AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-2091.00
Will AI replace Orthotists and Prosthetists?
Orthotists and Prosthetists: AI can already handle 7 of 15 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 15 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Orthotists and Prosthetists, from most to least exposed. 7 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Show and explain orthopedic and prosthetic appliances to healthcare workers. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Update skills and knowledge by attending conferences and seminars. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Publish research findings or present them at conferences and seminars. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Select materials and components to be used, based on device design. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Design orthopedic and prosthetic devices, based on physicians' prescriptions and examination and measurement of patients. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Train and supervise support staff, such as orthopedic and prosthetic assistants and technicians. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain patients' records. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Repair, rebuild, and modify prosthetic and orthopedic appliances. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Construct and fabricate appliances, or supervise others constructing the appliances. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Make and modify plaster casts of areas to be fitted with prostheses or orthoses to guide the device construction process. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Research new ways to construct and use orthopedic and prosthetic devices. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 15 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 15. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 73% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 80% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 20% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 9,390
- Median annual wage
- $81,110
- Middle half of earners
- $61,290 to $99,990
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +13.3%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Orthodontists 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure42
- Prosthodontists 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure58
- Medical Appliance Technicians 65% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure15
- Orthoptists 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure46
- Occupational Therapists 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure50
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Orthotists and Prosthetists and AI
Will AI replace Orthotists and Prosthetists?
AI already handles 7 of the 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 48 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +13.3% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Orthotists and Prosthetists?
48 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 15 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Orthotists and Prosthetists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses; Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit; Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices. They are three of the 7 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 73% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Orthotists and Prosthetists, and what do they earn?
9,390 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $81,110 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +13.3% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Orthotists and Prosthetists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/orthotists-and-prosthetists
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