AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Registered Nurses?

Task-level automation exposure for Registered Nurses: 27 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

38% weighted task index

27 of 27 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 38%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 3%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 62%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 15%

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 57/100 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

27 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) 14%

3 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 44%

13 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 42%

11 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

#1841 · Core · 62% automatable

Record patients' medical information and vital signs.

interpersonal — Patient history requires live elicitation and judgment

Record patient medical histories.

#20413 · Core · 17% automatable

Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.

decision support — In-procedure patient monitoring is hands-on clinical work

Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities. Administer non-intravenous medications.

#1839 · Core · 72% automatable

Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.

data analysis — Facility records need human verification and compliance

Maintain medical facility records.

#1840 · Core · 45% automatable

Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.

interpersonal — Patient history requires live elicitation and judgment

Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities. Record patient medical histories. Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.

#1855 · Core · 8% automatable

Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.

physical manipulation — Hands-on treatment of acute conditions

Immunize patients. Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.

#1843 · Core · 40% automatable

Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.

interpersonal — Treatment planning collaboration is accountable clinical work

Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.

#1846 · Core · 25% automatable

Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.

interpersonal — Patient care supervision is live clinical leadership

Supervise patient care personnel.

#1845 · Core · 33% automatable

Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.

decision support — AI aids chart review; clinical observation of patient is human

Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments. Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.

#1850 · Core · 55% automatable

Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.

text generation — Health messaging drafted by AI; public delivery human

Design public or employee health programs. Communicate health and wellness information to the public.

#1842 · Core · 60% automatable

Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.

data analysis — Outcome analysis from records, clinician interprets

Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments.

#1857 · Core · 25% automatable

Conduct specified laboratory tests.

physical manipulation — Specimen testing needs lab equipment operation

Test biological specimens to gather information about patient conditions.

#1848 · Core · 28% automatable

Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.

visual inspection — Monitoring health/behavior of people or animals is on-site

Monitor health or behavior of people or animals. Supervise workers providing client or patient services.

#1849 · Core · 50% automatable

Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.

decision support — Requires direct observation of patient environments

Assess patient work, living, or social environments.

#1865 · Core · 48% automatable

Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.

decision support — Drafts health program design; implementation and buy-in human

Design public or employee health programs.

#1847 · Core · 8% automatable

Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.

physical manipulation — Hands-on assistance during examinations

Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments. Prepare patients physically for medical procedures.

#1861 · Supplemental · 35% automatable

Perform administrative or managerial functions, such as taking responsibility for a unit's staff, budget, planning, or long-range goals.

interpersonal — Healthcare operations accountability and staffing are human

Manage healthcare operations.

#1844 · Supplemental · 52% automatable

Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.

visual inspection — Image interpretation assists; radiologist owns diagnosis

Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment. Order medical diagnostic or clinical tests.

#1859 · Supplemental · 25% automatable

Prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices, or other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy, inhalation therapy, or related therapeutic procedures.

decision support — Device prescription needs clinical assessment and accountability

Prescribe medications. Prescribe assistive medical devices or related treatments.

#1860 · Supplemental · 36% automatable

Direct or coordinate infection control programs, advising or consulting with specified personnel about necessary precautions.

decision support — Clinical advice needs licensed accountability and context

Direct healthcare delivery programs. Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.

#1851 · Supplemental · 43% automatable

Prepare rooms, sterile instruments, equipment, or supplies and ensure that stock of supplies is maintained.

data analysis — Medical supply inventory records and thresholds automatable

Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use. Maintain inventory of medical supplies or equipment.

#1854 · Supplemental · 4% automatable

Administer local, inhalation, intravenous, or other anesthetics.

physical manipulation — Anesthesia administration is high-risk hands-on clinical act

Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.

#1862 · Supplemental · 32% automatable

Provide or arrange for training or instruction of auxiliary personnel or students.

interpersonal — Caregiver training needs live modeling and supervision

Train caregivers or other non-medical personnel.

#1863 · Supplemental · 55% automatable

Refer students or patients to specialized health resources or community agencies furnishing assistance.

decision support — Clinical referral judgment needs licensed human accountability

Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.

#1856 · Supplemental · 24% automatable

Perform physical examinations, make tentative diagnoses, and treat patients en route to hospitals or at disaster site triage centers.

decision support — AI suggests differentials; clinician examines and owns diagnosis

Examine patients to assess general physical condition. Diagnose medical conditions. Treat medical emergencies.

#1864 · Supplemental · 55% automatable

Consult with institutions or associations regarding issues or concerns relevant to the practice and profession of nursing.

decision support — Drafts guidance; community trust and liability human

Advise communities or institutions regarding health or safety issues.

#1852 · Supplemental · 45% automatable

Inform physician of patient's condition during anesthesia.

interpersonal — Clinical handoff carries accountability and nuance

Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.

#1866 · Supplemental · 40% automatable

Engage in research activities related to nursing.

information retrieval — Literature review aided; wet-lab and clinical research human

Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.

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Community Sentiment

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Method

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

See the full method →

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