Prosthetist-orthotist
Also called orthotist, expert prosthetist, clinical prosthetist
Prosthetist-orthotists design and custom fit prostheses and orthoses for individuals who are missing a limb from accident, disease or congenital conditions or for individuals who have impairments, deficiences or weaknesses due to injury, pathology or congenital malformation. They mix patient care with the design and fabrication of these devices to address their patients' needs.
What you'd do
Medical and dental prosthetic technicians · ILO- Examining, interviewing, and measuring patients in order to determine their appliance needs, and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit
- Conferring with medical and dental practitioners in order to formulate specifications and prescriptions for devices and appliances
- Interpreting prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated, and the materials and tools that will be required
- Making or receiving casts or impressions of patients' torsos, limbs, mouths or teeth for use as fabrication patterns
- Designing and making orthotic and prosthetic devices using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand and power tools
- Fitting appliances and devices onto patients, testing and evaluating them, and making adjustments for proper fit, function and comfort
- Repairing, modifying and maintaining medical and dental prosthetic and supportive devices, according to specifications
- Bending, forming, and shaping fabric or material so that it conforms to prescribed contours needed to fabricate structural components
- Fabricating full and partial dentures and constructing mouth guards, crowns, metal clasps, inlays, bridgework and other aids
- Instructing patients in the use and care of prosthetic or orthotic devices
- Indoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Constant contact with people, including the public
- Good freedom to decide
- Often more than 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospectsMany jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,500 a month (Bulgaria) to €8,200 (Luxembourg), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually post-secondary or a short degreePost-secondary training or a short degree in medicine is the usual route.
946 institutions in the EU offer health and welfare bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.18 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 10 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for medical and dental prosthetic technicians. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).