Surgical Technologists vs Physical Therapist Assistants AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

low risk

Surgical Technologists

62 shared · 22 different

core competencies

low risk

Physical Therapist Assistants

Side-by-Side Comparison

Physical Therapist Assistants leads 4–0

Metric	Surgical Technologists	Physical Therapist Assistants
Risk Score	22.6%	22.5%
Risk Tier	Low Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	12th	12th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	4 / 15	1 / 15
Median Salary	$62,830	$65,510
Employment	114K	108K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material

Handling and Moving Objects

Documenting/Recording Information

Psychology

Controlling Machines and Processes

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Therapy and Counseling

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Medicine and Dentistry

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Selective Attention

Operation and Control

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Surgical Technologists

32%

total discount

Physical Therapist Assistants

34%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

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.

Physical Therapist Assistants

1 of 15 at risk

86%Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.

43%Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.

43%Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.

42%Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.

39%Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.

Wage Comparison

Physical Therapist Assistants earns +$2,680(+4%) vs Surgical Technologists

Surgical TechnologistsPhysical Therapist Assistants

10th

$43,290$46,020

25th

$51,740$58,240

Median

$62,830$65,510

75th

$77,140$77,270

90th

$90,700$87,630

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Surgical Technologists2028–2035

Physical Therapist Assistants2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Physical Therapist Assistants has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Surgical Technologists.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Surgical Technologists

$48,649

from $62,830

Physical Therapist Assistants

$50,757

from $65,510

After adjusting for AI risk, Physical Therapist Assistants offers $2,108 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Surgical

Unique to Physical

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Fine Manipulation

Creativity

Social Intelligence

Decision Complexity

Surgical TechnologistsPhysical Therapist Assistants

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