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.
11,280 people do this job in the US. $48,030 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 3%
- 2%
- 95%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 30% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 18% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 9% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 8% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 7% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Polish artificial limbs, braces, or supports, using grinding and buffing wheels.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Cover or pad metal or plastic structures or devices, using coverings such as rubber, leather, felt, plastic, or fiberglass.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Lay out and mark dimensions of parts, using templates and precision measuring instruments.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 33 min13 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Test medical supportive devices for proper alignment, movement, or biomechanical stability, using meters and alignment fixtures.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Fit appliances onto patients, and make any necessary adjustments.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Instruct patients in use of prosthetic or orthotic devices.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 2% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Dental Laboratory Technicians0% now, 0% by 2028
- Medical Equipment Repairers7% now, 26% by 2028
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians7% now, 7% by 2028
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters5% now, 5% by 2028
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic0% now, 0% by 2028
- Surgical Technologists3% now, 3% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).