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Medical Appliance Technicians

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $48,030 Median per year · $23.09/hr Most earn $36,510–$75,740

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Take patients' body or limb measurements for use in device construction.
  • Fit appliances onto patients, and make any necessary adjustments.
  • Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
  • Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.
  • Mix pigments to match patients' skin coloring, according to formulas, and apply mixtures to orthotic or prosthetic devices.
  • Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 1,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing50.6%
  • Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers12.0%
  • Offices of all other health practitioners5.7%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals5.4%
  • Offices of physicians5.0%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Medical Appliance Technician is an entry-level job. A high school diploma is the typical education, and people usually spend about 6 months to 1 year learning hands-on skills before they work on their own. Starting from a related lab job can make that learning easier, but it isn't required.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build a base in math, science, and hands-on classes so you're comfortable measuring, reading technical drawings, and working with tools and materials.

  2. Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician

    6 months to 1 year

    Learn precision lab work, such as shaping and finishing small parts and following exact specifications, which carries over well to making medical devices. Many people in this path learn this on the job, and some go straight into appliance work instead.

  3. Medical Appliance Technician

    Ongoing

    Build, fit, adjust, and repair braces, orthotics, prosthetics, and other supportive devices, often working from a prescription or a measurement taken from a patient.

Where it can lead

  1. Dental Laboratory Technician

    1 to 2 years of experience first

    This is a related lab role that uses similar skills with different materials and products, such as dental crowns and bridges. It's a sideways move that can broaden your experience rather than a clear step up.

  2. Medical Equipment Repairer

    1 to 2 years of experience first

    Moving into this role usually means learning more about electronics and diagnostic equipment and often completing a certificate or apprenticeship. It's a different direction, but it builds on the same hands-on repair skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and science classesAlgebra, geometry, physics, and anatomy help you understand measurements, forces, and how the body moves.
  • Join shop, drafting, or engineering classesHands-on classes teach tool safety and precision work, which are core skills for this job.
  • Join a robotics, maker, or STEM clubBuilding and fixing things in a team helps you practice problem-solving and careful work.
  • Look for a part-time or summer job in a clinic, lab, or hardware shopEven a basic job shows you how a workplace runs and helps you build reliability.
  • Volunteer at a hospital or rehabilitation centerIt gives you a view of how braces and prosthetic devices are used and how patients are cared for.

In college

  • Take anatomy, physiology, and materials scienceKnowing how the body moves and how materials like plastics and metals behave helps you design and fit devices safely.
  • Learn CAD or 3D modeling softwareMany shops use CAD and 3D printing to design custom devices, so these skills make you more useful from day one.
  • Work a campus job in a makerspace, machine shop, or research labHands-on lab experience builds the precision and care that employers want.
  • Look for an internship at an orthotic, prosthetic, or medical device companyReal shop experience helps you learn fitting, fabrication, and patient communication, and it can lead to a job offer.
  • Consider a certificate in orthotics and prosthetics technologySome community colleges offer certificates that teach the technical side of the job, which can speed up your training.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local orthotic, prosthetic, or medical supply shop whether you can shadow a technician or ask about part-time or summer work. Seeing the job up close is the best way to know if you like it.
  • Get comfortable with hand tools, basic machines, and computer-aided design (CAD) software, since many shops use these every day.
  • Keep a simple portfolio of any projects you build, repair, or design, even school or hobby projects. Employers look for proof of careful, hands-on work.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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