Will surgical technologists be replaced by AI?
Updated
Surgical technologists score 15 of 100 for AI exposure. 74% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 9% today and speed up another 17%.
- 9% AI can do it
- 17% AI helps
- 74% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 89% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 16 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 3 and leaves 11 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain files and records of surgical procedures. Procedure records are digital and easily drafted by AI tools. | 70% AI can do it |
| Order surgical supplies. Supply ordering is digital and can be automated with review. | 65% AI can do it |
| Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation. Physical counting stays manual; software can reconcile count records. | 25% AI helps |
| Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood, or glucose, for use during operations. Ordering fluids is digital; stocking and checking supplies is physical. | 25% AI helps |
| Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis. Handling specimens is physical; requisition paperwork can be automated. | 20% AI helps |
| Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs. Reading the room and team needs is live human judgement. | 12% Needs a person |
| Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition. Monitors read vitals; bedside observation of patients remains physical. | 12% Needs a person |
| Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists. Live assistance in the room requires physical presence and judgement. | 10% Needs a person |
| Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation. Equipment adjustment is physical; AI helps little with setup. | 10% Needs a person |
| Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card. Restocking and arranging instruments is physical, though preference cards help. | 10% Needs a person |
Show the other 6 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers. Washing and sterilizing instruments is physical work with germicides. | 8% Needs a person |
| Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures. Keeping sterile field needs constant physical presence and vigilance. | 6% Needs a person |
| Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation. Handing instruments and holding retractors requires live physical coordination. | 6% Needs a person |
| Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure. Positioning and draping patients is physical work done in person. | 5% Needs a person |
| Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery. Applying dressings to patients is physical work done in person. | 5% Needs a person |
| Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing. Scrubbing and gowning are purely physical tasks done in person. | 3% Needs a person |
How surgical technologists compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare practitioners and technical (89)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $64,650 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 117,460 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +5.0% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Check AI-drafted procedure records in MEDITECH EMR software
- Reconcile surgical supply orders in Microsoft Excel
- Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operations
- Reconcile instrument count records in database software
- Hold the NBSTSA Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) credential
- Maintain the sterile field and hand instruments during operations
Safer roles nearby
A related occupation with a lower score.
Questions about surgical technologists and AI
Will AI replace surgical technologists?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours of a surgical technologist's time goes to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining procedure records and ordering surgical supplies. Scrubbing, positioning patients, and passing instruments stay with people because they need a person physically in the operating room.
Which tasks is AI taking over for surgical technologists?
Maintaining files and records of surgical procedures is the most exposed task, with an exposure score of 70, because procedure records are digital and easily drafted by AI tools. Ordering surgical supplies follows at 65 and can be automated with a person reviewing each order before it goes out.
Which tasks stay human for surgical technologists?
Scrubbing arms and hands, positioning patients under sterile drapes, and maintaining the sterile field stay with people. They score 3, 5, and 6 on exposure because each one needs a person physically present in the room, coordinating hands and body during surgery.
How can surgical technologists stay valuable as AI takes on records?
Shift toward checking the records AI drafts. Review procedure entries in MEDITECH or EMR software, reconcile supply orders in Microsoft Excel, and keep the hands-on count of sponges, needles, and instruments, which stays manual. Hold the NBSTSA CST credential to show you can do the physical work.
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