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Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-1242

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$358,550
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
Proj. Annual Openings
14,100
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-3.5%/yr
Empl. growth (2021–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 29-1242 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
46/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$358,550
H-1B offered wage $449,000; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +4.1%.
Observed/proxy demand
65
FY2025 certified LCAs; 269 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningCommunicationProblem Solving

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure5.4%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

31.9%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI33.3%
AI ability · AIOE62.4%

AI could do ~33.3% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Critical Thinking
2.Reading Comprehension
3.Active Listening
4.Communication
5.Problem Solving

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

1,410
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
65
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$449,000
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#143 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system.

Common titles: General Surgeon, Hand Surgeon, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Orthopedic Surgeon, Physician, Surgeon

Representative Tasks

  • Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure.
  • Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.
  • Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions, and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards, or operating rooms.
  • Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Diagnose medical conditions.
  • Operate on patients to treat conditions.
  • Prescribe medications.
  • Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
  • Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.

Tools & Technologies

Epic Systems · hotMEDITECH software · hotMicrosoft Windows · hotComputer imaging softwareElectronic medical record EMR softwareHuman resources management system HRMSThree-dimensional 3D virtual surgery software

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
2.6%
Avg AI Exposure
14
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 29-1242: 2021 — employment: 16,260, median wage: N/A; 2022 — employment: 19,060, median wage: N/A; 2023 — employment: 14,820, median wage: N/A; 2025 — employment: 14,100, median wage: $358,550.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%5.4%
OutlookAverage62% Bright
Median Salary$358,550N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A