Occupation Profile

Medical Appliance Technicians

(SOC Code : 51-9082)

in California

Construct, fit, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices, such as braces, artificial limbs, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Long-term on-the-job training (> 12 months) .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$18.52	$13.81	$17.41	$21.83

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	1,200	1,300	100	8.3	50

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Medical Equipment and Supplies Mfg

3,367

88.0%

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Fit appliances onto patients and make any necessary adjustments.

Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.

Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools that will be required.

Instruct patients in use of prosthetic or orthotic devices.

Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.

Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients` torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.

Take patients` body or limb measurements for use in device construction.

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.

Lay out and mark dimensions of parts, using templates and precision measuring instruments.

More Tasks for Medical Appliance Technicians

Top Skills used in this Job

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

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.

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.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

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