# Pediatric Surgeons

US SOC code 29-1243. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1243

Also called: Children's surgeon, Pediatric general surgeon, Pediatric surgical specialist, Neonatal surgeon, Pediatric trauma surgeon.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **1,190** US pediatric surgeons, with median pay of **$559,030** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1421157/) of **300** from 1975, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for pediatric surgeons: Robotic-assisted pediatric surgery, 2001 to 2020. Robotic adoption changed the skill profile required of pediatric surgeons: centers with da Vinci systems increasingly expected fellowship graduates to have baseline robotic exposure.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1243&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **22.2%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Pediatric Surgeons employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1855
- Latest US employment: 1,190 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $559,030 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### All 9 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1975 | 300 (estimate) | $60,000 (estimate) | Est., Nakayama DK et al (employment) [1]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [4] |
| 1980 | 416 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Nakayama DK et al [1] |
| 2000 | 661 (estimate) | $250,000 (estimate) | Est., Nakayama DK et al (employment) [1]; Est., MGMA DataDive Provider Compensation Data (pay) [5] |
| 2009 | 1,150 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Nakayama DK, Lund DP [2] |
| 2021 | 820 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 780 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 1,180 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 1,050 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 1,190 | $559,030 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (54)

### Employment series

1. [Nakayama DK et al. — "A Longitudinal Analysis of the Pediatric Surgeon Workforce" (Annals of Surgery, 2000); first ABS board examination April 1975 context](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1421157/), PMC / Annals of Surgery
2. [Nakayama DK, Lund DP — "Pediatric surgery workforce: supply and demand" (Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 2009): ~1,150 active APSA practitioners; demand for 280 additional surgeons](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022346809003066), Journal of Pediatric Surgery / ScienceDirect
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [University of Missouri Libraries — "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1970-1979" (physician compensation context, surgical subspecialists 1975)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1970-1979), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
5. [MGMA DataDive Provider Compensation Data — surgical subspecialist compensation context; pediatric surgery approximate median (historical 2000 data)](https://www.mgma.com/datadive/provider-compensation), Medical Group Management Association
6. [BLS OEWS May 2025, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

7. [History of Pediatric Anesthesia (Anesthesia Key) -- first pediatric ether anesthetic January 8, 1845; Boston 1846 Ether Dome demonstration; rapid adoption for children's surgery](https://aneskey.com/history-of-pediatric-anesthesia/), Anesthesia Key
8. [Children's Hospital of Philadelphia -- Our History: opened November 23, 1855 as first North American children's hospital; first surgery at CHOP performed 1870](https://www.chop.edu/about-us/our-history), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
9. [APSA -- History of Pediatric Surgery: Ladd named Surgeon-in-Chief Boston Children's 1927; 1936 one of three US surgeons practicing solely pediatric surgery; Gross PDA ligation 1938; textbook 1941](https://www.pedsurglibrary.com/apsa/view/PedSurg%20Resource/1884037/all/History_of_Pediatric_Surgery), American Pediatric Surgical Association
10. [AAP News -- "Surgical pioneer defied authority to conduct landmark operation" -- Robert Gross PDA ligation 1938 on 7-year-old Lorraine Sweeney at Boston Children's Hospital](https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/8694/Did-you-know-Surgical-pioneer-defied-authority-to), American Academy of Pediatrics
11. [PubMed -- "The first board examination in pediatric surgery" (J Pediatr Surg, 2021): ABS approval June 1972; April 1975 inaugural examination; 250+ sat, 238 passed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34187705/), Journal of Pediatric Surgery / PubMed
12. [APSA -- About APSA: organized 1969; first meeting April 17, 1970; Robert Gross inaugural president; independent surgical organization enabling ABS certification](https://apsapedsurg.org/apsa-info/about-apsa/), American Pediatric Surgical Association
13. [PMC -- "Minimally invasive pediatric surgery: how to improve and overcome limitations" (Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2024): first pediatric laparoscopy reported by Gans 1971; mass adoption of laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy in children in the 1990s](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11289769/), PMC / Frontiers in Pediatrics
14. [SLS -- Laparoscopic Pediatric Surgery (Society of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeons): overview of minimally invasive technique evolution in children's surgery through 2000s](https://sls.org/the-3rd-edition-prevention-management/chapter-39/), Society of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeons
15. [PubMed -- "Early experiences of robotic surgery in children" (J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech, 2002): first pediatric da Vinci use July 2000; pyeloplasty first reported 2002](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12165827/), PubMed
16. [Frontiers in Pediatrics (PMC) -- "Robotic-assisted surgery in the pediatric surgeons' world: Current situation and future prospectives" (2023): comprehensive review of da Vinci adoption history and current use in pediatric surgery](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9971628/), PMC / Frontiers in Pediatrics
17. [Intuitive Surgical -- da Vinci 5 platform: 150+ design innovations, 10,000x computing power vs. Xi, integrated force feedback; used at CHOP, Boston Children's, Texas Children's for pediatric procedures](https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/products-and-services/da-vinci), Intuitive Surgical
18. [Abridge -- KLAS 2026 Market Leader in Ambient AI; deployed at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and 15+ major health systems; applicable to pediatric surgery family encounter documentation](https://www.abridge.com/), Abridge
19. [Zhang B, Wang P et al. -- "AI Applications in Pediatric General Surgery" (Translational Pediatrics 2026): systematic review of AI implementation in pediatric surgical practice; AI enters through diagnostic imaging and administrative automation first, intraoperative guidance second](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41810201/), Translational Pediatrics / PubMed
20. [Theator AI Surgical Intelligence -- OR video annotation deployed at 70+ programs globally including academic pediatric centers; $70M Series C November 2025](https://theator.io/), Theator

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1243 Pediatric surgeons (2025: 1.3 thousand; 2035: 1.3 thousand; +2.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1243&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1243.00, human-rated β 0.222)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [CHOP -- Our History: opened November 23, 1855; first surgery 1870; inspired by Great Ormond Street Hospital London (founded 1852)](https://www.chop.edu/about-us/our-history), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
24. [AAP News -- "Did you know? Surgical pioneer defied authority to conduct landmark operation" -- Gross PDA ligation 1938; LifeScienceHistory.com account of the first successful pediatric heart operation](https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/8694/Did-you-know-Surgical-pioneer-defied-authority-to), American Academy of Pediatrics
25. [APSA -- History of Pediatric Surgery: Journal of Pediatric Surgery founded 1965; C. Everett Koop first editor; Koop later became US Surgeon General](https://www.pedsurglibrary.com/apsa/view/PedSurg%20Resource/1884037/all/History_of_Pediatric_Surgery), American Pediatric Surgical Association
26. [APSA -- About APSA: founding April 17, 1970; Robert Gross inaugural president; membership restricted to entirely pediatric practices; three prior failed applications to ABS and ABMS](https://apsapedsurg.org/apsa-info/about-apsa/), American Pediatric Surgical Association
27. [PubMed -- "The first board examination in pediatric surgery" (J Pediatr Surg, 2021): April 1975 inaugural examination; over 250 sat, 238 passed; Beardmore, Randolph, Rowe held first certificates](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34187705/), Journal of Pediatric Surgery / PubMed
28. [Nakayama DK, Lund DP -- "Pediatric surgery workforce: supply and demand" (J Pediatr Surg, 2009): workforce ~1,150; demand for 280 additional surgeons; 8% reporting call-coverage shortages](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022346809003066), Journal of Pediatric Surgery / ScienceDirect
29. [AMA -- Augmented Intelligence in Medicine (updated 2026): AMA committed to physicians harnessing AI safely; physicians retain ultimate clinical responsibility for AI-assisted decisions; surgical AI functions as decision support, not autonomous operator](https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital-health/augmented-intelligence-medicine), American Medical Association

### Predecessors & successors

30. [APSA -- History of Pediatric Surgery: general surgeons performed children's operations at children's hospitals until Ladd-era specialization (1927-1936)](https://www.pedsurglibrary.com/apsa/view/PedSurg%20Resource/1884037/all/History_of_Pediatric_Surgery), American Pediatric Surgical Association
31. [LifeScienceHistory.com -- "Robert Gross performed the first successful corrective heart surgery for children" (1938 PDA ligation): early congenital heart surgery by general/thoracic surgeons at Boston Children's](https://lifesciencehistory.com/robert-gross-performed-the-first-successful-corrective-heart-surgery-for-children/), LifeScienceHistory.com
32. [ABS -- Pediatric Surgery Board: fellowship training required for ABS subspecialty certificate; standard 2-year fellowship after general surgery residency](https://www.absurgery.org/get-certified/pediatric-surgery/), American Board of Surgery
33. [BLS OOH -- Medical and Health Services Managers: +29% growth 2024-2034; physician-executive roles at children's hospital systems increasingly require surgical subspecialty clinical background](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
34. [Intuitive Surgical, Medtronic Hugo, and emerging pediatric robotics startups seek surgeon advisors.](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1243.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Pediatric Surgeons (29-1243.00): tasks, work activities, knowledge domains, technology skills, employment data (~1,100 employed; median wage $239,200+ annual)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1243.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034 — Physicians and Surgeons: +3% employment growth; pediatric surgery is a shortage specialty with fewer than 1,200 U.S. practitioners serving ~74 million children](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Intuitive Surgical — da Vinci 5 platform: 150+ design innovations, 10,000× computing power vs. Xi; 14M+ total da Vinci procedures globally; 1.9M procedures in 2024 (Intuitive Surgical 2024 Annual Report); used at CHOP, Boston Children's, Texas Children's for pediatric procedures](https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/products-and-services/da-vinci), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Esposito C, et al. — "Seven years of pediatric robotic-assisted surgery: insights from 105 procedures" (J Robot Surg 2025): retrospective analysis of robotic pediatric cases 2017-2024; low conversion rates; applicable procedure types include pyeloplasty, Nissen fundoplication, biliary cases](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=esposito+pediatric+robotic+surgery+2025), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Liao X, et al. — "Comparative analysis of Da Vinci robotic surgery and laparoscopic surgery for congenital choledochal cyst in neonates" (BMC Pediatr 2025): robotic approach equivalent safety to laparoscopic with technical advantages in fine biliary anastomosis suturing](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40596919/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Zhang B, Wang P, et al. — "AI Applications in Pediatric General Surgery" (Translational Pediatrics 2026): systematic review; AI implementation growing in pediatric surgical practice for diagnosis, planning, and outcome prediction; multicenter prospective validation remains limited](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41810201/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Harrison LM, Edison RL, Hallac RR — "Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery" (Diagnostics 2025): AI "rapidly transforming pediatric craniofacial surgery by enhancing diagnostic accuracy, improving surgical precision, and optimizing postoperative care"](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=harrison+ai+pediatric+craniofacial+surgery+2025), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AMA AI in Health Care position paper (2023 updated 2025): physicians bear ultimate clinical responsibility for AI-assisted decisions; surgical AI is decision support; surgeon retains operative responsibility regardless of robotic assistance](https://www.ama-assn.org/amaone/augmented-intelligence-ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [McKinsey — The Economic Potential of Generative AI in Healthcare (2023 updated 2025): surgical robotics and AI-assisted planning among fastest-growing near-term medical device investment categories](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-in-healthcare), accessed 2026-05-24
- [JAMA Surgery (Jan 2026) — commentary on AI video analytics for surgical coaching with Theator; annotated surgical video as new substrate for competency-based surgical education and peer review](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Theator AI Surgical Intelligence — OR video annotation and surgical analytics; deployed at 70+ programs globally including academic pediatric centers; $70M Series C November 2025 (Business Wire); 2025-2026 surgical coaching use](https://theator.io/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [OpenEvidence — 200,000+ U.S. clinician users; pediatric surgery technique controversy queries (perforated appendicitis management, Kasai timing, congenital repair staging); weight-based dosing module with Nelson's Pediatric dosing guidance (OpenEvidence.com 2025)](https://www.openevidence.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Glass Health — AI clinical decision support for atypical pediatric surgical presentations; 30+ academic medical centers; differential diagnosis for rare congenital anomalies and unusual GI presentations (Glass Health 2025)](https://glass.health/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Epic AI — automated NSQIP-Pediatric data abstraction from structured operative notes; population health dashboards for pediatric surgery program benchmarking at 140+ NSQIP-Pediatric participating institutions (Epic.com 2025)](https://www.epic.com/software/ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Caresyntax AI — OR operational analytics at 3,700+ ORs globally; case duration variance, first-case on-time starts, preference card optimization; raised $180M Series C March 2025; applicable to pediatric surgery OR management (Caresyntax.com 2025)](https://caresyntax.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.