Medical Appliance Technicians
Manufacturing · Maintenance, Installation & Repair
Pay and outlook shown for
New workers start near $37,220; experienced workers reach $78,930. About 40 people do this job in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Job outlook
U.S. projection, 2024 to 2034.
- Employment change
- +4%
- Openings a year
- 1,500
- Employed in 2024
- 12,000
Typical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent · Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Alamo Colleges programs that lead here
No program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.
Browse all programsSkills this career uses
The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.
- Active Listening3.6
- Quality Control Analysis3.8
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Speaking3.1
- Troubleshooting3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Operations Monitoring3.0
What the work is
Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.
- Fit appliances onto patients, and make any necessary adjustments.
- Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.
- Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.
- Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.
- Instruct patients in use of prosthetic or orthotic devices.
- Take patients' body or limb measurements for use in device construction.
Education people in this job have
Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.
- High school or less27%
- Certificate10%
- Some college9%
- Associate degree26%
- Bachelor's degree18%
- Master's degree10%
Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.
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