What does a Orthotists and Prosthetist do?

Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions. Day to day that includes work like fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort and Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses.

What skills should a Orthotists and Prosthetist put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Orthotists and Prosthetist list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Alibre Design, American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association CodingPro, Artsco OrthoPro Complete, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Computer aided manufacturing CAM software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Orthotists and Prosthetist work?

O*NET records 30 titles for this occupation, including Certified Orthotist, CO, Certified Prosthetist, and CP. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Orthotists and Prosthetist need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 90% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Orthotists and Prosthetist role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Orthotists and Prosthetist resume example

A resume for a Orthotists and Prosthetist needs to show the work itself: design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions. Day to day that means work like this: fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort; instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Certified Orthotist
CO
Certified Prosthetist
CP
Certified Prosthetist Orthotist
CPO
Orthotist
Certified Pedorthist
Licensed Orthotist
LPO
Licensed Prosthetist Orthotist
Orthotic Practitioner
Prosthetic Practitioner
Prosthetist
ABC Orthotist
American Board Certified Orthotist
Artificial Limb Fitter
Board Orthotist

O*NET records 30 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Certified Orthotist (CO)
Certified Prosthetist (CP)
Certified Prosthetist Orthotist (CPO)
LPO (Licensed Prosthetist Orthotist)

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort.
Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses.
Maintain patients' records.
Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit.
Select materials and components to be used, based on device design.
Design orthopedic and prosthetic devices, based on physicians' prescriptions and examination and measurement of patients.
Repair, rebuild, and modify prosthetic and orthopedic appliances.
Construct and fabricate appliances, or supervise others constructing the appliances.
Make and modify plaster casts of areas to be fitted with prostheses or orthoses to guide the device construction process.
Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices.
Show and explain orthopedic and prosthetic appliances to healthcare workers.
Train and supervise support staff, such as orthopedic and prosthetic assistants and technicians.

15 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Maintain patients' records, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Alibre Design
American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association CodingPro
Artsco OrthoPro Complete
Autodesk AutoCAD
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
Computer graphics software
Email software
Futura International O.P.S.
Gait analysis software
Gez Bowman THE O&P HUB
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS
Infinity CAD Systems AutoSculpt
Intuit QuickBooks
MedePresence

27 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Allen wrenches
Anvils
Belt sanders
Bending irons
Cast cutters
Cast spreaders
Circular saws
Claw hammers
Computer numerical controlled CNC milling machines
Deburring tools
Desktop computers
Digital calipers

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Critical Thinking
03Reading Comprehension
04Speaking
05Writing
06Active Learning
07Complex Problem Solving
08Service Orientation
09Social Perceptiveness
10Monitoring

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Customer and Personal Service
Medicine and Dentistry
Design
Therapy and Counseling
English Language
Psychology
Mechanical
Education and Training

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

90%Master's Degree
5%Bachelor's Degree
5%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Orthotists and Prosthetist do?: Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions. Day to day that includes work like fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort and Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses.
What skills should a Orthotists and Prosthetist put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Orthotists and Prosthetist list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Alibre Design, American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association CodingPro, Artsco OrthoPro Complete, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Computer aided manufacturing CAM software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Orthotists and Prosthetist work?: O*NET records 30 titles for this occupation, including Certified Orthotist, CO, Certified Prosthetist, and CP. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Orthotists and Prosthetist need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 90% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Orthotists and Prosthetist role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.