Surgical Assistants vs Endoscopy Technicians AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

low risk

Surgical Assistants

64 shared · 20 different

core competencies

low risk

Endoscopy Technicians

Side-by-Side Comparison

Surgical Assistants leads 4–1

Metric	Surgical Assistants	Endoscopy Technicians
Risk Score	19.2%	21.5%
Risk Tier	Low Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	5th	10th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	4 / 15	3 / 12
Median Salary	$48,790	$46,050
Employment	174K	104K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Medicine and Dentistry

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

Performing General Physical Activities

Visual Color Discrimination

Assisting and Caring for Others

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Finger Dexterity

Speech Clarity

Biology

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Surgical Assistants

36%

total discount

Endoscopy Technicians

32%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Surgical Assistants

4 of 15 at risk

86%Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.

80%Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.

72%Verify the identity of patient or operative site.

59%Operate sterilizing devices.

47%Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.

Endoscopy Technicians

3 of 12 at risk

85%Maintain inventories of endoscopic equipment and supplies.

70%Perform safety checks to verify proper equipment functioning.

51%Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in endoscopy.

49%Attend in-service training to validate or refresh basic professional skills.

43%Clean, disinfect, or calibrate scopes or other endoscopic instruments according to manufacturer recommendations and facility standards.

Wage Comparison

Endoscopy Technicians earns -$2,740(-6%) vs Surgical Assistants

Surgical AssistantsEndoscopy Technicians

10th

$37,290$32,450

25th

$40,740$37,570

Median

$48,790$46,050

75th

$62,280$57,650

90th

$81,290$68,180

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Surgical Assistants2028–2035

Endoscopy Technicians2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Surgical Assistants has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Endoscopy Technicians.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Surgical Assistants

$39,403

from $48,790

Endoscopy Technicians

$36,149

from $46,050

After adjusting for AI risk, Surgical Assistants offers $3,254 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Surgical

Unique to Endoscopy

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Creativity

Fine Manipulation

Regulatory Barriers

Social Intelligence

Surgical AssistantsEndoscopy Technicians

Find transitions from Surgical Assistants Find transitions from Endoscopy Technicians