# AI in healthcare: which tasks to automate first Updated October 2026 Across the 19 million US jobs in healthcare, the work scores 38 of 100 for AI exposure, weighted by how many people do each job. AI can take on about 657 hours a year per full-time person, 33% of a working year. The task that frees the most hours across the industry is to maintain accurate, detailed reports and records, about 72 hours a year for each person who does it. AI exposure, weighted by employment 38 out of 100 Moderate exposure Hours AI can take on 657 hours a year per full-time person Task time AI can do today 14% AI speeds up another 47% ## Tasks to automate first The 15 tasks where AI can take on the most hours across healthcare: how exposed each task is, how much of the job it takes and how many people do that job. Hours are per person in the role that does the task. [How we score each task](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). | Task and who does it | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records. Documentation is text heavy; ambient scribes and drafting tools fit well. Done by nurses. | 70% AI can do it 72 hours a year for each person in the role | | Record patients' medical information and vital signs. Devices capture vitals; charting and data entry increasingly automated. Done by nurses. | 45% AI helps 47 hours a year for each person in the role | | Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans. Care plan drafting and team messaging benefit; coordination stays human. Done by nurses. | 40% AI helps 40 hours a year for each person in the role | | Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs. Health education content can be drafted; live teaching stays human. Done by nurses. | 40% AI helps 38 hours a year for each person in the role | | Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations. Scheduling and confirmation run well on automated tools. Done by medical secretaries. | 75% AI can do it 119 hours a year for each person in the role | ## What stays with people 39% of the task time across these roles needs a person, and the output of the rest still needs someone to check it. The tasks below take the most of that time. - **14%** AI can do it - **47%** AI helps - **39%** Needs a person - Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects. Nurses, 8% exposed - Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry. Nurses, 6% exposed - Conduct specified laboratory tests. Nurses, 15% exposed - Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care. Nurses, 15% exposed - Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments. Nurses, 5% exposed ## Adoption path Start with the tasks where AI helps a person, then automate the routine ones, then give whole workflows to agents with a person approving the output. 1. ### Quick wins Admin staff use an approved assistant for letters, referral summaries and patient communications, with patient data kept private. Example: Record patients' medical information and vital signs. AI helps with 45% of the time. [AI governance](https://www.aigentcy.com/services/ai-governance/) 2. ### Workflow automation Appointment booking, coding checks and billing run as automations. Example: Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records. AI can do 70% of it. [Process automation](https://www.aigentcy.com/services/process-automation/) 3. ### Agents An agent handles appointment requests and routine patient questions and sends clinical questions to staff. 5 of the 15 tasks on this page are ones AI can do end to end, the work an agent takes on. [Private AI](https://www.aigentcy.com/services/private-ai/) ## Teams in this industry The business functions in healthcare, by share of the workforce, with each one's exposure. 1. [Operations and admin, 10.5% of the workforce, score **60**](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/operations/) 2. [Customer service, 4% of the workforce, score **64**](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/customer-service/) 3. [Finance and accounting, 2.3% of the workforce, score **61**](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/finance/) 4. [HR and recruitment, 1% of the workforce, score **59**](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/hr/) 5. [IT and software, 1% of the workforce, score **58**](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/it/) ## Roles in healthcare The 20 largest roles, each linked to its task-by-task score. Shares come from the BLS industry staffing estimates, May 2025. Of the roles with at least 2% of the jobs, medical secretaries score highest at 65, nursing assistants lowest at 16. 1. [Nurses, 17.4% of the workforce, score **36** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/nurses/) 2. [Nursing assistants, 7.9% of the workforce, score **16** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/nursing-assistants/) 3. [Medical secretaries, 5.3% of the workforce, score **65** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/medical-secretaries/) 4. [Medical assistants, 4.7% of the workforce, score **32** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/medical-assistants/) 5. [Licensed practical nurses, 3.3% of the workforce, score **22** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/licensed-practical-nurses/) 6. [Healthcare managers, 2.7% of the workforce, score **50** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/healthcare-managers/) 7. [Receptionists, 2.3% of the workforce, score **62** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/receptionists/) 8. [Dental assistants, 2.3% of the workforce, score **26** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dental-assistants/) 9. [Nurse practitioners, 1.8% of the workforce, score **49** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/nurse-practitioners/) 10. [Physical therapists, 1.5% of the workforce, score **38** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/physical-therapists/) 11. [Office clerks, 1.4% of the workforce, score **60** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/office-clerks/) 12. [Administrative supervisors, 1.3% of the workforce, score **55** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/administrative-supervisors/) 13. [Maids, 1.3% of the workforce, score **8** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/maids/) 14. [Dental hygienists, 1.3% of the workforce, score **20** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dental-hygienists/) 15. [Radiologic technologists, 1.3% of the workforce, score **29** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/radiologic-technologists/) 16. [Food servers, 1.2% of the workforce, score **23** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/food-servers/) 17. [Billing clerks, 1% of the workforce, score **59** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/billing-clerks/) 18. [Physician assistants, 0.9% of the workforce, score **30** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/physician-assistants/) 19. [Customer service representatives, 0.9% of the workforce, score **74** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/customer-service-representatives/) 20. [Cafeteria cooks, 0.9% of the workforce, score **25** out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cafeteria-cooks/) ## Questions about AI in healthcare Which tasks should a healthcare provider automate first? The first task to automate is to maintain accurate, detailed reports and records (70% exposed). Next come the tasks to record patients' medical information and vital signs (45%) and to consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess (40%). Together they free the most hours across the industry. How many hours can AI save a healthcare provider? About 657 hours a year per full-time person, 33% of a 2,000-hour working year. For a team of 10 that is about 6,570 hours, the time of 3.3 full-time people. The figure is the share of task time AI can remove today, weighted by how many people do each job. Which roles in a healthcare provider are most exposed to AI? Of the roles with at least 2% of the jobs, medical secretaries score highest, at 65 of 100, and nursing assistants lowest, at 16. Each role's page lists its tasks one by one. Will AI replace jobs in healthcare? AI can do 14% of the task time across these roles today. Another 47% gets faster with AI while a person stays in charge. 39% needs a person. One task that stays with people is to administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects. Where should a healthcare provider start with AI? With the quick wins: approved assistants for the tasks AI helps with, under a written AI policy. Then automate the 5 tasks on this page AI can do end to end. An AI audit maps the tasks in your team and ranks them the same way this page does. ## Next steps ### Find the tasks to automate first in your team We map the tasks in your business, score each one the way this page does and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) 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.