Do you want to give someone a hand? How about an arm or a foot?
A prosthetist makes prosthetic limbs (artificial limbs or other body parts) for people who are missing, have injured, or have lost arms, fingers, and even eyes. A prosthetic body part is known as a prosthesis (or plural: prostheses).
Try to say this 3 times really fast:
"A prosthetist makes prostheses."
If you want to help people solve physical challenges with bionic technology, a career as a prosthetist might be the right one for you!
Prosthetist life in 40 seconds
Here is a quick overview of prosthetist awesomeness:
Video above 0:01 - 0:41
And yes, the narrator of the prosthetist video above mispronounced prosthetist ¯\(ツ)/ (as you know from your own practice above).
Prosthetists also:
Talk to patients about what they need
Choose materials
Design devices
Measure patients and prosthetic devices
Adjust or fix prostheses
You got what it takes to do this?
You might enjoy being a prosthetist if you...
like to work with people but don't mind working alone at times
can work with machines and tools
have a creative mind
want to help others improve their lives in a meaningful way
Skip this career if you...
can't take being in college for six years or more
want a predictable daily schedule
are unwilling to study for exams and certifications
prefer to work outdoors
Different types of prosthetists
Limb specialist: prosthetist
Eye specialist: ocularist
Teeth specialist: prosthodontist
Facial reconstruction: anaplastologist
Pet specialist: veterinary prosthetist
Money, honey!
In the United States, the median pay for prosthetists is $75,440. Not bad! It comes out to $36.27 USD per hour.
In Canada, a prosthetist would typically make $38.08 CAD an hour , which results in a nice $79,102 for the year.
Where do prosthetists work?
Prosthetists work in manufacturing facilities, doctor offices, clinics, health and personal care stores, and hospitals.
Who may need prosthetics?
People with limbs missing at birth
Accident victims
Amputees
Prosthetists can make a big difference in someone's life as seen in the TikTok below:
Quiz
Being a prosthetist is a job that is growing faster than other jobs. Why might that be? Think about population trends and select all that apply.
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