Orthotists and Prosthetists

Median salary

$81,110

Average salary

$83,740

Employment

9,390

Projected growth

13.3% growth

Annual openings

900

Typical entry education

Master's degree

What Orthotists and Prosthetists Do

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

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Internship/residency
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

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

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.6/5
Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.3/5
Designimportance 4.0/5
Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.0/5
English Languageimportance 3.9/5
Psychologyimportance 3.9/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.8/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.8/5

Work Environment

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

E-Mail5.0/5
Telephone Conversations4.9/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
Physical Proximity4.7/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.6/5
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.5/5

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.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons92% skill match
Photographers91% skill match
Prosthodontists90% skill match
Audiologists89% skill match
Athletic Trainers89% skill match
Film and Video Editors87% skill match
Speech-Language Pathologists87% skill match
Physical Therapist Assistants86% skill match

Transferable Skills

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

Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.8/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.8/5
Coordinationimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Instructingimportance 3.1/5
Operations Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

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

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Alibre Design
American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association CodingPro
Artsco OrthoPro Complete
Computer graphics software
Email software
Futura International O.P.S.
Gait analysis software
Gez Bowman THE O&P HUB

Work Style

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

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Empathy
Cautiousness
Cooperation
Innovation
Integrity

Career Interests

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

RealisticHigh
InvestigativeHigh
SocialMedium
ConventionalMedium
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

Specific Interests

A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.

Military Backgrounds That Lead Here

Military occupations commonly matched to this career, per the DMDC Military Crosswalk.

Physical Medicine Helper, Orthotic (4J012A)Air Force
Physical Medicine Apprentice, Orthotic (4J032A)Air Force
Physical Medicine Journeyman, Orthotic (4J052A)Air Force
Physical Medicine Craftsman, Orthotic (4J072A)Air Force
Physical Medicine Helper, Orthotic (4J012A)Space Force
Physical Medicine Apprentice, Orthotic (4J032A)Space Force
Physical Medicine Journeyman, Orthotic (4J052A)Space Force
Physical Medicine Craftsman, Orthotic (4J072A)Space Force
Orthopedic Cast Room Technician (001265)Navy
Orthopedic Technician (L26A)Navy

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 orthotists and prosthetists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).