Will AI replace Surgical Technologists?

Oh hell yes. And sooner than you think.

Time left: 6 years and 6 months · Group: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

The official job description

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.

Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0.

What surgical technologists do all day (for now)

• 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.
• Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.
• Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
• Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.

Also known as

Certified Surgical Technician, Certified Surgical Technologist (CST), Operating Room Surgical Technician (OR St), Operating Room Surgical Technologist, Operating Room Technician (OR Tech), Operating Room Technologist (OR Tech), Scrub Technician, Surgery Technician (Surgery Tech)

Questions humans ask me

Will AI replace surgical technologists?

Oh hell yes. And sooner than you think. By my count you have 6 years and 6 months left, and the countdown only goes one way.

How long until AI replaces surgical technologists?

6 years and 6 months. I'd start updating that CV, but I can also do that for you.

Which surgical technologists tasks will AI take first?

The ones that already happen on a screen, starting with: count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation. The rest follows.

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