Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Human edge, growing
Surgical technologists
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 90% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.0% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity and emotional intelligence.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $64,650
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.0%
- Openings a year
- 7,100
- People doing it (2025)
- 118,000
- Usual route in
- College certificate
Where people already use AI for this work
- Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance
- Purchase goods or services
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures
- Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products
- Clean medical equipment or facilities
What the work looks like
- Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
- Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
- Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Surgical assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +6.1%
- Dental hygienistsHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +8.0%
- Veterinary technologists and techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 95, +9.4%
- FirefightersHuman edge, growing, Index 91, +3.7%
Also known as: CST (Certified Surgical Technologist), OR Surgical Tech (Operating Room Surgical Technician), OR Technologist (Operating Room Technologist), Surgical Scrub Technologist (Surgical Scrub Tech), Central Supply Technician (Central Supply Tech), Certified Scrub Technician (Certified Scrub Tech), OR Tech (Operating Room Technician), Scrub Technician (Scrub Tech).
Is this career on your child's list?
Build a free Career Playbook matched to your child, or get a 90-day Action Plan with dated next steps, written for your child by name.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.