Prosthetist, Prosthetist Schools, Education, Employment, Career, and Jobs

What is a Prosthetist?
Prostheses are artificial medical devices that are necessary to help patients regain their function after they have lost a body part. A prosthetist is a trained medical professional who helps patients with various conditions, like a partial or total loss of part of their bodies with a prosthetic device.

These devices are comprised of plastic, metal and rubber or molded silicon that are designed to look like the missing part of the body in function and appearance. The prosthetist usually makes prosthetic devices for legs, arms and breasts.

The prosthetist has a wide variety of duties. Some of them are as follows:

1. Meets with a patient to evaluate their needs

2. Assess range of motion

3. Assess joint stability

4. Assess muscle development

5. Make an assessment of the overall health of the patient and the condition of area where prosthetic device will go

6. Take accurate and detailed measurements and impressions

7. Make a custom design that is going to meet the patient's needs

8. Give comfort, support and strength

9. Prepare area where device will be attached - use splints and compression devices

10. Give detailed instructions to patients about how to use the prosthesis

11. Request that the patient come for regular checkups to make sure that the patient's device is working properly

How to Become a Prosthetist:
If you want to be a prosthetist, you must first graduate from an accredited high school or you must have a GED. Then you are going to have to take the ACT or SAT to get into an accredited college or university. As a prosthetist, you will have to get a bachelor's degree in orthotics and prosthetics. You will usually have to complete such courses as the following:

a. Biology
b. Physics
c. Applied Prosthetics
d. Chemistry
e. Engineering
f. Kinesiology
g. Completions of a residency program of one year that has been approved by NCOPE or the "National Commission on Orthotics and Prosthetics Education".

Every state requires that prosthetists be certified. The people that have completed the residency program are allowed to take the certification exam that has been prepared by the "American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics".

The prosthetist must also keep current on their skills as well as any advances in this field. He must also complete on a regular basic continuing education courses and certification requirements.

A prosthetist is usually able to find employment in hospitals, private practice, medical rehabilitation facilities and prosthetic companies. Because medical technology continues to improve, the need for the service that a prosthetist provides will increase.

Doctors now have the ability to successfully treat patients with injuries and illnesses that were once fatal. However, there may be times when prosthetic devices will be needed to enable patients to regain their independence and return to the activity level that they once had.

Prosthetist Salary:
There’s good money to be made if you become prosthetist. The average salary is $71,000 per year. You can expect your pay to keep going up as you gain more experience and years of service.

Prosthetist School:
If you’re looking to become a prosthetist, you need to attend the right school. Visit the Embanet website to find the right school for you. While there, you can request for free no obligation information through this link.

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