Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Designation of occupation

Maker of orthopedic footwear (m/f)
Recognized by ordinance of April 21, 1999 (BGBl. I, p. 789)

Duration of traineeship

3,5 years

The venues for training are company and part-time vocational school (Berufsschule)

Field of activity

This occupation falls within the category of craft-sector medical occupations. Makers of orthopedic footwear work in cooperation with the attending medical doctor in order to develop orthopedic devices for the foot and lower leg which will support patient rehabilitation. Taking care of patients and working in cooperation with a specialist physician call for an understanding of medicine and an ability to respond to psychological needs. The activities carried out involve the manufacture of orthopedic aids, in particular made-to-measure orthopedic shoes, orthoses for the lower leg and foot, and orthopedic fittings for off-the-rack shoes. Other activities include the application of bandages to the foot and the knee, the fitting of compression pads for the lower extremities and medical care of the feet.

Occupational skills

Makers of orthopedic footwear

• select leather and other materials and resources in accordance with their intended purpose, their integrity when in contact with the human body and their cost-effectiveness,
• draw up technical documentation and plan work procedures,
• determine the cost of orthopedic devices and procedures,
• draw up clinical reports on orthopedic anomalies, attend to and counsel patients,
• measure feet and legs, create moulds, and model and produce shaped parts,
• make orthopedic footwear using different techniques,
• make devices to compensate for length differences and fit supporting, embedding, correcting and compensating inserts into shoes,
• adjust and maintain orthopedic devices,
• carry out orthopedic interventions on off-the-rack shoes,
• make orthoses, in particular orthopedic inserts, inner shoes, lower leg, ankle and small-area orthoses, and foot and toe prostheses,
• fit ready-to-wear orthoses, in particular bandages, lower leg orthoses, foot orthoses, and compression aids,
• carry out medical treatment procedures on the foot,
• assess quality and initiate quality assurance measures

Last modified on: July 30, 2007