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What Does it Take to Be a Medical Appliance Technician?
Medical Appliance Technician Job Description Construct, fit, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices, such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.
What Do Medical Appliance Technicians Do On a Daily Basis?
- Lay out and mark dimensions of parts, using templates and precision measuring instruments.
- Mix pigments to match patients’ skin coloring, according to formulas, and apply mixtures to orthotic or prosthetic devices.
- Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.
- Take patients’ body or limb measurements for use in device construction.
- Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels.
- Fit appliances onto patients and make any necessary adjustments.
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Skills Needed to be a Medical Appliance Technician
When polled, Medical Appliance Technicians say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
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.
Related Job Titles
- Medical Assembler
- Fabrication Technician
- Arch Support Maker
- Orthotic Fitter
- Medical Appliance Maker
Are There Job Opportunities for Medical Appliance Technicians?
In the United States, there were 15,000 jobs for Medical Appliance Technician in 2016. 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.
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.
Medical Appliance Technician Salary
The typical yearly salary for Medical Appliance Technicians is somewhere between $24,090 and $63,130.
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 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Medical Appliance Technicians
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Medical Appliance Technicians may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Gait analysis software
- Ohio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer System
- Seattle Systems Shapemaker
- Vorum Research Corporation CANFIT-PLUS
How to Become a Medical Appliance Technician
Individuals working as a Medical Appliance Technician have obtained the following education levels:
How Long Does it Take to Become a Medical Appliance Technician?
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as a Medical Appliance Technician sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Barbara E. Carver via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
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