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Medical Appliance Technicians Career, Salary and Skills

Medical Appliance Technicians have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $48,030 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 11,280. Wage data is published for 92 locations.

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Occupation description

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

O*NET code

51-9082.00

Job zone

2

Typical education

Not recorded

Experience

None

National salary and employment

Median annual

$48,030

Hourly median

$23.09

Employment

11,280

Data year

2025

National salary distribution

$36,510
10th
$42,210
25th
$48,030
Median
$60,580
75th
$75,740
90th

Top skills

SkillImportanceLevel
Quality Control Analysis3.753.88
Critical Thinking3.753.75
Reading Comprehension3.623.75
Speaking3.623.38
Active Listening3.623.62
Judgment and Decision Making3.383.00
Troubleshooting3.383.00
Social Perceptiveness3.253.25
Monitoring3.253.12
Operations Monitoring3.253.00
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Typical tasks

  • Test medical supportive devices for proper alignment, movement, or biomechanical stability, using meters and alignment fixtures.
  • Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.
  • Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels.
  • Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
  • 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.
  • Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.
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Technology

  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Footmaxx Metascan software
  • Gait analysis software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Word
  • Ohio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer System
  • Orthotic fabrication software
  • Seattle Systems Shapemaker
  • SoftSource CADview
  • Vorum Research Corporation CANFIT-PLUS
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Medical Appliance Technicians salary by location

Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.

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Related careers

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.