Medical Appliance Technicians
Also called: Certified Orthotist (CO), Certified Prosthetist (CP), Orthotic Technician (Orthotic Tech), Prosthetic Technician (Prosthetic Tech)Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 15 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 54% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $72,760 | $64,200 to $81,600 | 300 |
| Arkansas | $39,450 | $36,420 to $49,540 | 60 |
| California | $51,530 | $44,850 to $61,950 | 1,300 |
| Colorado | $59,560 | $48,060 to $78,250 | not published |
| Connecticut | $54,430 | $45,300 to $66,020 | 130 |
| Florida | $46,110 | $36,290 to $56,890 | 1,800 |
| Georgia | $37,440 | $36,720 to $43,810 | 50 |
| Idaho | $48,020 | $44,260 to $57,870 | 40 |
| Illinois | $46,370 | $39,500 to $56,970 | 790 |
| Indiana | $45,820 | $35,560 to $62,760 | 130 |
| Iowa | $51,790 | $41,920 to $60,100 | 80 |
| Kansas | $37,090 | $36,620 to $44,100 | not published |
| Kentucky | $45,690 | $42,630 to $56,010 | not published |
| Louisiana | $50,770 | $38,470 to $55,160 | not published |
| Maine | $47,670 | $45,410 to $49,820 | 30 |
| Maryland | $46,940 | $46,680 to $57,650 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $59,810 | $52,520 to $73,550 | not published |
| Michigan | $49,140 | $45,400 to $57,130 | 480 |
| Minnesota | $53,750 | $49,910 to $58,410 | not published |
| Mississippi | $45,100 | $36,240 to $62,040 | 110 |
| Missouri | $46,750 | $39,830 to $62,650 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $54,770 | $52,860 to $79,880 | 170 |
| Nevada | $45,870 | $38,020 to $56,660 | 90 |
| New Hampshire | $54,980 | $49,110 to $72,510 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $52,400 | $44,380 to $58,580 | 310 |
| New York | $48,080 | $43,070 to $50,090 | 720 |
| North Carolina | $54,650 | $44,380 to $65,990 | 600 |
| Ohio | $45,710 | $44,410 to $48,230 | 420 |
| Oklahoma | $49,870 | $43,340 to $61,390 | 110 |
| Oregon | $46,450 | $38,140 to $61,070 | 130 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,920 | $46,910 to $77,040 | 200 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,050 | $26,050 to $26,050 | 350 |
| Rhode Island | $49,100 | $40,710 to $52,440 | not published |
| South Carolina | $42,230 | $37,330 to $51,100 | 200 |
| South Dakota | $52,950 | $40,620 to $61,470 | 30 |
| Tennessee | $44,700 | $33,430 to $58,190 | 370 |
| Texas | $46,430 | $40,450 to $57,620 | 310 |
| Utah | $44,110 | $42,210 to $45,620 | 170 |
| Virginia | $56,260 | $45,860 to $61,830 | 260 |
| Washington | $48,030 | $44,790 to $56,340 | 310 |
| Wisconsin | $48,890 | $38,210 to $51,230 | 100 |
Nationally: $48,030. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 15 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components. | Not published |
| Not much | Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Lay out and mark dimensions of parts, using templates and precision measuring instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Test medical supportive devices for proper alignment, movement, or biomechanical stability, using meters and alignment fixtures. | Not published |
| Not much | Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels. | Not published |
| Not much | Cover or pad metal or plastic structures or devices, using coverings such as rubber, leather, felt, plastic, or fiberglass. | Not published |
| Not much | Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices. | Not published |
| AI alone | Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required. | Not published |
| Not rated | Order parts or supplies for orthotic or prosthetic devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Service or repair machinery used in the fabrication of appliances. | Not published |
| Not much | Take patients' body or limb measurements for use in device construction. | Not published |
| Not much | Mix pigments to match patients' skin coloring, according to formulas, and apply mixtures to orthotic or prosthetic devices. | Not published |
| AI + software | Fit appliances onto patients, and make any necessary adjustments. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct patients in use of prosthetic or orthotic devices. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 16 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabricate medical devices | |||
| Take physical measurements of patients or clients | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Repair tools or equipment |
Show all 16 activities
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Train others to use equipment or products | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Drill holes in earth or materials | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for medical appliance technicians specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,538 moves out
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 14%
- 2 Musicians and Singers Moderate +0.3% 8%
- 3 Financial Managers Very high +9.7% 4%
- 4 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 1,265 moves in
- 1 Musicians and Singers Moderate +0.3% 6%
- 2 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 6%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 3%
- 5 Accountants and Auditors Very high +5.0% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 30% some college
- 15% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians” · 825 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians”
2 programs: Orthotist/Prosthetist and Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 4 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Medical Appliance Technicians” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-9082.00