Also called: O&P Technician, Prosthetic Lab Technician
Builds and repairs artificial limbs and braces in a lab, following the clinician's designs.
You heat a sheet of plastic and vacuum-form it over a cast of a child's leg to make a brace. You grind, sand and add straps, then laminate carbon fiber for an adult's prosthetic socket.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Certificate in orthotic and prosthetic technology or on-the-job training.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training, Trade school. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Orthotic & Prosthetic Technology (certificate).
Growing about average.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. 3D printing and CNC carving make more braces and sockets automatically; finishing, fitting parts and repairs still need skilled hands.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at orthotic & prosthetic labs (ask for a trainee job) or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Art or sculpture, Shop class, Biology, Geometry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9082.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.