AI Career Radar

Surgical Assistants

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.

AI exposure40 / 100Moderate exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation27
Freedom to set tasks84
Repeating the same tasks80
$66,800Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+6.1%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (faster than average)BLS Employment Projections
59Skill durability (moderate)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Active Listening
63
75
Speaking
63
69
Critical Thinking
63
66
Monitoring
63
66
Judgment and Decision Making
63
53
Coordination
62
60
Complex Problem Solving
62
56
Active Learning
62
50
Reading Comprehension
61
66
Time Management
61
47
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Writing
60
53
Social Perceptiveness
60
53
Learning Strategies
58
53
Instructing
58
41
Systems Analysis
57
44
Service Orientation
56
60
Systems Evaluation
56
41
Persuasion
54
44
Mathematics
53
38
Negotiation
52
44
Science
52
41
Management of Personnel Resources
50
35
Operations Analysis
49
13
Installation
48
6
Quality Control Analysis
47
44
Troubleshooting
47
28
Management of Material Resources
47
28
Management of Financial Resources
47
22
Equipment Selection
47
19
Technology Design
47
16
Equipment Maintenance
47
0
Operations Monitoring
46
56
Repairing
46
0
Programming
45
13
Operation and Control
43
47

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

87/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
8%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension

84/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$129,180
10-yr growth
+21%
Skill gap
14%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Systems Analysis, Complex Problem Solving, Writing, Reading Comprehension

83/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$96,590
10-yr growth
+13.9%
Skill gap
8%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Social Perceptiveness, Operation and Control, Instructing, Reading Comprehension

#5Dental HygienistsHealthcare
82/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$98,100
10-yr growth
+8%
Skill gap
6%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Instructing, Persuasion, Time Management

80/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$107,310
10-yr growth
+17.9%
Skill gap
19%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Instructing, Active Learning, Writing, Learning Strategies

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Surgical Assistants could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.