Surgical Assistant

O*NET: Surgical Assistants·29-9093.00

The Verdict:Surgical assistance demands hands-on work inside the sterile field — retracting tissues, suturing layers, controlling bleeding, passing instruments in real time. No robot replicates this dexterity amid live anatomy. AI aids prep and monitoring but core physical tasks remain human-only. Demand grows with surgical volumes, securing the role long-term.

Resilience Score

/100

Highly Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$60k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+5.1%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 0 of 28 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
21 of 28 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 25% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

0exposed

7AI leverage

21human-essential

View all 28 tasks

AI Can Handle This0 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

No exposed tasks identified

AI Leverage7 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Discuss with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.

Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.

Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.

Operate sterilizing devices.

Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.

Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.

Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications.

Human Advantage21 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Verify the identity of patient or operative site.

Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.

Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.

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.

Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.

Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.

Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.

Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.

Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.

Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.

Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.

Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.

Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.

Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.

Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices.

Transport patients to operating room.

Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery.

Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.

Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.

Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.

Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.

Resilience Landscape

Surgical Assistant lands in Stable, Lower Pay

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