# Will nursing assistants be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Nursing assistants score 16 of 100 for AI exposure. 68% of their task time still needs a person. AI speeds up the other 32%. - **32%** AI helps - **68%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 87% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 33 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 11 and leaves 22 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses. AI can draft charted observations from voice or notes. | 60% AI helps | | Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet. Cross checking diet orders and allergy records suits AI checks. | 55% AI helps | | Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff. Intake and output logging is partly digital; measuring stays physical. | 45% AI helps | | Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities. Summarizing staff handoffs and care plans is text work AI aids. | 40% AI helps | | Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff. Vital sign taking is physical; recording to charts can be automated. | 35% AI helps | ## How nursing assistants compare All occupations (923) Healthcare support (19) **Nursing assistants score 16**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 26 for healthcare support. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $42,260 a year, May 2025 People employed 1.4 million in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +2.6% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Chart patient observations accurately in Epic Systems - Record vital signs in MEDITECH software - Hold a state Certified Nursing Assistant credential - Measure and log intake and output at the bedside - Transfer patients safely with mechanical lifts and slide sheets - Write shift handoff notes for charge nurses in Microsoft Word ## Safer roles nearby 2 related occupations with lower scores. - [Surgical assistants11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/surgical-assistants/) - [Orderlies10 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/orderlies/) ## Questions about nursing assistants and AI Will AI replace nursing assistants? Partly. About 2 in 10 of a nursing assistant's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly charting patient observations and checking diet orders against allergy records. Bathing, lifting, and turning patients stay with people because they need hands on the body and a person in the room. Which nursing assistant tasks is AI taking over? Charting observations of patient behavior, complaints, or symptoms carries an AI exposure score of 60, the highest for this job. AI can draft those notes from voice or handwritten entries. Checking diet orders against allergy records scores 55, since AI can cross check both lists in seconds. Which nursing assistant tasks stay human? Lifting patients, turning bedridden patients, emptying bedpans, and making beds each score 2 or 3 on AI exposure. Each task needs hands on a body or a physical bed, so the work stays with nursing assistants. Undressing, washing, and dressing patients scores 3 for the same reason. How can nursing assistants stay valuable as AI spreads? Learn the charting screens in Epic Systems or MEDITECH so you can spot gaps in the observations you enter. Keep hands on skills sharp, since lifting and bathing are where AI adds little. Hold your state nursing assistant certification current, and record intake and output carefully so the nurse who reviews it trusts your numbers. ## Related jobs - [Paramedics19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/paramedics/) - [Licensed practical nurses22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/licensed-practical-nurses/) - [Nurses36 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/nurses/) - [Emergency medical technicians17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/emergency-medical-technicians/) ## Next steps for nursing assistants - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.