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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Clinical Nurse Specialists?
Task-level automation exposure for Clinical Nurse Specialists: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
42%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$97,550 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Very High
3,379,720 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.6%
employment change
180,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 53 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$39,880 – $140,270
Highest medians
California $140,270
Hawaii $136,320
Oregon $129,010
Washington $124,200
Alaska $109,480
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $39,880
Alabama $77,080
Mississippi $77,090
South Dakota $78,060
Iowa $78,630
State figures come from the 29-1141 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 42%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 0%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 66%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 2%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 52/100
High
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
30 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 13%
4 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 59%
18 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 27%
8 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 08/2025 · Occupational Expert
Develop and evaluate work processes based on evidence-based standards.
Constituent Tasks
#18004 · Core · 12% automatable
Provide specialized direct and indirect care to inpatients and outpatients within a designated specialty, such as obstetrics, neurology, oncology, or neonatal care.
physical manipulation — Hands-on treatment of acute conditions
Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
#18006 · Core · 40% automatable
Collaborate with other health care professionals and service providers to ensure optimal patient care.
interpersonal — Treatment planning collaboration is accountable clinical work
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
#18016 · Core · 75% automatable
Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.
information retrieval — AI summarizes medical updates; human retains judgment
Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
#18008 · Core · 55% automatable
Develop, implement, or evaluate standards of nursing practice in specialty area, such as pediatrics, acute care, and geriatrics.
text generation — AI drafts nursing policies; clinical board approves
Establish nursing policies or standards.
#18005 · Core · 35% automatable
Maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or infection control standards.
decision support — AI recalls protocols; execution and accountability are human
Follow protocols or regulations for healthcare activities.
#18013 · Core · 30% automatable
Instruct nursing staff in areas such as the assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation of disability, illness, management, technology, or resources.
interpersonal — Provider training is clinical, hands-on, accountable
Train medical providers.
#20415 · Core · 55% automatable
Develop and maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or patient care standards, based on evidence-based practice guidelines or expert opinion.
text generation — AI drafts nursing policies; clinical board approves
Establish nursing policies or standards.
#18002 · Core · 68% automatable
Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
data analysis — Program metrics analysis, human owns conclusions
Evaluate program effectiveness. Evaluate effectiveness of personnel policies or practices.
#18001 · Core · 21% automatable
Observe, interview, and assess patients to identify care needs.
interpersonal — Collecting from patients requires live clinical interaction
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals. Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
#21188 · Core · 45% automatable
Provide coaching and mentoring to other caregivers to help facilitate their professional growth and development.
interpersonal — AI can coach content; mentorship relationship is human
Support the professional development of others.
#18017 · Core · 37% automatable
Monitor or evaluate medical conditions of patients in collaboration with other health care professionals.
decision support — Functional assessment aided by data, exam human
Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities. Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
#18003 · Core · 32% automatable
Provide direct care by performing comprehensive health assessments, developing differential diagnoses, conducting specialized tests, or prescribing medications or treatments.
decision support — AI suggests differentials; clinician examines and owns diagnosis
Diagnose medical conditions. Prescribe medications.
#20416 · Core · 65% automatable
Design evaluation programs regarding the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.
text generation — AI drafts evaluation procedures; human adapts to org
Develop procedures to evaluate organizational activities.
#20414 · Core · 50% automatable
Provide consultation to other health care providers in areas such as patient discharge, patient care, or clinical procedures.
decision support — Clinical advice needs licensed accountability and context
Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
#18015 · Core · 30% automatable
Identify training needs or conduct training sessions for nursing students or medical staff.
interpersonal — Provider training is clinical, hands-on, accountable
Train medical providers.
#18000 · Core · 30% automatable
Coordinate or conduct educational programs or in-service training sessions on topics such as clinical procedures.
interpersonal — Provider training is clinical, hands-on, accountable
Train medical providers.
#18010 · Core · 50% automatable
Make clinical recommendations to physicians, other health care providers, insurance companies, patients, or health care organizations.
decision support — Clinical advice needs licensed accountability and context
Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
#20417 · Core · 50% automatable
Design patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
decision support — Drafts program outlines; institutional design and approval human
Develop educational programs.
#18018 · Core · 43% automatable
Participate in clinical research projects, such as by reviewing protocols, reviewing patient records, monitoring compliance, and meeting with regulatory authorities.
visual inspection — AI reviews records; human observes facility activities
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues. Monitor medical facility activities to ensure adherence to standards or regulations.
#18009 · Core · 38% automatable
Develop or assist others in development of care and treatment plans.
decision support — Medical plans need exam, liability, and clinical judgment
Develop medical treatment plans.
#18014 · Core · 25% automatable
Direct or supervise nursing care staff in the provision of patient therapy.
interpersonal — Patient care supervision is live clinical leadership
Supervise patient care personnel.
#18007 · Core · 55% automatable
Develop nursing service philosophies, goals, policies, priorities, or procedures.
text generation — AI drafts nursing policies; clinical board approves
Establish nursing policies or standards.
#20418 · Core · 35% automatable
Lead nursing department implementation of, or compliance with, regulatory or accreditation processes.
interpersonal — Healthcare operations accountability and staffing are human
Manage healthcare operations.
#18012 · Core · 42% automatable
Present clients with information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
interpersonal — Medical communication needs empathy and clinical accountability
Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
#20419 · Core · 35% automatable
Chair nursing departments or committees.
interpersonal — Healthcare operations accountability and staffing are human
Manage healthcare operations.
#18011 · Core · 47% automatable
Plan, evaluate, or modify treatment programs, based on information gathered by observing and interviewing patients or by analyzing patient records.
decision support — Treatment goals need clinical accountability and context
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals. Develop medical treatment plans.
#20420 · Core · 50% automatable
Teach patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.
interpersonal — Course content AI-assisted; live teaching and assessment human
Teach classes in area of specialization.
#18021 · Core · 25% automatable
Write nursing orders.
interpersonal — Patient care supervision is live clinical leadership
Supervise patient care personnel.
#18019 · Core · 38% automatable
Perform discharge planning for patients.
decision support — Medical plans need exam, liability, and clinical judgment
Develop medical treatment plans.
#18020 · Core · 68% automatable
Prepare reports to document patients' care activities.
text generation — Summarize diagnostic and care activities into reports
Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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