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Boston Career Explorer

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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.

Also called: Certified Orthotist (CO), Certified Pedorthotist, Certified Prosthetist (CP), Hearing Aid Repair Technician (Hearing Aid Repair Tech), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Orthopedic Technician (Orthopedic Tech)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$59,910
$28.80/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
250
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+4.0%
40 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$49,000$52,530$59,910$74,460$87,570

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure30 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 34
  • Language-model AIOE 32
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 23

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with reading prescriptions and planning which device and materials to use. Taking casts of patients, shaping materials, and making and repairing braces or artificial limbs by hand are not tasks AI tools do.

Likely to change

  • Reading prescriptions and specifications
  • Choosing materials and tools for each device

Still relies on people

  • Making casts and impressions of patients
  • Shaping, repairing, and polishing devices by hand

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Industrial Machinery Mechanics

    Repairing and fixing parts with hand and power tools carries over. This job pays a Boston median of $75,200 and projects 17.1% growth in Massachusetts.

    Pay difference
    +$15,290 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +17.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Machinists

    Working to exact measurements and shaping parts with tools carries over. This job pays a Boston median of $72,060, with long-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$12,150 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Medical Equipment Preparers

    Checking equipment for wear and repair needs carries over. This healthcare-related job pays a similar median ($60,840) and projects 8.8% growth.

    Pay difference
    +$930 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +8.8%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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