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Prosthetist vs prosthetics technician

The differences between prosthetists and prosthetics technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a prosthetist and a prosthetics technician. Additionally, a prosthetist has an average salary of $51,852, which is higher than the $37,035 average annual salary of a prosthetics technician.

The top three skills for a prosthetist include prosthetics, orthotics and treatment plan. The most important skills for a prosthetics technician are patient care, prosthetic devices, and prosthetics.

Prosthetist vs prosthetics technician overview

ProsthetistProsthetics Technician
Yearly salary$51,852$37,035
Hourly rate$24.93$17.81
Growth rate17%2%
Number of jobs2986,302
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4344
Years of experience22

Prosthetist vs prosthetics technician salary

Prosthetists and prosthetics technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

ProsthetistProsthetics Technician
Average salary$51,852$37,035
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $109,000Between $25,000 And $54,000
Highest paying CityLas Vegas, NV-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyTenet Healthcare-
Best paying industry--

Differences between prosthetist and prosthetics technician education

There are a few differences between a prosthetist and a prosthetics technician in terms of educational background:

ProsthetistProsthetics Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorHealth Sciences And ServicesBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorthwestern University

Prosthetist vs prosthetics technician demographics

Here are the differences between prosthetists' and prosthetics technicians' demographics:

ProsthetistProsthetics Technician
Average age4344
Gender ratioMale, 74.4% Female, 25.6%Male, 80.4% Female, 19.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 8.6% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%5%

Differences between prosthetist and prosthetics technician duties and responsibilities

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.

Prosthetics technician example responsibilities.

  • Fabricate and repair custom orthotics and prostheses.
  • Fabricate and modify children and adult orthotics.
  • Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort.
  • Maintain company's public image and excellent reputation through tailor and consistent communication with patients, personnel, and the public.
  • Update warehouse items to include reorganizing, updating shelving units, restructuring pallets with categorizing supplies and equipment.
  • Conceive and implement a prosthetic project tracking system that maximize employee communication and increase efficiency, quality, and production.
  • Show more

Prosthetist vs prosthetics technician skills

Common prosthetist skills
  • Prosthetics, 74%
  • Orthotics, 19%
  • Treatment Plan, 7%
Common prosthetics technician skills
  • Patient Care, 21%
  • Prosthetic Devices, 19%
  • Prosthetics, 16%
  • Patients, 16%
  • Orthotics, 10%
  • CAD, 9%

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