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.
22,270 people do this job in the US. $66,800 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 0%
- 1%
- 99%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 0%. Today's estimate: 0%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 28 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 18% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 18% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 17% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 2% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 2% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).