Will AI replace urologists?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 1h 17m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The other 6h 43m (84%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.4% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 14 tasks, about 1h 17m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Document or review patients' histories. (1h 17m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. For 6 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

6h 43m of a typical shift, or 84%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Diagnose or treat diseases or disorders of genitourinary organs and tracts including erectile dysfunction (ED), infertility, incontinence, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, urethral stones, or premature ejaculation. (1h 58m a shift)
• Treat urologic disorders using alternatives to traditional surgery such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, laparoscopy, or laser techniques. (45m a shift)
• Perform abdominal, pelvic, or retroperitoneal surgeries. (45m a shift)
• Order and interpret the results of diagnostic tests, such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening, to detect prostate cancer. (36m a shift)
• Treat lower urinary tract dysfunctions using equipment such as diathermy machines, catheters, cystoscopes, or radium emanation tubes. (36m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% are in constant contact with other people
• 96% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 94% are exposed to disease or infection every day

For the 1 task in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 3h 14m for a person alone and about 27m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Document or review patients' histories (about 3h 14m alone, 27m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Physicians & Surgeons sector are at 202% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 8.8% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 9,400 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $265,930 a year ($127.85 an hour), 422% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $69,170 and $452,360 or more a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 380,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 9,400 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 343,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.22% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 118th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 380,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is post-doctoral training: about 64% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Judgment and Decision Making, Science, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 43m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Epic Systems, eClinicalWorks EHR software, MEDITECH software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians (0m touched, $266k median pay)
• Optometrists (0m touched, $137k median pay)
• Ophthalmologists (44m touched, $300k median pay)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (0m touched, $352k median pay)
• Nurse Anesthetists (0m touched, $237k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 13 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.