Orthotic and Prosthetic Technicians

Few opportunities exist for people without training to get paid part-time or summer work in the orthotics and prosthetics field. Your first actual exposure to the work will probably be as part of a supervised training program or a clinical experience in a formal degree program. You can find out more about this kind of work by volunteering in a rehabilitation center or hospital with an orthotics and prosthetics department. On such a visit, you can see technicians at work and perhaps talk with them about what their jobs are like. Volunteering will also demonstrate your sincere interest in the field to training program admissions officers and future employers.

Ask your school's career services office for help locating an orthotic and prosthetic technician who would be interested in talking about their work. Create a list of questions before you speak with them.

You can also become familiar with the field by reading about it. For example, you might want to read an issue of or even subscribe to the O&P Almanac (https://www.aopanet.org/publications/op-almanac-magazine), a magazine published by the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association that covers business, government, and professional news concerning the industry.