Care & Presence
Surgical Technologist
Sterile field discipline under pressure.
AI Risk Score: 4/10
Score is our body/liability/scarcity rubric, calibrated against public AI-exposure research.
Data last reviewed: 2026-07-21
What you actually do
Prepare operating rooms, instruments, and sterile setups while supporting surgical teams.
Why AI does not easily replace it
Procedure flow, sterile handling, and teamwork in live surgery are highly embodied tasks.
What it pays
$43,000 - $69,000
BLS OOH: Surgical Assistants and Technologists (May 2024 pay)
Salary benchmark year: 2025
How to get in
Certificate or associate program + CST credential pathway.
Estimated time to entry: ~18 months (path-dependent).
State-by-state training and licensing links
Where demand is growing
Persistent demand from ambulatory and hospital surgery volumes.
Ready to explore?
Compare this career in the full directory, or run the exposure calculator against your current role.
"The moat is not a prompt. It is responsibility in the real world."
AI risk evidence
- Anthropic Economic Index (2025-26): measured AI usage and task coverage by occupation
- IMF, "New Skills and AI Are Reshaping the Future of Work" (Jan 2026): ~40% of global jobs exposed to AI-driven change
- Stanford HAI AI Index Report 2026 (labor chapters)
- Oxford Martin: The Future of Employment (2013), kept for historical grounding