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Prosthetist

ANZSCO 251912

A Prosthetist designs and fits prosthetic devices for individuals with disabilities or amputations, requiring both technical and interpersonal skills.

  • This role has a low level of AI exposure. Core skills such as adaptability, social intelligence, and complex physical tasks remain beyond the capabilities of current AI.
      • NSW
      • ACT
      • VIC
      • QLD
      • TAS
      • WA
      • SA
  • 10,000 people employed in Australia
AI exposure data adapted from Felten, Raj & Seamans (2021). Shortage data sourced from Jobs and Skills Australia (2024).

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Common questions

The average salary for Prosthetists working in Australia right now is approximately $1,200 per week ($62,400 annually). These are median figures for full-time employees (including new graduates) and should be considered a guide only.

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There are currently 410 qualified Prosthetists working in Australia. They are employed by hospitals, community health organisations, and aged care facilities but they also work in private practice. According to the National Careers Institute, this occupation is in very high demand.

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To practice as a Prosthetist in Australia you must obtain a Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics or a Master of Clinical Prosthetics and Orthotics. Once you are qualified, it is beneficial to register with the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association.

Source: Australian Government Labour Market Insights 2023

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Further reading

How to become a qualified Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist in Australia

23rd December 2024

What does an Occupational Therapist do?

15th September 2022

What do massage therapists do?

9th October 2019

Prosthetist careers

Prosthetists are allied health professionals who design, fabricate, and fit prosthetic devices for clients with muscular and skeletal disabilities, as well as amputees and cancer patients. They may specialise in artificial limbs, splints, braces, callipers, or prostheses that replicate a body part that was lost to cancer — either fabricating the device themselves or adjusting commercially-made products. Prosthetists are sometimes known as Orthostists.

As a Prosthetist you could be holding an initial consultation with a young amputee, taking measurements and making a plaster cast of a limb, making adjustments to prosthetics for a client who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), teaching a double-amputee how to care for their new prosthetic legs, assessing a client with muscular dystrophy, repairing a back brace, or ordering materials and spare parts from a specialist supplier.

To succeed in this occupation you’ll need the technical skills to design and build prosthetics as well as the interpersonal skills to relate to clients and their families.