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Medical Appliance Technician

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What is a Medical Appliance Technician?

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

Life As a Medical Appliance Technician

  • Service or repair machinery used in the fabrication of appliances.
  • Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels.
  • Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components.
  • Lay out and mark dimensions of parts, using templates and precision measuring instruments.
  • Cover or pad metal or plastic structures or devices, using coverings such as rubber, leather, felt, plastic, or fiberglass.
  • Mix pigments to match patients’ skin coloring, according to formulas, and apply mixtures to orthotic or prosthetic devices.

Things a Medical Appliance Technician Should Know How to Do

Below is a list of the skills most Medical Appliance Technicians say are important on the job.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

  • Orthotic Technician
  • Medical Device Assembler
  • Surgical Instrument Maker
  • Artificial Limb Maker
  • Prosthetic Lab Technician

Are There Job Opportunities for Medical Appliance Technicians?

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 15,000 jobs in the United States for Medical Appliance Technician. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 13.3% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 2,000 new jobs for Medical Appliance Technician by 2026. There will be an estimated 2,000 positions for Medical Appliance Technician per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Medical Appliance Technician are Utah, Tennessee, and Delaware. Watch out if you plan on working in Oklahoma, North Dakota, or Nebraska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

What is the Average Salary of a Medical Appliance Technician

The average yearly salary of a Medical Appliance Technician ranges between $24,090 and $63,130.

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Medical Appliance Technicians who work in Colorado, Alaska, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.

How much do Medical Appliance Technicians make in each U.S. state?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $47,070
Alaska $50,320
Arizona $40,770
Arkansas $35,330
California $48,370
Colorado $52,060
Connecticut $42,740
Delaware $40,690
Florida $42,720
Georgia $39,190
Illinois $51,390
Indiana $35,050
Iowa $39,990
Kansas $35,190
Kentucky $37,620
Louisiana $30,020
Maine $44,140
Maryland $44,760
Massachusetts $48,230
Michigan $46,740
Minnesota $44,590
Mississippi $38,400
Missouri $36,820
Nevada $40,960
New Hampshire $46,200
New Jersey $41,510
New Mexico $39,250
New York $41,580
North Carolina $39,880
Ohio $37,340
Oklahoma $36,060
Oregon $35,130
Pennsylvania $41,620
Rhode Island $46,050
South Carolina $36,980
Tennessee $37,460
Texas $40,040
Utah $34,840
Virginia $45,140
Washington $47,730
West Virginia $43,770
Wisconsin $35,700

What Tools & Technology do Medical Appliance Technicians Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Medical Appliance Technicians:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Gait analysis software
  • Ohio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer System
  • Seattle Systems Shapemaker
  • Vorum Research Corporation CANFIT-PLUS

How do I Become a Medical Appliance Technician?

Education needed to be a Medical Appliance Technician:

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What work experience do I need to become a Medical Appliance Technician?

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Where Medical Appliance Technicians Work

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The table below shows the approximate number of Medical Appliance Technicians employed by various industries.

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Career changers with experience as a Medical Appliance Technician sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: Barbara E. Carver via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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