Nursing Assistants

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.2). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 33 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Turn or reposition bedridden patients. Core · importance 4.8
• Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs. Core · importance 4.7
• Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink. Core · importance 4.6
• Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation. Supplemental · importance 4.6
• Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff. Core · importance 4.6
• Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses. Core · importance 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. Core · importance 4.5
• Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements. Core · importance 4.5
• Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet. Core · importance 4.5
• Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves. Core · importance 4.4
• Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine. Core · importance 4.4
• Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers. Core · importance 4.4
• Supply, collect, or empty bedpans. Core · importance 4.4
• Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support. Core · importance 4.4
• Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff. Core · importance 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. Supplemental · importance 4.4
• Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities. Core · importance 4.4
• Prepare or serve food trays. Core · importance 4.3
• Wash, groom, shave, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination. Core · importance 4.3
• Change bed linens or make beds. Core · importance 4.3
• Exercise patients who are comatose, paralyzed, or have restricted mobility. Core · importance 4.2
• Restock patient rooms with personal hygiene items, such as towels, washcloths, soap, or toilet paper. Core · importance 4.1
• Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse. Supplemental · importance 4.1
• Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas. Core · importance 4.1
• Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care. Core · importance 4.1
• Record height or weight of patients. Core · importance 4.1
• Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings, or support bandages, under direction of nurse or physician. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. Core · importance 4.0
• Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Collect specimens, such as urine, feces, or sputum. Core · importance 3.9
• Explain medical instructions to patients or family members. Supplemental · importance 3.8
• Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel. Supplemental · importance 3.6
• Provide information, such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers. Core · importance 3.4

Work activities

• Give medications or immunizations.
• Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
• Provide basic information to guests, visitors, or clients.
• Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
• Apply bandages, dressings, or splints.
• Operate medical equipment.
• Assist practitioners to perform medical procedures.
• Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
• Collect biological specimens from patients.
• Interview patients to gather medical information.
• Monitor patients to detect health problems.
• Record vital statistics or other health information.
• Feed patients.
• Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
• Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
• Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
• Adjust positions of patients on beds or tables.
• Assist patients with daily activities.
• Stock medical or patient care supplies.
• Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
• Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
• Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
• Move patients to or from treatment areas.
• Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
• Explain technical medical information to patients.
• Transport biological or other medical materials.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Transferable skills

Knowledge

Abilities

Essential skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Apache Spark Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• FaceTime Common Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Medical Software Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Education

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Typical entry-level education

Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Preparation level

SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Work styles

Interest areas

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.

• Home Health Aides · 31-1121.00 Compare →
• Paramedics · 29-2043.00 Compare →
• Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses · 29-2061.00 Compare →
• Registered Nurses · 29-1141.00 Compare →
• Acute Care Nurses · 29-1141.01 Compare →
• Emergency Medical Technicians · 29-2042.00 Compare →
• Psychiatric Aides · 31-1133.00 Compare →
• Surgical Assistants · 29-9093.00 Compare →
• Medical Assistants · 31-9092.00 Compare →
• Physical Therapist Aides · 31-2022.00 Compare →
• Nurse Practitioners · 29-1171.00 Compare →
• Psychiatric Technicians · 29-2053.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Nursing Assistants — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-31-1131-00,
  title  = {Nursing Assistants},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-1131-00}
}