Community Sentiment
Do you agree?
Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers?
Task-level automation exposure for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers: 28 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
24%
weighted task index
28 of 28 tasks scored
Median Salary
$38,150 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
126,580 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+9.1%
employment change
23,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$23,310 – $49,770
Highest medians
Rhode Island $49,770
District of Columbia $49,080
Massachusetts $46,670
California $46,260
New Jersey $46,160
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $23,310
Mississippi $30,360
Louisiana $30,480
West Virginia $32,350
Kentucky $34,140
State figures come from the 31-9096 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 24%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 22%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 55%
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 40/100
Moderate
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
28 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) 18%
5 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 4%
1 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 77%
22 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
#4312 · Core · 3% automatable
Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
physical manipulation — Physically holding patients for positioning
Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
#4306 · Core · 30% automatable
Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
decision support — Detecting health problems requires clinical physical assessment
Monitor patients to detect health problems.
#4314 · Core · 55% automatable
Fill medication prescriptions.
decision support — Refill authorization rules automatable; clinician signs off
Control prescription refills or authorizations.
#4311 · Core · 4% automatable
Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning in patient care rooms
Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
#4316 · Core · 30% automatable
Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.
physical manipulation — Physical exam requires hands-on patient contact
Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
#4313 · Core · 20% automatable
Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic tests require physical patient procedures
Conduct diagnostic tests to determine patient health.
#4317 · Core · 10% automatable
Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
physical manipulation — Hands-on assistance during medical procedures
Assist practitioners to perform medical procedures.
#4309 · Core · 5% automatable
Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.
physical manipulation — Administering meds/injections requires hands-on clinical action
Give medications or immunizations.
#4315 · Core · 5% automatable
Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing.
physical manipulation — Invasive specimen collection needs hands-on clinical skill
Collect biological specimens from patients.
#4327 · Core · 61% automatable
Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers.
decision support — Clinical scheduling needs human verification of constraints
Schedule patient procedures or appointments. Perform clerical work in medical settings.
#4308 · Core · 9% automatable
Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of medical equipment
Clean medical equipment. Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
#4322 · Core · 70% automatable
Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding.
data analysis — Vital stats entry; clinical accuracy human-owned
Record vital statistics or other health information.
#4310 · Core · 8% automatable
Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals.
physical manipulation — Basic health care treatments are hands-on patient work
Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
#4318 · Core · 13% automatable
Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures.
physical manipulation — Hands-on instrument preparation and sterilization
Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use. Assist practitioners to perform medical procedures.
#4323 · Core · 28% automatable
Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems.
interpersonal — Patient medical-equipment teaching is hands-on clinical
Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
#4325 · Core · 11% automatable
Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies.
physical manipulation — Physical setup of patient treatment areas
Prepare patient treatment areas for use. Stock medical or patient care supplies.
#4320 · Core · 5% automatable
Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules.
physical manipulation — Physically feeding a person in real space
Feed patients.
#4326 · Core · 8% automatable
Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses.
physical manipulation — Hands-on assistance during medical procedures
Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards. Assist practitioners to perform medical procedures.
#4329 · Core · 65% automatable
Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties.
text generation — Draft medical reports from structured findings
Prepare medical reports or documents. Perform clerical work in medical settings.
#4324 · Core · 6% automatable
Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth.
physical manipulation — Hands-on patient daily activity assistance
Assist patients with daily activities.
#4319 · Core · 8% automatable
Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages.
physical manipulation — Basic health care treatments are hands-on patient work
Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
#4330 · Core · 64% automatable
Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories.
data analysis — Medical billing coded and processed; human audits denials
Process medical billing information. Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
#4321 · Core · 6% automatable
Exercise animals or provide them with companionship.
physical manipulation — Hands-on patient daily activity assistance
Assist patients with daily activities.
#21195 · Core · 70% automatable
Place orders to restock inventory of hospital or laboratory supplies.
decision support — Medical supply ordering via systems; human approves
Order medical supplies or equipment.
#4332 · Core · 32% automatable
Sell pet food or supplies to customers.
interpersonal — Closing sales requires persuasion and accountability
Sell products or services.
#4328 · Core · 6% automatable
Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests.
physical manipulation — Hands-on patient daily activity assistance
Assist patients with daily activities.
#4307 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals.
decision support — AI aids chart review; clinical observation of patient is human
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments. Give medications or immunizations.
#4333 · Supplemental · 6% automatable
Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats.
physical manipulation — Hands-on patient daily activity assistance
Assist patients with daily activities.
Embed this calculator on your site ↓
Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.
<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="veterinary-assistants-and-laboratory-animal-caretakers"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script> 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 →Related Article
Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market
Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.
Read Article ->