AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 31-9096.00

Will AI replace Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers?

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers: AI can already handle 2 of 28 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 28 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties. 85 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems. 60 Estimated Standard 4.2
Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays. 50 Estimated Standard 4.5
Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.8
Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.7
Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.7
Fill medication prescriptions. 30 Estimated Standard 4.7
Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury. 30 Estimated Standard 4.5
Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Exercise animals or provide them with companionship. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Sell pet food or supplies to customers. 30 Estimated Standard 3.6
Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Place orders to restock inventory of hospital or laboratory supplies. 12 Estimated No tier 3.7
Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians. 10 Estimated No tier 4.4

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 28 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 28 of 28. 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 75% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 93% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 7% 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
126,580
Median annual wage
$38,150
Middle half of earners
$35,660 to $45,710
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+8.7%

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 Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers and AI

Will AI replace Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers?

AI already handles 2 of the 28 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 +8.7% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers?

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. 0 of the 28 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 28 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties; Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

An efficient-tier model or lower covers 75% 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 Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, and what do they earn?

126,580 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $38,150 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +8.7% 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: Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers. 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/veterinary-assistants-and-laboratory-animal-caretakers

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