Headline risk
2%
Very Low RiskSurgical assistants
AI displacement pressure score for United States AI Work Index, combining global AI task overlap with local wages, employment trends, and demand signals.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 60,290
Employment 2024
25.3K
Projected Change (2024–34)
5.1%
Openings (2024–34)
1.6K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Verify the identity of patient or operative site. AI use: 0%
- 2. Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures. AI use: 0%
- 3. Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment. AI use: 0%
- 4. Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field. AI use: 0%
- 5. Coordinate or participate in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation impairment. AI use: 0%
- 6. Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 38.0 · 1.5M employed
Under 25: 21% · 25–54: 59% · 55+: 19%
Related
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Data quality
Employment data available
Narrative & sources
Surgical assistants and technologists help with surgical operations.
Most surgical assistants and technologists work in hospitals. They spend much of their time on their feet.
Surgical assistants and technologists typically need a certificate or an associate’s degree. Employers may require or prefer that workers have certification. Some states regulate these workers.
The median annual wage for surgical assistants was $60,290 in May 2024.
Overall employment of surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Important context
This score measures structural AI displacement pressure, not actual job losses. Local wages and demand data are specific to United States AI Work Index; the underlying AI task overlap analysis is consistent across all countries.