HealthcareO*NET: 29-9093.00
Will AI Replace 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.
74out of 100
High Risk
AI Risk Score
74/100
Risk Level
High
Job Zone
3/5
Medium
Total Tasks Analyzed
23
🤖 What AI Can Do
- ▸Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- ▸Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- ▸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.
- ▸Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.
👤 What Requires Humans
- ▸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.
- ▸Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.
Task Breakdown
🤖AI Can Automate (4)
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- 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.
- Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.
👤Requires Humans (2)
- 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.
- Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.
⚡AI-Assisted (17)
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
- 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.
- Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.
- 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.
Key Skills Analysis
Active Listening
Importance: 4.00/5.00
Speaking
Importance: 3.75/5.00
Reading ComprehensionAI-Vulnerable
Importance: 3.62/5.00
Critical ThinkingAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.62/5.00
Monitoring
Importance: 3.62/5.00
CoordinationAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.38/5.00
Service OrientationAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.38/5.00
Complex Problem SolvingAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.25/5.00
Operations MonitoringAI-Vulnerable
Importance: 3.25/5.00
WritingAI-Vulnerable
Importance: 3.12/5.00
Learning Strategies
Importance: 3.12/5.00
Social PerceptivenessAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.12/5.00
Judgment and Decision MakingAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.12/5.00
Active LearningAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.00/5.00
Operation and Control
Importance: 2.88/5.00
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Frequently Asked Questions
Based on our analysis, Surgical Assistants have a high risk of AI replacement with a score of 74/100. Many routine tasks in this role can be automated, but human oversight remains important.
Last updated: 2026-03-28· Data from O*NET 30.2 & Frey/Osborne automation research