# 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.

- **SOC code:** 51-9082.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9082-00
- **Also known as:** Lab Technician, Orthotic Technician, Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician (O and P Technician), Prosthetics Technician, Certified Pedorthotist, Hearing Aid Repair Technician, Orthopedic Technician, Prosthetic Technician
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- 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.
- Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.
- Cover or pad metal or plastic structures or devices, using coverings such as rubber, leather, felt, plastic, or fiberglass.
- Test medical supportive devices for proper alignment, movement, or biomechanical stability, using meters and alignment fixtures.
- Lay out and mark dimensions of parts, using templates and precision measuring instruments.
- Fit appliances onto patients, and make any necessary adjustments.
- Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels.
- Mix pigments to match patients' skin coloring, according to formulas, and apply mixtures to orthotic or prosthetic devices.

**Emerging tasks** (O*NET):
- Order parts or supplies for orthotic or prosthetic devices.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Production and Processing _(knowledge)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Quality Control Analysis _(transferable_skill)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Visualization _(ability)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- Footmaxx Metascan software
- Gait analysis software
- Ohio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer System
- Orthotic fabrication software
- Seattle Systems Shapemaker
- SoftSource CADview
- Vorum Research Corporation CANFIT-PLUS

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 20th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 35th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 25th percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 7th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 45th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 3.7% growth (About average); 1.5k annual openings; 12k → 12.4k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $47,060; 11,490 employed.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9082-00_