Orderlies vs Surgical Technologists
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Orderlies and Surgical Technologists on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Orderlies | Surgical Technologists |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $37,700 | $62,830 |
| Employment | 53,020 | 113,890 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+3.3%) | About average (+4.5%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 7,800 | 7,000 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | Low · 0th pct | Low · 5th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | — | — |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | — | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | — | No |
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.
Skills
Shared: Customer and Personal Service, Oral Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Speech Recognition, Near Vision, Active Listening, Speech Clarity, Speaking, Manual Dexterity, English Language, Coordination, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Information Ordering, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Reading Comprehension.
Specific to Orderlies
- Trunk Strength
- Static Strength
- Public Safety and Security
- Extent Flexibility
- Explosive Strength
- Dynamic Strength
- Stamina
- Gross Body Equilibrium
Specific to Surgical Technologists
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Selective Attention
- Operations Monitoring
- Perceptual Speed
- Time Management
- Number Facility
- Flexibility of Closure
- Visual Color Discrimination
Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).
Tools & technology
Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Operating system software , Medical software .
Specific to Orderlies
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Orderlies or Surgical Technologists — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.
More comparisons
Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.
- Orderlies vs Nursing Assistants
- Orderlies vs Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians
- Orderlies vs Physical Therapist Aides
- Orderlies vs Home Health Aides
- Orderlies vs Surgical Assistants
- Orderlies vs Medical Assistants
- Orderlies vs Psychiatric Aides
- Orderlies vs Medical Equipment Preparers
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Orderlies vs Surgical Technologists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/orderlies-vs-surgical-technologists
Singulariki. (2026). Orderlies vs Surgical Technologists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/orderlies-vs-surgical-technologists
@misc{singulariki-orderlies-vs-surgical-technologists,
title = {Orderlies vs Surgical Technologists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/compare/orderlies-vs-surgical-technologists}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.