Medical Dental and Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians Career Opportunities
edical appliance employers prefer to hire those
technicians fabricate, with formal training in a related
fit, maintain, and repair field.
orthopedic braces, artificial
limbs, joints, arch supports, and There are 4 programs accredited
other surgical and medical by the National Commission on
appliances. Orthotic and Prosthetic Education
(NCOPE). They offer either an
Dental laboratory technicians associate degree or a one-year
construct and maintain crowns, certificate. Courses include
bridges, dentures, and other human anatomy and physiology,
dental prosthetics as prescribed orthotic and prosthetic equipment
by a dentist. and materials, and applied
biomechanical principles.
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians
make prescription eyeglass or Training in dental laboratory
contact lenses. technology is available through
community and junior colleges,
There are about 90,000 U.S. jobs vocational-technical institutes,
for medical, dental, and and the U.S. Armed Forces. Formal
ophthalmic laboratory training programs vary greatly
technicians. Sixty percent of both in length and in the level
salaried jobs are in medical of skill they impart.
equipment and supply
manufacturing laboratories, which Voluntary certification is
usually are small and privately available through the American
owned. Board for Certification in
Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC).
Most such technicians learn their Applicants are eligible for an
craft on the job; however, many exam after completing a program
accredited by NCOPE or obtaining have good vision
two years of experience as a have artistic aptitude
technician under the direct
supervision of an ABC-certified Although there is expected to be
practitioner. slower-than-average growth in
overall employment in the near
Graduates of 2-year training future, job opportunities should
programs for Dental Laboratory still be favorable. Most job
Technicians need additional openings will arise from
hands-on experience to become replacing technicians who
fully qualified. transfer to other occupations or
who leave the labor force.
The National Board for
Certification, established by the How much do Medical, Dental and
National Association of Dental Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Laboratories, offers Earn?
certification in dental
laboratory technology. Earnings vary according to which
Certification is voluntary. type of technician you are.
Medical, dental and ophthalmic For medical appliance technicians
laboratory technicians must be the average in May 2004 was
able to: $13.38 per hour. Half earned
between $10.46 and $18.22 an
read prescriptions or hour. Overall, earnings ranged
detailed information from less than $8.21 to more than
fill prescriptions as a $23.66 an hour.
dental laboratory technician
pay attention to detail Median hourly earnings of dental
be very dexterous laboratory technicians were
$14.93 in the same period with an carve, cut or grind the
overall range of $8.86 to $25.48 material using hand or power
an hour. tools,
do other work such as
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians polishing artificial limbs and
averaged $11.40 an hour. mixing pigments,
Earnings ranges from less than fit appliances on the
$7.89 to more than $17.61 an patient and adjust them,
hour. repair, service and
maintain machinery and devices,
A Day in a Medical, Dental and fill prescriptions from
Ophthalmic Laboratory dentists for crowns, bridges,
Technician's Life: dentures, and other dental
prosthetics,
On a typical day a medical, make prescription
dental or ophthalmic laboratory eyeglass or contact lenses,
technician will (depending on read prescriptions,
their area): select standard glass or plastic
lens blanks and grind them to
construct, fit, maintain, specification,
and repair braces, artificial cut the lenses for final
limbs, joints, arch supports, and adjustment.
other surgical and medical I hope this article gives you a
appliances, good idea of what is involved in
read prescriptions or the career of a Medical, Dental
detailed information, and Ophthalmic Laboratory
make a wax or plastic Technician. Health care is the
impression of a patient's foot, largest industry in the world.
use precision measuring In the U.S. about 14 million
instruments, people work in the health care
field. More new wage and salary figures from Bureau of Labor
jobs are in health care than in Statistics.)
any other industry. (Some
About the Author:
Mike Clark is the director of Health Care Hiring (http://www.healthcarehiring.com) an online portal to the health care and medical community. Check out this website to find out more about career & training opportunities, and nationwide employer contact information, in the health care and medical sector.
Published At: www.Isnare.com
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