Skilled Trades
Medical Appliance Technicians
Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.
Median salary (BLS)
$48,030
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$37k – $76k
Job outlook
+4% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Medical Appliance Technicians
Education
Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Medical Appliance Technicians
Entry / Junior
$36,510
~2 yrs to advance
Medical Appliance Technicians
Established
$48,030
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Medical Appliance Technicians
Senior
$61,885
Key skills
A typical day
- •Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.
- •Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.
- •Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.
- •Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components.
- •Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.