# Orthotists and Prosthetists

> Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 29-2091.00
- **Summary:** Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions.

## Aliases

- Certified Orthotist (CO)
- Certified Prosthetist (CP)
- Certified Prosthetist Orthotist (CPO)
- Orthotist
- Certified Pedorthist
- LPO (Licensed Prosthetist Orthotist)
- Licensed Orthotist
- Orthotic Practitioner
- Prosthetic Practitioner
- Prosthetist
- American Board Certified Orthotist (ABC Orthotist)
- Artificial Limb Fitter

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.x |
| Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses. | Core | 4.A.4.b.3.e |
| Maintain patients' records. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit. | Core | 4.A.1.a.1.l |
| Select materials and components to be used, based on device design. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.q |
| Design orthopedic and prosthetic devices, based on physicians' prescriptions and examination and measurement of patients. | Core | 4.A.2.b.2.k |
| Repair, rebuild, and modify prosthetic and orthopedic appliances. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.q |
| Construct and fabricate appliances, or supervise others constructing the appliances. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.q |
| Make and modify plaster casts of areas to be fitted with prostheses or orthoses to guide the device construction process. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.q |
| Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices. | Core | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Show and explain orthopedic and prosthetic appliances to healthcare workers. | Core | 4.A.4.b.3.f |
| Train and supervise support staff, such as orthopedic and prosthetic assistants and technicians. | Core | 4.A.4.b.3.f |

## Emerging Tasks


## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals. | 4.A.1.a.1.l |
| Examine patients to assess general physical condition. | 4.A.1.b.2.i |
| Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients. | 4.A.1.b.2.i |
| Adjust prostheses or other assistive devices. | 4.A.3.a.2.x |
| Instruct patients in the use of assistive equipment. | 4.A.4.b.3.e |
| Design medical devices or appliances. | 4.A.2.b.2.k |
| Record patient medical histories. | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Fabricate medical devices. | 4.A.3.a.2.q |
| Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment. | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Supervise medical support personnel. | 4.A.4.b.4.a |
| Train medical providers. | 4.A.4.b.3.f |
| Maintain medical or professional knowledge. | 4.A.2.b.3.a |
| Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues. | 4.A.1.a.1.s |
| Present medical research reports. | 4.A.3.b.6.c |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customer and Personal Service | knowledge | 4.57 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | knowledge | 4.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 4 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 4 |
| Writing | essential_skill | 4 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 4 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 4 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 4 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 4 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 4 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 4 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 4 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 4 |
| Near Vision | ability | 4 |
| Design | knowledge | 3.95 |
| Therapy and Counseling | knowledge | 3.95 |
| Written Expression | ability | 3.88 |
| Visualization | ability | 3.88 |
| English Language | knowledge | 3.86 |
| Psychology | knowledge | 3.85 |
| Mechanical | knowledge | 3.81 |
| Education and Training | knowledge | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | essential_skill | 3.75 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 3.75 |
| Service Orientation | transferable_skill | 3.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 3.75 |
| Production and Processing | knowledge | 3.75 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.75 |
| Administration and Management | knowledge | 3.67 |
| Engineering and Technology | knowledge | 3.62 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 3.62 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 3.62 |
| Computers and Electronics | knowledge | 3.52 |
| Physics | knowledge | 3.52 |
| Administrative | knowledge | 3.5 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 3.38 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 3.38 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 3.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 3.25 |
| Fluency of Ideas | ability | 3.25 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Access | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Selection | Specialized Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Patient Management Software | Specialized Skill |
| Email Software | Specialized Skill |
| Alibre Design | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Presentation Software | Specialized Skill |
| Medical Software | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | Computer aided design CAD software | yes | no |
| Intuit QuickBooks | Accounting software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Access | Data base user interface and query software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |
| Alibre Design | Computer aided design CAD software | no | no |
| American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association CodingPro | Medical software | no | no |
| Artsco OrthoPro Complete | Medical software | no | no |
| Computer graphics software | Graphics or photo imaging software | no | no |
| Email software | Electronic mail software | no | no |
| Futura International O.P.S. | Medical software | no | no |
| Gait analysis software | Medical software | no | no |
| Gez Bowman THE O&P HUB | Medical software | no | no |
| Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS | Medical software | no | no |
| Infinity CAD Systems AutoSculpt | Computer aided design CAD software | no | no |
| MedePresence | Medical software | no | no |
| MedEvolve eCeno | Medical software | no | no |
| Ohio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer System | Computer aided design CAD software | no | no |
| OPIE Practice Management Suite | Medical software | no | no |
| Patient management software | Medical software | no | no |
| Polhemus FastSCAN | Computer aided design CAD software | no | no |
| Seattle Systems Shapemaker | Computer aided design CAD software | no | no |
| Vorum Research Corporation CANFIT-PLUS | Computer aided design CAD software | no | no |
| Web browser software | Internet browser software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| E-Mail | 5 |
| Telephone Conversations | 4.9 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.9 |
| Physical Proximity | 4.67 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 4.62 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 4.55 |
| Contact With Others | 4.52 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 4.52 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 4.48 |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled | 4.43 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Equipment | 4.38 |
| Time Pressure | 4.29 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 4.19 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 4.19 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 4.15 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 4.1 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 4.1 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 4 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 3.9 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 3.86 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 3.81 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 3.76 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | 3.67 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | 3.67 |
| Level of Competition | 3.57 |
| Spend Time Standing | 3.43 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 3.42 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 3.33 |
| Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People | 3.19 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 3 |
| Conflict Situations | 2.86 |
| Consequence of Error | 2.81 |
| Spend Time Sitting | 2.67 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 2.62 |
| Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection | 2.57 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 2.52 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 2.43 |
| Public Speaking | 2.33 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 2.3 |
| In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment | 2.19 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 5
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- **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).
- **Experience:** Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- **Svp Range:** (8.0 and above)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| Master's Degree | 90 |
| Bachelor's Degree | 5 |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 5 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dependability | work_style | 8 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 7 |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 6 |
| Integrity | work_style | 6 |
| Health Care Service | specific_interest_area | 5.81 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 5.1 |
| Cautiousness | work_style | 5 |
| Engineering | specific_interest_area | 4.87 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 4.3 |
| Mechanics/Electronics | specific_interest_area | 4.18 |
| Cooperation | work_style | 4 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 3.58 |
| Medical Science | specific_interest_area | 3.46 |
| Social Service | specific_interest_area | 3.37 |
| Teaching/Education | specific_interest_area | 3.35 |
| Achievement Orientation | work_style | 3 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 29-1242.00 | role-29-1242-00 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | Primary-Short |
| 51-9082.00 | role-51-9082-00 | Medical Appliance Technicians | Primary-Short |
| 29-1229.04 | role-29-1229-04 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians | Primary-Short |
| 29-1081.00 | role-29-1081-00 | Podiatrists | Primary-Short |
| 29-1181.00 | role-29-1181-00 | Audiologists | Primary-Short |
| 29-1023.00 | role-29-1023-00 | Orthodontists | Primary-Long |
| 31-2021.00 | role-31-2021-00 | Physical Therapist Assistants | Primary-Long |
| 29-2043.00 | role-29-2043-00 | Paramedics | Primary-Long |
| 29-1123.00 | role-29-1123-00 | Physical Therapists | Primary-Long |
| 29-1024.00 | role-29-1024-00 | Prosthodontists | Primary-Long |
| 29-1243.00 | role-29-1243-00 | Pediatric Surgeons | Supplemental |
| 29-1211.00 | role-29-1211-00 | Anesthesiologists | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Healthcare & Human Services | healthcare-human-services |

## Education Level

- **Category:** Master's degree

## Study Programs

| Title | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Health Professions and Related Programs | health-professions-and-related-programs |

## Market

- **Median Wage:** 78310
- **Mean Wage:** 81330
- **Pct10Wage:** 46220
- **Pct25Wage:** 59990
- **Pct75Wage:** 98880
- **Pct90Wage:** 118730
- **Employment:** 9930
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 3980 | 74690 | 2.67 |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 2820 | 83220 | 3.43 |
| 44-45 | 44-45 | Retail Trade | Sector | 1330 | 71150 | 1.32 |
| 42 | 42 | Wholesale Trade | Sector | 620 | 77930 | 1.59 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 110 | 73970 | 0.19 |
| 61 | 61 | Educational Services | Sector |  | 71640 |  |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 2820 | 3.43 |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 3980 | 2.67 |
| 42 | 42 | Wholesale Trade | Sector | 620 | 1.59 |
| 44-45 | 44-45 | Retail Trade | Sector | 1330 | 1.32 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 110 | 0.19 |
- **Count:** 6

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.0035 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | 0.066577 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | 0.1370207 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | 0.1256412 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 32
- **Percentile:** 30
- **Band:** Low
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 49 | felten_aioe |
| 37 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 11 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | 0.066577 | 49 | Moderate | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.3793103448275862 | 37 | Moderate | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.050721716689311615 | 11 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.0035
- **Percentile:** 1
- **Band:** Low
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.1724137931034483
- **Beta:** 0.27586206896551724
- **Gamma:** 0.3793103448275862

### Usage Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Importance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Show and explain orthopedic and prosthetic appliances to healthcare workers. | 0.0017460323981446867 | 3.95 |
- **Usage Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** 13.3
- **Growth Percentile:** 96
- **Direction:** Growing fast
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 0.9
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 14
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 10.1
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 11.5

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 15
- **Skills:** 42
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 26
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** 2e9b7b19ace1f702