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Medical Appliance Technicians
Production · SOC 51-9082
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$48,030
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
2,200
Proj. Annual Openings
11,280
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-3.7%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-9082 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 57/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $48,030
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 2,200
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +3.7%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 2,923 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingQuality Control AnalysisReading ComprehensionSpeaking
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
21.9%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI13.8%
AI ability · AIOE51.8%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne45%
Top Skills
1.Active Listening
2.Critical Thinking
3.Quality Control Analysis
4.Reading Comprehension
5.Speaking
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.
Common titles: Certified Pedorthotist, Hearing Aid Repair Technician, Lab Technician, Orthopedic Technician, Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician (O and P Technician), Orthotic Technician
Representative Tasks
- •Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.
- •Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.
- •Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.
- •Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components.
- •Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
- •Operate welding equipment.
- •Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
- •Construct customized assistive medical or dental devices.
- •Adjust fabrics or other materials during garment production.
Tools & Technologies
Autodesk AutoCAD · hotMicrosoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotFootmaxx Metascan softwareGait analysis softwareOhio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer SystemOrthotic fabrication softwareSeattle Systems ShapemakerSoftSource CADview
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-9082: 2019 — employment: 14,130, median wage: $40,690; 2020 — employment: 13,710, median wage: $41,750; 2021 — employment: 15,300, median wage: $45,280; 2022 — employment: 15,680, median wage: $42,160; 2023 — employment: 12,550, median wage: $44,960; 2025 — employment: 11,280, median wage: $48,030.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $48,030 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |