Healthcare Career Spotlight: Orthopedic Technicians

So, what exactly is an orthopedic technician? An orthopedic technician, also known as a certified orthopedic technologist, is an allied healthcare professional who assists physicians and orthopedic surgeons with a variety of tasks in a number of clinical settings. Orthopedic technicians may assist with a wide array of tasks such as rooming patients, helping doctors with minor procedures, and applying and removing casts, splints, sutures, surgical staples and incision dressings.

Orthopedic technicians might also provide assistance to doctors and physicians in the adjustment of patients’ joints and bones. Depending on the workplace setting, they may also be entrusted with providing aftercare education and helping patients learn to properly use specialized braces and orthopedic devices. Meanwhile, the orthopedic technician charts patients’ responses to the devices as well as the education provided.

Employment opportunities for orthopedic technicians can be found in an impressive assortment of workplaces that provide healthcare services. Orthopedic technicians can secure employment in places such as clinics, doctors offices, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care centers, freestanding emergency rooms, multi specialty orthopedic practices, medical supply laboratories, hospitals and post acute physical rehabilitation centers.

Ideally, an orthopedic technician should be able to perform under pressure due to the different demands that come from patients, bosses, doctors, vendors and others on a daily basis. In addition, orthopedic technicians should have some empathy for the painful conditions that their patients might be experiencing. Orthopedic technicians should also be patient, extremely organized, calm and caring.

Individuals who are interested in becoming orthopedic technicians need to have earned a high school diploma or GED. The next step is to complete a certified orthopedic technology training program. Many employers also prefer that candidates complete a medical assistant (MA) training program or nursing assistant (CNA) training program in order to learn additional patient care skills that might not be fully covered during the course of orthopedic technology schooling.

REFERENCES

The Doctors Clinic. (2008, October). Orthopedic Technican Sample Job Description. Retrieved May 20, 2019, from http://www.thedoctorsclinic.com/pdfs/jobdescriptions/Orthopedic%20Technician.pdf