Certified orthotic fitter vs prosthetist

The differences between certified orthotic fitters and prosthetists 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 a prosthetist. Additionally, a prosthetist has an average salary of $51,852, 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 a prosthetist are prosthetics, orthotics, and treatment plan.

Certified orthotic fitter vs prosthetist overview

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Prosthetist
Yearly salary	$50,976	$51,852
Hourly rate	$24.51	$24.93
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	35,815	298
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Certified orthotic fitter vs prosthetist salary

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

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Prosthetist
Average salary	$50,976	$51,852
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $107,000	Between $24,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	-	Las Vegas, NV
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Tenet Healthcare
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between certified orthotic fitter and prosthetist education

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

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Prosthetist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Health Sciences And Services
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Certified orthotic fitter vs prosthetist demographics

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

	Certified Orthotic Fitter	Prosthetist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%	Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6%
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, 14.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between certified orthotic fitter and prosthetist 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.

Prosthetist example responsibilities.

Gain extensive knowledge of hospital orthotics.
Obtain insurance authorizations when necessary and bill insurance companies using emr software.
Design and application of cosmetic prosthetic devices.
Work closely with PTs, OTs and SLPs.

Certified orthotic fitter vs prosthetist skills

Common certified orthotic fitter skills

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

Common prosthetist skills

Prosthetics, 74%
Orthotics, 19%
Treatment Plan, 7%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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