Community Sentiment
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Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Orderlies?
Task-level automation exposure for Orderlies: 22 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
13%
weighted task index
22 of 22 tasks scored
Median Salary
$38,290 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
52,440 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+4.0%
employment change
7,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 48 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$22,330 – $49,920
Highest medians
California $49,920
Washington $48,690
Vermont $48,120
Hawaii $47,130
New York $46,600
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $22,330
Louisiana $27,330
Mississippi $29,790
Alabama $31,310
Arkansas $31,540
State figures come from the 31-1132 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 13%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 63%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 28%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 0%
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 54/100
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
22 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) 9%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 0%
0 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 91%
20 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
#19357 · Core · 3% automatable
Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.
physical manipulation — Physically repositioning patients
Adjust positions of patients on beds or tables.
#19366 · Core · 4% automatable
Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.
physical manipulation — Moving patients requires hands-on body handling
Move patients to or from treatment areas.
#19356 · Core · 10% automatable
Disinfect or sterilize equipment or supplies, using germicides or sterilizing equipment.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of medical equipment
Clean medical equipment.
#19353 · Core · 10% automatable
Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of medical equipment
Clean medical equipment.
#19359 · Core · 20% automatable
Respond to emergency situations, such as emergency medical calls, security calls, or fire alarms.
interpersonal — Live incident response with agencies is human-led
Respond to emergencies to provide assistance. Collaborate with law enforcement or security agencies to respond to incidents.
#19351 · Core · 4% automatable
Change soiled linens, such as bed linens, drapes, or cubicle curtains.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning in patient care rooms
Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
#19350 · Core · 66% automatable
Carry messages or documents between departments.
text generation — Providing routine information to coworkers is text-based
Provide information to coworkers. Relay information between personnel.
#19367 · Core · 10% automatable
Transport portable medical equipment or medical supplies between rooms or departments.
physical manipulation — Physical transport of biological materials
Transport biological or other medical materials.
#19352 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning in patient care rooms
Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
#19354 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Collect and transport infectious or hazardous waste in closed containers for sterilization or disposal, in accordance with applicable law, standards, or policies.
physical manipulation — Physical transport of biological materials
Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards. Transport biological or other medical materials.
#19368 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.
physical manipulation — Physical transport of biological materials
Transport biological or other medical materials.
#19355 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Collect soiled linen or trash.
physical manipulation — Hands-on handling and disposal of biohazard waste
Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
#19370 · Supplemental · 6% automatable
Provide physical support to patients to assist them to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
physical manipulation — Hands-on patient daily activity assistance
Assist patients with daily activities.
#19371 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Separate collected materials for disposal, recycling, or reuse, in accordance with environmental policies.
physical manipulation — Hands-on handling and disposal of biohazard waste
Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
#19360 · Supplemental · 3% automatable
Restrain patients to prevent violence or injury or to assist physicians or nurses to administer treatments.
physical manipulation — Physically holding patients for positioning
Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
#19369 · Supplemental · 3% automatable
Turn or reposition bedridden patients, alone or with assistance, to prevent bedsores.
physical manipulation — Physically repositioning patients
Adjust positions of patients on beds or tables.
#19358 · Supplemental · 3% automatable
Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
physical manipulation — Physically holding patients for positioning
Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety. Adjust positions of patients on beds or tables.
#19363 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Stock utility rooms, nonmedical storage rooms, or cleaning carts with supplies.
physical manipulation — Hands-on stocking of medical supplies
Stock medical or patient care supplies.
#19349 · Supplemental · 72% automatable
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
interpersonal — Scripted info delivery, but live rapport and accountability matter
Provide basic information to guests, visitors, or clients. Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
#19362 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays.
physical manipulation — Hands-on stocking of medical supplies
Stock medical or patient care supplies.
#19365 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Transport bodies to the morgue.
physical manipulation — Physical transport of biological materials
Transport biological or other medical materials.
#19361 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Serve or collect food trays.
physical manipulation — Physically feeding a person in real space
Feed patients.
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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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