Activities	Assist patients with disabling conditions of limbs and spine or with partial or total absence of limb by fitting and preparing orthopedic braces or prostheses.
Outlook	Average job growth
Median Income	$62,600 per year in 2008
Work Context & Conditions	Work in a variety of settings: orthotic and prosthetic private offices, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, specialty clinics and home health, and nursing homes. Requires frequent contact with other people. Must be highly accurately and thorough. Requires the use of hands to handle, control, and feel objects, tools, or controls.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Instructing, Active Listening, Equipment Selection, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Technology Design
Abilities	Oral Expression, Visualization, Manual Dexterity, Written Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Written Expression, Oral Comprehension
Interviews	Joseph Miller Ralph Urgolities

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		According to the Orthotics & Prosthetics webpage, "Orthotists and prosthetists fit patients for devices, using static and dynamic alignments, assist physicians in formulating specifications and prescription for orthopedic and/or prosthetic devices, and design orthopedic and prosthetic devices according to physician's prescription. Specifically, prosthetics involves the use of artificial limbs (prostheses) to enhance the function and lifestyle of persons with limb loss and orthotics involves precision and creativity in the design and fabrication of external braces (orthoses) as part of a patient's treatment process. They are required to select materials and components and make cast measurements, model modifications, and layouts using measuring equipment. They evaluate devices on patients and make adjustments to ensure fit, function, comfort, and quality; and instruct patients in use of orthopedic or prosthetic devices. Other job-related activities include: maintaining patients records, repairing and maintaining orthopedic prosthetic devices by using hand tools, and supervising laboratory activities or activities of prosthetic assistants and support staff relating to the development of orthopedic or prosthetic devices. Some orthotists and prosthetists lecture to and hold demonstrations for colleagues and other professionals concerned with orthopedics or prosthetics. Some may also participate in research to modify the design, fit, and function of orthopedic or prosthetic devices."
Working Conditions		According the According to the Orthotics & Prosthetics webpage, "Orthotists and prosthetists work in a variety of settings: private practice, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, specialty clinics and home health settings, and nursing homes.
Salary Range		Median yearly earnings of orthotists and prosthetists were $62,600 in 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $43,800 and $81,300. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $33,400, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $102,300.

Education Required		According to the Orthotics & Prosthetics webpage, "There are seven O&P education programs in the U.S. that prepare practitioners to become certified by the American Board for Certification (ABC), providing the most comprehensive formal education and highest professional recognition available. Five are post-baccalaureate Masters or Certificate programs, three are Baccalaureate level. Each is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education (CAAHEP), the national healthcare accreditation agency." Baccalaureate Programs -- Practitioner level programs require 2 full years to complete. They are designed to produce professional level graduates with a baccalaureate degree, and clinical preparation in both orthotics and prosthetics. A minimum 500 hour clinical affiliation is required for graduation. A graduate is then qualified to sit for American Board for Certification examinations ("Certification") in Prosthetics and/or Orthotics after one year of supervised clinical experience per discipline in an NCOPE accredited residency. Certificate Programs -- Practitioner level programs require one academic year per discipline to complete. They are designed to train a practitioner in either orthotics or prosthetics. These programs offer comprehensive clinical and didactic post-baccalaureate education. A minimum 250 hour clinical affiliation is required in each discipline. Often a student attends one certificate, and returns one or more years later to attend the other, thereby "extending credential". After completion of a certificate program, one year of supervised clinical experience in a NCOPE accredited residency will follow. Residency sites are available throughout the United States. NCOPE Prerequisites for baccalaureate, certificate, and master's programs: biology (minimum 3 semester hours), chemistry (minimum 3 semester hours), physics (minimum 3 semester hours), psychology (minimum 3 semester hours), algebra or higher math (minimum 3 semester hours), and human anatomy and physiology (with Lab) (minimum 6 semester hours.)
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Mathematics, English, Chemistry, Physics
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Education and Training, Building and Construction, Mathematics, Therapy and Counseling, Design, Engineering and Technology, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		After completion of an NCOPE accredited residency, practitioners are eligible to stand for ABC certification in their chosen discipline.

Interest Area		Social Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Moral Values Never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. Social Service Do things for other people. Ability Utilization Make use of individual abilities.
Skills		Instructing Teach others how to do something. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Equipment Selection Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Technology Design Generate or adapt equipment and technology to serve user needs.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Visualization Able to imagine how something will look after it's moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. Manual Dexterity Able to make quick, coordinated movements of one or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. Written Comprehension Able to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Speech Clarity Able to speak clearly so listeners understand. Written Expression Able to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Dietitian and Nutritionist, Therapist, Recreational, Technician, Medical Appliance
Job Outlook		According to the Orthotics & Prosthetics webpage, "There is a growing need for orthotic and prosthetic professionals. Since 1973 the U.S. Department of Education has identified O&P training as a national priority with a practitioner deficit. While only eight institutions nationwide currently offer O&P education, the demand for provider services is expected to increase by 25 percent for orthotic care and 47 percent for prosthetic care by 2020. This practitioner shortage means more demand than ever for graduates of the nation's O&P education programs. Without an increase in the number of O&P students, by the year 2020, only 61 percent or less of the population using orthoses will be served. Similarly, only 66 percent or less of prosthetic consumers' needs will be met by 2020-a population expected to increase by 47 percent by that year. These statistics are taken from a study conducted by Caroline Nielsen, PhD entitled Issues Affecting the Future Demand for Orthotists and Prosthetists (May 2002). Currently, there are 5,484 practitioners certified by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC) (2007). Of this total number, 39 percent (1,888) were certified orthotists, 25 percent (1,210) were certified prosthetists and 35 percent (1,691) were certified in both disciplines. Seventeen percent of this group is 55 and older and likely to retire within the next ten years, so it is critical that more qualified students enter O&P programs to assure access to quality care for individuals with amputations and orthopedic impairments."
More Information		American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, American Medical Association - Health Care Careers
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition, Professional and Other Occupations, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20052.htm#29-2091 O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-2091.00 Orthotics and Prosthetics Careers, American Academy of Orthotics and Prosthetics, on the Internet at http://www.opcareers.org