How to become a Prosthetist or Orthotist
Official title: Prosthetist/Orthotist
Also called: Artificial limb fitter, Orthotic fitter, Orthotist, Prosthetist, Artificial limb fitter, Orthotic fitter
Prosthetist/Orthotist assesses patients and designs and fits suitable support instruments for individuals who have impairments, deficiencies or weaknesses due to injury, pathology or congenital malformation. He/she educates patients on how to use and maintain support instruments properly.
Main tasks
- Examining, interviewing and measuring patients in order to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit
- Conferring with medical and dental practitioners in order to formulate specifications and prescriptions for devices and appliances
- Interpreting prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools that will be required
- Making or receiving casts or impressions of patients’ torsos, limbs, mouths or teeth for use as fabrication patterns
- Designing and making orthotic and prosthetic devices using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand and power tools
- Fitting appliances and devices onto patients, testing and evaluating them, and making adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort
- Repairing, modifying and maintaining medical and dental prosthetic and supportive devices, according to specifications
- Bending, forming and shaping fabric or material so that it conforms to prescribed contours needed to fabricate structural components
How to become one
Occupations included in this unit group normally require some medical, dental and anatomical and engineering knowledge obtained through formal training.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Prosthetic/Orthotic technician
- Dental technician
- Sonographer
- Medical X-ray technician
- Medical/Pathology laboratory technician
- Pharmacy technician
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Prosthetist or Orthotist?
Occupations included in this unit group normally require some medical, dental and anatomical and engineering knowledge obtained through formal training.
Will AI change the work of a Prosthetist or Orthotist?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat): Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC) 2024 (SSOC 2024 (definitions and index updated 2026-06-24)), Singapore Open Data Licence, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026