← All 785 jobsFile 29-9093
Surgical Assistants
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 6.1% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
Clinical work often uses specialised medical AI tools that consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches it.
- Rank
- Joint #685 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +6.1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $66,800 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 24,400 in the US, with about 1,400 openings a year
The work, 14 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures27%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases14%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Administer basic health care or medical treatments10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate medical equipment9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Verify personal information6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 782 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
Still yours: Follow standard healthcare safety procedures to protect patient and staff members5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Administer emergency medical treatment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean medical equipment or facilities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor health conditions of humans or animals3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Transport patients or clients2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 106 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 1,400 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 53% of the workSurgical Technologists0% AI does, against 0% here+5% by 2035 · $64,650 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 46% of the workRadiation Therapists3% AI does, against 0% here+2.8% by 2035 · $105,310 · Associate’s degree
- Shares 44% of the workVeterinary Technologists and Technicians9% AI does, against 0% here+9.4% by 2035 · $47,380 · Associate’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Health front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.01, higher than 2% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Clinical work often uses specialised medical AI tools that consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches it.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 29-9093 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Check another job.
Know someone in this job? Send them the file.