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How exposed to AI is a Surgical Assistant?

Of the 28 tasks O*NET lists for surgical assistants, 0 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 26 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Certified First Assistant (CFA)Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant (CRNFA)Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA)Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA)Certified Surgical TechnicianGastrointestinal Technician (GI Technician)Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA)Surgical First AssistantSurgical Scrub Technician (Surgical Scrub Tech)Surgical Technician (Surgical Tech)
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
28
tasks rated for this occupation
36%
hold a degree, from a survey of 31
17k
people do this job in the US
86 of 89
least protected in healthcare practitioners

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Only with software built on top

2
  • 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
  • Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature

Cannot be sped up

26
  • Verify the identity of patient or operative site
  • Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures
  • Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field
  • 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
  • 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
  • Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies
  • Operate sterilizing devices
  • Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure
  • Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood
  • Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems
  • Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving
  • Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies
  • Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications
  • Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices
  • Transport patients to operating room
  • Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery
  • Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins
  • Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain
  • Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters
  • Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.