Takeover Tracker
19%low risk
Surgical Assistants
vs

59 shared · 24 different

core competencies

26%medium risk
Radiologic Technicians

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricSurgical AssistantsRadiologic Technicians
Risk Score19.2%26.0%
Risk TierLow RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile5th22th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)4 / 154 / 15
Median Salary$48,790$48,790
Employment174K174K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
Performing General Physical Activities
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Medicine and Dentistry
Provide Consultation and Advice to Others
Assisting and Caring for Others
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Visual Color Discrimination
Handling and Moving Objects
Finger Dexterity
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Surgical Assistants

36%

total discount

Radiologic Technicians

33%

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.

Radiologic Technicians

4 of 15 at risk
88%Operate digital picture archiving communications systems.
86%Process exposed radiographs using film processors or computer generated methods.
84%Determine patients' x-ray needs by reading requests or instructions from physicians.
51%Make exposures necessary for the requested procedures, rejecting and repeating work that does not meet established standards.
47%Prepare and set up x-ray room for patient.

Wage Comparison

Radiologic Technicians earns $0(0%) vs Surgical Assistants
Surgical AssistantsRadiologic Technicians
10th
$37,290$37,290
25th
$40,740$40,740
Median
$48,790$48,790
75th
$62,280$62,280
90th
$81,290$81,290

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Surgical Assistants2028–2035
Radiologic Technicians2028–2035
20242030203520402045

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

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Surgical Assistants

$39,403

from $48,790

Radiologic Technicians

$36,105

from $48,790

After adjusting for AI risk, Surgical Assistants offers $3,298 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Surgical

0

Unique to Radiologic

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Fine Manipulation
Decision Complexity
Regulatory Barriers
Social Intelligence
Surgical AssistantsRadiologic Technicians
Find transitions from Surgical AssistantsFind transitions from Radiologic Technicians