication software
Seattle Systems Shapemaker
SoftSource CADview
Vorum Research Corporation CANFIT-PLUS

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Integrity
Perseverance
Achievement Orientation
Cooperation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
InvestigativeMedium
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where medical appliance technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).