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Certified orthotist vs orthotic/prosthetic practitioner

The differences between certified orthotists and orthotic/prosthetic practitioners 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 orthotist and an orthotic/prosthetic practitioner. Additionally, an orthotic/prosthetic practitioner has an average salary of $216,637, which is higher than the $51,772 average annual salary of a certified orthotist.

The top three skills for a certified orthotist include orthotics, patients and prosthetics. The most important skills for an orthotic/prosthetic practitioner are prosthetics, orthotics, and ABC.

Certified orthotist vs orthotic/prosthetic practitioner overview

Certified OrthotistOrthotic/Prosthetic Practitioner
Yearly salary$51,772$216,637
Hourly rate$24.89$104.15
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs34,37020,149
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

Certified orthotist vs orthotic/prosthetic practitioner salary

Certified orthotists and orthotic/prosthetic practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Certified OrthotistOrthotic/Prosthetic Practitioner
Average salary$51,772$216,637
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $109,000Between $129,000 And $361,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between certified orthotist and orthotic/prosthetic practitioner education

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

Certified OrthotistOrthotic/Prosthetic Practitioner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common majorBiologyBusiness
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Certified orthotist vs orthotic/prosthetic practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between certified orthotists' and orthotic/prosthetic practitioners' demographics:

Certified OrthotistOrthotic/Prosthetic Practitioner
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 65.4% Female, 34.6%Male, 58.3% Female, 41.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%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 Percentage8%8%

Differences between certified orthotist and orthotic/prosthetic practitioner duties and responsibilities

Certified orthotist example responsibilities.

  • Achieve facility accreditation through ABC and obtain a Medicare contract to supply orthotics to their members.
  • Educate patients and family members regarding diagnosis, injury prevention and therapeutic treatments.
  • Specialize in care of both idiopathic and neuromuscular scoliosis.

Orthotic/prosthetic practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Lead quality assessment of client's QA / QC processes, organizations, and test environments.
  • Execute the development from paper reporting to all digital using SafetyChain technology for all SQF relate documentation.
  • Work closely with PTs, OTs and SLPs.

Certified orthotist vs orthotic/prosthetic practitioner skills

Common certified orthotist skills
  • Orthotics, 29%
  • Patients, 27%
  • Prosthetics, 24%
  • Scoliosis, 9%
  • Direct Patient Care, 5%
  • Physician Assistants, 2%
Common orthotic/prosthetic practitioner skills
  • Prosthetics, 44%
  • Orthotics, 38%
  • ABC, 19%

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