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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Critical Care Nurses?
Task-level automation exposure for Critical Care Nurses: 29 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
33%
weighted task index
29 of 29 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 33%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 14%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 48%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 7%
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 89/100
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
29 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) 10%
3 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 45%
13 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 45%
13 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 →Constituent Tasks
#18327 · Core · 58% automatable
Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
visual inspection — Image interpretation assists; radiologist owns diagnosis
Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
#18334 · Core · 23% automatable
Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.
decision support — In-procedure patient monitoring is hands-on clinical work
Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities. Treat medical emergencies.
#18330 · Core · 5% automatable
Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
physical manipulation — Administering medications is hands-on clinical action
Administer non-intravenous medications. Administer intravenous medications.
#18333 · Core · 35% automatable
Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
decision support — AI aids chart review; clinical observation of patient is human
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
#18344 · Core · 38% automatable
Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.
decision support — Medical plans need exam, liability, and clinical judgment
Develop medical treatment plans.
#18339 · Core · 58% automatable
Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.
visual inspection — Image interpretation assists; radiologist owns diagnosis
Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
#18340 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.
physical manipulation — Testing heart/lung function requires hands-on patient contact
Test patient heart or lung functioning.
#18335 · Core · 35% automatable
Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
decision support — AI aids chart review; clinical observation of patient is human
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
#18337 · Core · 40% automatable
Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.
interpersonal — Treatment planning collaboration is accountable clinical work
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
#18341 · Core · 62% automatable
Document patients' medical histories and assessment findings.
interpersonal — Patient history requires live elicitation and judgment
Record patient medical histories.
#18338 · Core · 5% automatable
Collect specimens for laboratory tests.
physical manipulation — Invasive specimen collection needs hands-on clinical skill
Collect biological specimens from patients.
#18332 · Core · 18% automatable
Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic instruments applied to patients by hand
Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use. Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
#18329 · Core · 16% automatable
Administer blood and blood products, monitoring patients for signs and symptoms related to transfusion reactions.
decision support — In-procedure patient monitoring is hands-on clinical work
Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities. Administer blood or other fluids intravenously.
#18331 · Core · 15% automatable
Advocate for patients' and families' needs, or provide emotional support for patients and their families.
interpersonal — Rapport and emotional support require live human presence
Interact with patients to build rapport or provide emotional support.
#18348 · Core · 50% automatable
Assess family adaptation levels and coping skills to determine whether intervention is needed.
decision support — Requires direct observation of patient environments
Assess patient work, living, or social environments.
#18328 · Core · 20% automatable
Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, based upon patients' clinical status.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic instruments applied to patients by hand
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment. Operate diagnostic imaging equipment.
#18345 · Core · 10% automatable
Assist physicians with procedures such as bronchoscopy, endoscopy, endotracheal intubation, or elective cardioversion.
physical manipulation — Hands-on assistance during examinations
Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments.
#18353 · Core · 25% automatable
Supervise and monitor unit nursing staff.
interpersonal — Patient care supervision is live clinical leadership
Supervise patient care personnel.
#18347 · Core · 20% automatable
Identify malfunctioning equipment or devices.
visual inspection — Hands-on examination of medical instruments
Examine medical instruments or equipment to ensure proper operation.
#18342 · Core · 62% automatable
Document patients' treatment plans, interventions, outcomes, or plan revisions.
interpersonal — Patient history requires live elicitation and judgment
Record patient medical histories.
#18343 · Core · 35% automatable
Identify patients at risk of complications due to nutritional status.
decision support — AI can track intake data but human observes actual eating
Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities. Monitor nutrition related activities of individuals or groups.
#18336 · Core · 45% automatable
Assess patients' psychosocial status and needs, including areas such as sleep patterns, anxiety, grief, anger, and support systems.
decision support — Functional assessment aided by data, exam human
Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
#18325 · Core · 38% automatable
Identify patients' age-specific needs and alter care plans as necessary to meet those needs.
decision support — Medical plans need exam, liability, and clinical judgment
Develop medical treatment plans.
#18350 · Core · 75% automatable
Participate in professional organizations and continuing education to improve practice knowledge and skills.
information retrieval — AI summarizes medical updates; human retains judgment
Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
#18351 · Core · 55% automatable
Participate in the development, review, or evaluation of nursing practice protocols.
text generation — AI drafts nursing policies; clinical board approves
Establish nursing policies or standards.
#18349 · Core · 39% automatable
Coordinate patient care conferences.
interpersonal — Care planning conferral is collaborative clinical judgment
Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress. Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
#18326 · Core · 10% automatable
Provide post-mortem care.
visual inspection — Physical exam of bodies requires hands-on presence
Check physical condition of people or animals. Administer basic health care or medical treatments. Provide basic health care services.
#18352 · Core · 38% automatable
Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, interdisciplinary health care team members, or community members.
interpersonal — Safety training content aided, live delivery human
Conduct health or safety training programs. Train medical providers.
#18346 · Core · 15% automatable
Ensure that equipment or devices are properly stored after use.
visual inspection — Property condition assessment requires physical presence
Examine condition of property or products. Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
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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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