An orthopedic technician performs various support tasks under an orthopedic doctor or surgeon. These tasks may include medical and non-medical duties, depending on the technician's training level and experience. For medical tasks, orthopedic technicians assist doctors with applying and removing casts, adjusting traction equipment, and assisting surgeons in the operating room.
On the other hand, orthopedic technicians may also perform non-medical duties such as educating patients about their condition, filling out paperwork, handling correspondence, and monitoring the inventory of medical supplies.
To become an orthopedic technician, you must be at least a high school graduate with related working experience or a college graduate with or without working experience. You may also be required to have a certification or license to work, depending on which state you live in. Furthermore, you must be physically strong enough to assist patients with walking or getting up if they fall over.
With this job, you can earn around $38,000 a year on average, but your salary can be as much as $50,000, depending on your experience level and where you work.c
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an Orthopedic Technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.8 an hour? That's $41,179 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 11% and produce 9,100 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many Orthopedic Technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Technical skills, Interpersonal skills and Dexterity.
If you're interested in becoming an Orthopedic Technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 39.1% of Orthopedic Technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.2% of Orthopedic Technicians have master's degrees. Even though some Orthopedic Technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an Orthopedic Technician. When we researched the most common majors for an Orthopedic Technician, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Associate Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Orthopedic Technician resumes include High School Diploma degrees or Master's Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an Orthopedic Technician. In fact, many Orthopedic Technician jobs require experience in a role such as Medical Assistant. Meanwhile, many Orthopedic Technicians also have previous career experience in roles such as Surgical Technician or Certified Nursing Assistant.