Certified orthotic fitter vs orthotist

The differences between certified orthotic fitters and orthotists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a certified orthotic fitter and an orthotist. Additionally, an orthotist has an average salary of $52,238, which is higher than the $50,976 average annual salary of a certified orthotic fitter.

The top three skills for a certified orthotic fitter include patients, ABC and product selection. The most important skills for an orthotist are patients, orthotics, and prosthetics.

Certified orthotic fitter vs orthotist overview

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Orthotist
Yearly salary	$50,976	$52,238
Hourly rate	$24.51	$25.11
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	35,815	341
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Certified orthotic fitter vs orthotist salary

Certified orthotic fitters and orthotists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Orthotist
Average salary	$50,976	$52,238
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $107,000	Between $24,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	-	Scranton, PA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	University of Rochester
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between certified orthotic fitter and orthotist education

There are a few differences between a certified orthotic fitter and an orthotist in terms of educational background:

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Orthotist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Certified orthotic fitter vs orthotist demographics

Here are the differences between certified orthotic fitters' and orthotists' demographics:

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Orthotist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 7.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between certified orthotic fitter and orthotist duties and responsibilities

Certified orthotic fitter example responsibilities.

Inform patients of their insurance coverage including deductibles and co-payments.
Input clinical information (notes) in to Opie (EMR) as well as Lcodes.
Fabricate custom inserts, AFO, and prosthetic sockets/devices.
Measure, fit and explain off the shelf orthotic devises.
Identify most appropriate soft good orthotics to fit clinical needs for diverse patient population.
Perform cashiering duties (POS), overnight inventory and maintaining monthly sales quotas.

Orthotist example responsibilities.

Provide detail patient management to patient of proper use of custom and/or off-the-shelf orthotics as were prescribe.
Designate as department's long-term EMR 'super user' for inpatient and outpatient services.
Research products to ensure cost efficient materials are used for the most cost effective products build and make for patients.
Experience with microprocessor knees, body power and myoelectric upper extremity prosthetics.
Work as a certify breast prosthetic fitter.
Fabricate orthotic devices, including development of designs, selection of materials, and structural evaluation and modification.

Certified orthotic fitter vs orthotist skills

Common certified orthotic fitter skills

Patients, 23%
ABC, 13%
Product Selection, 9%
Orthotics, 8%
Insurance Benefits, 8%
Durable Medical Equipment, 5%

Common orthotist skills

Patients, 51%
Orthotics, 14%
Prosthetics, 8%
Patients Needs, 7%
Treatment Plan, 6%
Health Professionals, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Certified Orthotic Fitter
Certified Orthotic Fitter vs Orthotist

Updated January 8, 2025

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