Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
Also called: Hand Surgeon, Orthopedic Surgeon, Physician, SurgeonDiagnose and perform surgery to treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 15 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 95% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $324,570 | $169,320 to $364,470 | 380 |
| Alaska | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 30 |
| Arizona | $558,970 | $558,970 to $558,970 | 110 |
| Arkansas | $262,470 | $155,250 to $364,810 | 350 |
| California | $253,430 | $103,450 to $363,050 | not published |
| Colorado | $385,410 | $199,990 to $540,690 | 410 |
| Florida | $473,750 | $378,410 to $523,610 | 580 |
| Georgia | $474,820 | $376,970 to $671,030 | 490 |
| Hawaii | not published | not published | 50 |
| Illinois | $426,580 | $149,960 to $613,410 | 170 |
| Indiana | $177,710 | $177,710 to $346,880 | 500 |
| Iowa | $189,410 | $131,340 to $355,280 | 260 |
| Kansas | $311,630 | $201,360 to $340,840 | not published |
| Maine | not published | not published | 150 |
| Massachusetts | $392,300 | $386,670 to $392,300 | not published |
| Michigan | $413,450 | $218,460 to $609,600 | 200 |
| Minnesota | $537,830 | $242,590 to $809,530 | 320 |
| Mississippi | $544,130 | $543,400 to $568,120 | not published |
| Missouri | $842,800 | $213,900 to $869,540 | not published |
| Montana | $560,820 | $363,050 to $703,410 | not published |
| Nebraska | $507,770 | $365,440 to $534,820 | 200 |
| New Hampshire | $555,670 | $78,570 to $668,770 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $341,430 | $269,550 to $341,430 | 420 |
| New York | $414,290 | $111,770 to $577,320 | 1,450 |
| North Carolina | $323,630 | $274,480 to $564,210 | 560 |
| North Dakota | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 40 |
| Ohio | $323,480 | $82,410 to $380,230 | 500 |
| Oklahoma | $530,070 | $174,260 to $588,540 | 30 |
| Oregon | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 140 |
| Pennsylvania | $354,020 | $314,000 to $399,200 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 100 |
| South Dakota | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | not published |
| Tennessee | $325,520 | $212,670 to $413,130 | 180 |
| Texas | $200,780 | $155,250 to $639,500 | 490 |
| Utah | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 80 |
| Vermont | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 50 |
| Virginia | $478,710 | $296,180 to $623,030 | 170 |
| Washington | $553,310 | $205,020 to $577,990 | 290 |
| West Virginia | $597,740 | $199,820 to $717,500 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | $572,060 | $358,550 to $679,800 | 290 |
Nationally: $358,550. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 15 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases. | Not published |
| Not much | Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions, and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards, or operating rooms. | Not published |
| Not much | Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine instruments, equipment, and operating room to ensure sterility. | Not published |
See all 15 tasks
| Not much | Examine patient to obtain information on medical condition and surgical risk. | Not published |
| AI + software | Follow established surgical techniques during the operation. | Not published |
| Not much | Manage surgery services, including planning, scheduling and coordination, determination of procedures, or procurement of supplies and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate on patient's musculoskeletal system to correct deformities, repair injuries, prevent and treat diseases, or improve or restore patient's functions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Order and interpret the results of laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging procedures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare case histories. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe preoperative and postoperative treatments and procedures, such as sedatives, diets, antibiotics, or preparation and treatment of the patient's operative area. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide consultation and surgical assistance to other physicians and surgeons. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioners when necessary. | Not published |
O*NET hasn't rated these tasks, so they're in O*NET's own order. 1 of the 15 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 15 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
- #26 Research healthcare issues
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues |
Show all 17 activities
| Schedule appointments | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Follow standard healthcare safety procedures to protect patient and staff members | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer27%
- Advice or a recommendation25%
- A document or report20%
- An analysis or summary12%
- An academic paper or thesis2%
How they worked with Claude
37% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,089 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 14%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 3 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +17.9% 7%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 6%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 5,613 moves in
- 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 16%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 10%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 9%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 5 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +17.9% 4%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Surgeons”, which today also includes “Pediatric Surgeons” and “Surgeons, All Other”, so these figures cover those too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 83% professional degree
- 17% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians” · 10,590 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
2 programs: Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/29-1242.00