So…. Ryan broke her arm playing soccer a few weeks ago. It was a clean hit and she went 
flying backwards and landed on her wrists. She fractured her radius and ulna on her right arm (she is a lefty!) and had to see an orthopedic doctor to be casted. I was once again surprised by the fact that I had found a position to interview that I had never really thought about… the casting specialist putting the cast on her arm! So while she was having a hot pink cast put on, I asked the technician as many questions as I could about what she does and how she got there.
An Orthopedic Technician has many roles in the practice. There is casting, making custom braces, custom splints, suture removal and pin removal. The technician that I spoke to said one of the things she likes the most about her job is that it is very artistic! She loves to create the casts and splints. When I asked her if there was anything she didn’t like, she said nothing. She really loves her job.
She has been doing this job for many years and she learned by on the job training. She advised that there is a one year school program that you can go to, to get your license and they had an intern at the practice that was part of the program. Many of the people that worked in the department had come from a medical background of some sort. There are nurses, x-ray technicians and medical assistants that had all moved into the orthopedic technician role.
She also advised that there is a certification that you must obtain to practice and there is continuing education involved.
I was really impressed with the position, the people at the practice and the work they did for my daughter. If this is something that interests you, I encourage you to get more information about it!