Takeover Tracker
28%medium risk
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
vs

67 shared · 18 different

core competencies

23%low risk
Surgical Technologists

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricDiagnostic Medical SonographersSurgical Technologists
Risk Score28.0%22.6%
Risk TierMedium RiskLow Risk
Risk Percentile30th12th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)6 / 154 / 15
Median Salary$89,340$62,830
Employment86K114K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Handling and Moving Objects
Clerical
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
Customer and Personal Service
Documenting/Recording Information
Interacting With Computers
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People
Analyzing Data or Information
Written Comprehension
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

34%

total discount

Surgical Technologists

32%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

6 of 15 at risk
88%Process and code film from procedures and complete appropriate documentation.
88%Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling exams or special procedures, keeping records, or archiving computerized images.
86%Obtain and record accurate patient history, including prior test results or information from physical examinations.
86%Maintain records that include patient information, sonographs and interpretations, files of correspondence, publications and regulations, or quality assurance records, such as pathology, biopsy, or post-operative reports.
86%Record and store suitable images, using camera unit connected to the ultrasound equipment.

Surgical Technologists

4 of 15 at risk
86%Order surgical supplies.
84%Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
78%Schedule surgical procedures for patients.
51%Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.
49%Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.

Wage Comparison

Surgical Technologists earns -$26,510(-30%) vs Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
Diagnostic Medical SonographersSurgical Technologists
10th
$64,760$43,290
25th
$78,080$51,740
Median
$89,340$62,830
75th
$103,630$77,140
90th
$123,170$90,700

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers2028–2035
Surgical Technologists2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Surgical Technologists has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

$64,325

from $89,340

Surgical Technologists

$48,649

from $62,830

After adjusting for AI risk, Diagnostic Medical Sonographers offers $15,676 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Diagnostic

0

Unique to Surgical

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Fine Manipulation
Social Intelligence
Decision Complexity
Creativity
Diagnostic Medical SonographersSurgical Technologists
Find transitions from Diagnostic Medical SonographersFind transitions from Surgical Technologists