Surgical work for AI
AI Training Jobs for Surgeons
, AITraining.jobs lists 5 open roles for surgeons on 3 AI training platforms: Handshake AI, DataAnnotation and Mercor; their posted rates run $140 to $320 an hour, with a median of $200, and the highest advertised rate is $350 an hour at Mercor.
Surgeon (AI Training) (opens the job details)
DataAnnotation · Domain Experts · Remote· 5d agoDetails
$40–$125+/hr
General Surgeon (opens the job details)
Mercor · Domain Experts · Remote· 2w agoDetails
$200/hrOrthopedic Surgeon (opens the job details)
Mercor · Domain Experts · Remote· 2w agoDetails
$350/hr
Measured from 3 distinct advertised rates, across 2 platforms. 2 advertise only a maximum ("up to $X/hr"), which is excluded.
AI labs pay surgeons by the hour to check a model's answers on surgical cases, from the indication and the operative plan to complications and recovery, and to write what a surgeon would say. Every role is checked against its platform's job board every hour.
Live roles for surgeons
Updated 12 Nov 2026, 07:07 UTCSome links on AITraining.jobs are referral links. If you sign up through one, AITraining.jobs may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what a platform pays you.
Orthopedic, maxillofacial and other surgical specialists
3 openOrthopedic, maxillofacial, trauma and other specialist surgeons: grade a model's answers in your specialty.
Orthopedic Surgeon (opens the job details)
Mercor · Domain Experts · Remote· 2w agoDetails
$350/hr
Orthopedic Surgeon (opens the job details)
Handshake AI · Domain Experts · Remote· 2w agoDetails
up to $180/hrFacial/Maxillofacial Trauma Surgeon (opens the job details)
Handshake AI · Domain Experts · Remote· 2w agoDetails
up to $300/hr
General surgeons
2 openGeneral surgeons: judge a model's answers on surgical indications, operative planning, complications and recovery, and write what a surgeon would say.
Surgeon (AI Training) (opens the job details)
DataAnnotation · Domain Experts · Remote· 5d agoDetails
$40–$125+/hrGeneral Surgeon (opens the job details)
Mercor · Domain Experts · Remote· 2w agoDetails
$200/hr
Before you apply
This is training and evaluation work for AI models, not care for a patient. If you work for a hospital or a surgical group, check its policy on outside work first, and never bring patient records or images into a task. A legitimate platform never charges you to apply.
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Pay by specialty
Each specialty's typical pay is measured over its own open roles the way every band on this site is (the 25th percentile of what roles pay (the middle of each advertised range) to the 90th-percentile advertised ceiling), and shown only where at least three distinct rates are posted.
| Specialty | Open roles | Typical pay | Highest rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic, maxillofacial and other surgical specialists | 3 | Too few rates | $350/hr |
| General surgeons | 2 | Too few rates | $200/hr |
What the roles ask for
Read from the requirements of 5 of the 5 open roles for surgeons: the lines each role's pop-up lists from its posting. A role counts once, at the lowest degree it accepts.
- Ask for a professional license5
- Ask for a certification3
- Name board certification in surgery3
- Name years of experience3
- Ask where you live or may work2
The roles that name experience ask for a median of 1 year.
Who hires surgeons for AI work
| Platform | Open roles | Pay stated |
|---|---|---|
| Handshake AI | 2 | up to $300/hr |
| DataAnnotation | 1 | $40–$125/hr |
| Mercor | 2 | $200–$350/hr |
Ordered by what applying is worth, lifted by a referral boost for the platforms that pay us a referral fee; it never changes what a platform pays you.
How each platform checks you
The platforms hiring surgeons now, in the words of each one's onboarding guide, with the source of every line. The full steps are on each platform's page. Ordered by what applying is worth, lifted by a referral boost for the platforms that pay us a referral fee; it never changes what a platform pays you.
- Assessment
- Project assessment (per project, after an invitation). How to apply
- Interview
- None published
- Identity check
- A government photo ID (driver's license, state ID, passport or green card) and a phone or tablet with a camera for the Persona ID and selfie check. Source (ai-support.joinhandshake.com/articles/42380125481495)
- Assessment
- Starter Assessment (a general one, or a specialized one such as Coding, Math, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Finance, Law, Medicine or a language). How to apply
- Interview
- None published
- Identity check
- Be able to verify your identity when asked: a physical, valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license, passport or national or state ID card) plus a selfie, checked by the verification company Persona. Source (dataannotation.tech/faqs)
- Assessment
- AI Video Interview (plus role-specific assessments). How to apply
- Interview
- AI interview (recorded, scored by AI)
- Identity check
- Verification includes ID verification with Persona (a government ID and a selfie video, finished on your phone), a background check, work authorization where applicable and phone verification. Source (talent.docs.mercor.com/working/project-onboarding)
- Credentials
- The core screen is an on-camera AI interview: Mercor's AI interviewer poses role-specific questions, generates a transcript of your responses and evaluates your performance for the listing. Source (talent.docs.mercor.com/support/ai-interview)
Where these roles are posted
Roles a platform posts for one country, and roles whose title names a language. Each place opens its own page; each count opens these roles.
A licensed or credentialed professional?
One profile for every AI training platform. Companies ask us for people with a specific language, country or credential: add yours once, and when a role fits, we introduce you, only with your yes. Free.
How Medicine and nursing compares
Medicine and nursing's row in Expert Fields in Demand for AI Training, our research over 15 Oct 2026 to 11 Nov 2026, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the roles it counts, and each table its place among the others in the report.
Open roles by expert field
Which professions and disciplines are AI training platforms hiring?
Advertised hourly pay by expert field
Which fields pay the most?
| Field | Median per hour | Typical pay |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and nursing | $55 to $200 |
Applicant demand per open role, by expert field
Which fields draw the most applicants per opening, and which are short of them?
Who looks for this work
Health and medicine's row in AI Training Talent: Supply and Demand, our research over 15 Oct 2026 to 11 Nov 2026, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the roles it counts, and each table its place among the others in the report.
People per open role, by expert field
In which expert fields are there more people looking for AI training work than roles open, and in which are roles short of people?
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Frequently asked questions
How much do AI training jobs for surgeons pay?
Across the 3 distinct hourly rates posted for roles for surgeons right now, typical pay runs from $140 to $320 an hour, with a median of $200. The highest posted rate is $350 an hour, at Mercor.
Do I need to be board-certified?
Most surgeon roles ask for an MD or DO with surgical residency training, many for board certification and current practice, and the specialty roles for that specialty. Each listing states what it requires and where it is open. Of the 5 open roles for surgeons whose requirements we read, 1 a bachelor's or a degree and 4 name no degree.
What does a surgeon do in AI training?
You review a model's answers to surgical questions and cases (whether to operate, which approach, what can go wrong and how recovery runs), grade them against your training, and write better ones. It is remote contract work, paid by the hour.
How do platforms check surgeons?
Most platforms start with an assessment in your field before any paid work, and each listing says what it asks for. Of the platforms hiring surgeons now, Mercor runs an AI interview (a recorded interview scored by AI) for many roles. Handshake AI, DataAnnotation and Mercor check a government photo ID, usually with a selfie, before you are paid. Mercor says it checks credentials such as degrees. The section on how each platform checks you quotes each guide with its source.
Are these jobs legitimate?
They are posted by established AI data platforms (Handshake AI, DataAnnotation and Mercor among them), and each platform's page here covers whether it is legit, how it vets people and how it pays. A legitimate platform never charges you to apply or to get work.
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