AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 31-1131.00

Will AI replace Nursing Assistants?

Nursing Assistants: AI can already handle 3 of 33 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.

Have a team in this role?

Get your free 10-role sample: send this role and up to nine others, and a founder sends a board-pack PDF within two business days.

Get your free 10-role sample Book a 15-minute call

Every task, scored

The 33 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Nursing Assistants, from most to least exposed. 3 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Provide information, such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers. 97 Observed Standard 3.4
Explain medical instructions to patients or family members. 88 Observed Efficient 3.8
Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet. 65 Estimated Standard 4.5
Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities. 50 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine. 40 Observed Efficient 4.4
Turn or reposition bedridden patients. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.8
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.7
Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Supply, collect, or empty bedpans. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Set up treating or testing equipment, such as oxygen tents, portable radiograph (x-ray) equipment, or overhead irrigation bottles, as directed by a physician or nurse. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Wash, groom, shave, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Change bed linens or make beds. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Exercise patients who are comatose, paralyzed, or have restricted mobility. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Record height or weight of patients. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings, or support bandages, under direction of nurse or physician. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Collect specimens, such as urine, feces, or sputum. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Prepare or serve food trays. 12 Estimated No tier 4.3
Restock patient rooms with personal hygiene items, such as towels, washcloths, soap, or toilet paper. 12 Estimated No tier 4.1
Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas. 12 Estimated No tier 4.1
Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse. 10 Estimated No tier 4.1
Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers. 8 Estimated No tier 4.4

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 3 of 33 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 30 of 33. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

An efficient-tier model or lower covers 79% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 85% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 15% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
1,448,910
Median annual wage
$42,260
Middle half of earners
$37,260 to $47,220
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+2.3%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Nursing Assistants and AI

Will AI replace Nursing Assistants?

AI already handles 3 of the 33 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 32 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +2.3% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Nursing Assistants?

32 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 3 of the 33 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 30 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Nursing Assistants tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Provide information, such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers; Explain medical instructions to patients or family members; Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

An efficient-tier model or lower covers 79% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Nursing Assistants, and what do they earn?

1,448,910 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $42,260 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.3% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Nursing Assistants. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/nursing-assistants

Have a team in this role?

Get your free 10-role sample. Send this role and up to nine others, with no employee data, and a founder sends a PDF in board-pack format within two business days.

Get your free 10-role sample Book a 15-minute call

A founder replies within one business day.