Anesthesiologist

O*NET: Anesthesiologists·29-1211.00

The Verdict:Anesthesia demands hands-on precision — inserting lines, managing airways, titrating drugs in real time amid surgical chaos. No robot replicates this physical adaptability. AI aids monitoring and diagnostics but cannot replace the role's life-critical human core over the next decade.

Resilience Score

/100

Highly Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$239k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+3.2%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 0 of 20 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

Most of this role rewards AI fluency.
55% of tasks (11 of 20) become more productive with AI tools — learning to use them is the highest-leverage career move.

0exposed

11AI leverage

9human-essential

View all 20 tasks

AI Can Handle This0 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

No exposed tasks identified

AI Leverage11 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Record type and amount of anesthesia and patient condition throughout procedure.

Examine patient, obtain medical history, and use diagnostic tests to determine risk during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures.

Order laboratory tests, x-rays, and other diagnostic procedures.

Inform students and staff of types and methods of anesthesia administration, signs of complications, and emergency methods to counteract reactions.

Manage anesthesiological services, coordinating them with other medical activities and formulating plans and procedures.

Diagnose illnesses, using examinations, tests, and reports.

Coordinate and direct work of nurses, medical technicians, and other health care providers.

Instruct individuals and groups on ways to preserve health and prevent disease.

Schedule and maintain use of surgical suite, including operating, wash-up, waiting rooms, or anesthetic and sterilizing equipment.

Conduct medical research to aid in controlling and curing disease, to investigate new medications, and to develop and test new medical techniques.

Teach anesthesiology principles to residents.

Human Advantage9 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.

Provide and maintain life support and airway management and help prepare patients for emergency surgery.

Administer anesthetic or sedation during medical procedures, using local, intravenous, spinal, or caudal methods.

Position patient on operating table to maximize patient comfort and surgical accessibility.

Coordinate administration of anesthetics with surgeons during operation.

Decide when patients have recovered or stabilized enough to be sent to another room or ward or to be sent home following outpatient surgery.

Confer with other medical professionals to determine type and method of anesthetic or sedation to render patient insensible to pain.

Provide medical care and consultation in many settings, prescribing medication and treatment and referring patients for surgery.

Place invasive intravascular monitors into patients.

Resilience Landscape

Anesthesiologist lands in Stable & Well-Paid

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