Prosthetist and Orthotist

What this life looks like

Imagine losing a leg to a landmine, a traffic accident, or diabetes-related amputation and never being able to walk again – not because there is no prosthetic limb available anywhere, but because there is no trained professional in your country who can fit one properly. This is the reality for hundreds of thousands of Africans with limb loss and physical disability. As a Prosthetist and Orthotist you design, fabricate, and fit prostheses – artificial limbs – and orthoses – devices that support or correct the function of existing limbs and the spine. You assess patients' needs, take measurements and casts, fabricate devices, fit and align them to the individual patient, teach patients to use their devices, and follow up to ensure they are functioning well. Prosthetics and orthotics combines engineering, biomechanics, anatomy, and clinical skill in a uniquely hands-on way. In Africa the shortage of trained prosthetists and orthotists is severe, leaving large numbers of people with limb loss and disability without the devices they need to be mobile, to work, and to live independently.

What she actually does

A Prosthetist and Orthotist assesses patients with limb loss or limb dysfunction, takes clinical measurements, fabricates or sources prosthetic limbs and orthotic devices, fits and aligns devices to individual patients, trains patients in device use and care, repairs and adjusts devices, works with physiotherapists and surgeons in rehabilitation teams, and increasingly works on 3D-printed and lower-cost prosthetic designs for resource-limited settings.

Where you can work

Why it matters in Africa

Africa has a high burden of limb loss from road traffic accidents, diabetes-related amputation, conflict, and congenital limb difference. Landmine injuries continue to cause limb loss in countries including Angola, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet Africa has fewer than 1,500 prosthetists and orthotists for a population of over 1.4 billion. This means that the vast majority of people with limb loss or limb dysfunction who could benefit from a device never receive one. Training as a prosthetist or orthotist in Africa means entering a profession where demand is essentially unlimited.

Your pathway in

Biology, Physics, and Mathematics at secondary school. You then complete a Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics degree, typically four years. In Africa these programmes are available at institutions including the University of Salford programme in Tanzania, the National Orthopaedic Hospital training programmes in Nigeria, and the Kenye Medical Training College in Kenya. The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics supports training programme development across Africa. After graduating you register with your national health professions council.

Skills you will need

Technical: Biomechanics of human movement, casting and fabrication techniques, device alignment and fitting, materials science for prosthetics and orthotics, and increasingly 3D printing and digital fabrication. Human: Practical manual skill in fabrication and fitting, empathy with patients who may be adjusting psychologically to major disability, patience in the iterative process of fitting and adjusting devices, and creativity in adapting standard designs to individual patients in resource-limited settings. Digital tools: CAD/CAM prosthetics design software, 3D printing technology for low-cost prosthetic components, gait analysis tools, and electronic patient records.

A woman in this field

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