AI exposure Healthcare practitioners and technical
Will AI replace registered nurses?
Registered Nurses. US occupation 29-1141.
The reading
5.9%
of the time registered nurses spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of registered nurses' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 237 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 68% of them.Further along than 68% of them.
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Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Around the middle of the pack.Keeping pace with the average job.
What AI already does for registered nursesWhat registered nurses no longer do alone
O*NET lists 136 tasks for registered nurses. AI use at work shows up in 8 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.
- Assist patients in organizing their health care system activities.Core task mostly automated 1.00
- Document patients' medical histories and assessment findings.Core task mostly automated 1.00
- Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.Core task mostly automated 0.99
- Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.Core task mostly automated 0.98
- Prepare reports to document patients' care activities.Core task mostly automated 0.89
- Educate patients and family members about mental health and medical conditions, preventive health measures, medications, or treatment plans.Core task automated and assisted 0.82
- Design patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.Core task automated and assisted 0.79
- Teach patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.Core task automated and assisted 0.77
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
128 of the 136 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.Core task
- Administer blood and blood products, monitoring patients for signs and symptoms related to transfusion reactions.Core task
- Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.Core task
- Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.Core task
- Administer medications, including those administered by injection.Core task
- Advocate for patients' and families' needs, or provide emotional support for patients and their families.Core task
Show the other 122
- Analyze the indications, contraindications, risk complications, and cost-benefit tradeoffs of therapeutic interventions.Core task
- Assess family adaptation levels and coping skills to determine whether intervention is needed.Core task
- Assess patients' mental and physical status, based on the presenting symptoms and complaints.Core task
- Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.Core task
- Assess patients' psychosocial status and needs, including areas such as sleep patterns, anxiety, grief, anger, and support systems.Core task
- Assess the impact of illnesses or injuries on patients' health, function, growth, development, nutrition, sleep, rest, quality of life, or family, social and educational relationships.Core task
- Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.Core task
- Assess the needs of patients' family members or caregivers.Core task
- Assess urgent and emergent health conditions, using both physiologically and technologically derived data.Core task
- Assist physicians with procedures such as bronchoscopy, endoscopy, endotracheal intubation, or elective cardioversion.Core task
- Chair nursing departments or committees.Core task
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members, including psychiatrists, psychologists, or nursing staff, to develop, implement, or evaluate treatment plans.Core task
- Collaborate with members of multidisciplinary health care teams to plan, manage, or assess patient treatments.Core task
- Collaborate with other health care professionals and service providers to ensure optimal patient care.Core task
- Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.Core task
- Collaborate with patients to plan for future health care needs or to coordinate transitions and referrals.Core task
- Collect specimens for laboratory tests.Core task
- Conduct individual, group, or family psychotherapy for those with chronic or acute mental disorders.Core task
- Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.Core task
- Conduct specified laboratory tests.Core task
- Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.Core task
- Consult with psychiatrists or other professionals when unusual or complex cases are encountered.Core task
- Coordinate patient care conferences.Core task
- Design evaluation programs regarding the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.Core task
- Develop and implement treatment plans.Core task
- Develop and maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or patient care standards, based on evidence-based practice guidelines or expert opinion.Core task
- Develop nursing service philosophies, goals, policies, priorities, or procedures.Core task
- Develop or assist others in development of care and treatment plans.Core task
- Develop practice protocols for mental health problems, based on review and evaluation of published research.Core task
- Develop, implement, or evaluate programs such as outreach activities, community mental health programs, and crisis situation response activities.Core task
- Develop, implement, or evaluate standards of nursing practice in specialty area, such as pediatrics, acute care, and geriatrics.Core task
- Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability.Core task
- Diagnose psychiatric disorders and mental health conditions.Core task
- Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.Core task
- Direct or supervise nursing care staff in the provision of patient therapy.Core task
- Discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members.Core task
- Distinguish between normal and abnormal developmental and age-related physiological and behavioral changes in acute, critical, and chronic illness.Core task
- Distinguish between physiologically- and psychologically-based disorders, and diagnose appropriately.Core task
- Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.Core task
- Document patients' medical and psychological histories, physical assessment results, diagnoses, treatment plans, prescriptions, or outcomes.Core task
- Document patients' treatment plans, interventions, outcomes, or plan revisions.Core task
- Ensure that equipment or devices are properly stored after use.Core task
- Evaluate patients' behavior to formulate diagnoses or assess treatments.Core task
- Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.Core task
- Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice or organizational systems.Core task
- Identify malfunctioning equipment or devices.Core task
- Identify patients at risk of complications due to nutritional status.Core task
- Identify patients' age-specific needs and alter care plans as necessary to meet those needs.Core task
- Identify training needs or conduct training sessions for nursing students or medical staff.Core task
- Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.Core task
- Instruct nursing staff in areas such as the assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation of disability, illness, management, technology, or resources.Core task
- Interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs) and renal functioning tests.Core task
- Interpret information obtained from electrocardiograms (EKGs) or radiographs (x-rays).Core task
- Lead nursing department implementation of, or compliance with, regulatory or accreditation processes.Core task
- Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.Core task
- Maintain departmental policies, procedures, objectives, or infection control standards.Core task
- Make clinical recommendations to physicians, other health care providers, insurance companies, patients, or health care organizations.Core task
- Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.Core task
- Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.Core task
- Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.Core task
- Monitor or evaluate medical conditions of patients in collaboration with other health care professionals.Core task
- Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.Core task
- Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.Core task
- Monitor patients' medication usage and results.Core task
- Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.Core task
- Observe, interview, and assess patients to identify care needs.Core task
- Obtain specimens or samples for laboratory work.Core task
- Participate in activities aimed at professional growth and development, including conferences or continuing education activities.Core task
- Participate in clinical research projects, such as by reviewing protocols, reviewing patient records, monitoring compliance, and meeting with regulatory authorities.Core task
- Participate in patients' care meetings and conferences.Core task
- Participate in professional organizations and continuing education to improve practice knowledge and skills.Core task
- Participate in the development of practice protocols.Core task
- Participate in the development, review, or evaluation of nursing practice protocols.Core task
- Participate in treatment team conferences regarding diagnosis or treatment of difficult cases.Core task
- Perform administrative duties that facilitate admission, transfer, or discharge of patients.Core task
- Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, based upon patients' clinical status.Core task
- Perform discharge planning for patients.Core task
- Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions.Core task
- Plan, evaluate, or modify treatment programs, based on information gathered by observing and interviewing patients or by analyzing patient records.Core task
- Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, interdisciplinary health care team members, or community members.Core task
- Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.Core task
- Present clients with information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.Core task
- Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.Core task
- Provide coaching and mentoring to other caregivers to help facilitate their professional growth and development.Core task
- Provide consultation to other health care providers in areas such as patient discharge, patient care, or clinical procedures.Core task
- Provide direct care by performing comprehensive health assessments, developing differential diagnoses, conducting specialized tests, or prescribing medications or treatments.Core task
- Provide formal and informal education to other staff members.Core task
- Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.Core task
- Provide post-mortem care.Core task
- Provide routine physical health screenings to detect or monitor problems such as heart disease and diabetes.Core task
- Provide specialized direct and indirect care to inpatients and outpatients within a designated specialty, such as obstetrics, neurology, oncology, or neonatal care.Core task
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in acute care.Core task
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.Core task
- Record patients' medical information and vital signs.Core task
- Refer patients requiring more specialized or complex treatment to psychiatrists, primary care physicians, or other medical specialists.Core task
- Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.Core task
- Set up, operate, or monitor invasive equipment and devices, such as colostomy or tracheotomy equipment, mechanical ventilators, catheters, gastrointestinal tubes, and central lines.Core task
- Supervise and monitor unit nursing staff.Core task
- Treat wounds or superficial lacerations.Core task
- Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.Core task
- Write nursing orders.Core task
- Write prescriptions for psychotropic medications as allowed by state regulations and collaborative practice agreements.Core task
- Adjust settings on patients' assistive devices, such as temporary pacemakers.
- Administer local, inhalation, intravenous, or other anesthetics.
- Consult with institutions or associations regarding issues or concerns relevant to the practice and profession of nursing.
- Direct or coordinate infection control programs, advising or consulting with specified personnel about necessary precautions.
- Direct or provide home health services.
- Engage in research activities related to nursing.
- Inform physician of patient's condition during anesthesia.
- Monitor the use and status of medical and pharmaceutical supplies.
- Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.
- Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests and screening procedures based on assessment results, differential diagnoses, and knowledge about age, gender and health status of clients.
- Perform administrative or managerial functions, such as taking responsibility for a unit's staff, budget, planning, or long-range goals.
- Perform physical examinations, make tentative diagnoses, and treat patients en route to hospitals or at disaster site triage centers.
- Prepare rooms, sterile instruments, equipment, or supplies and ensure that stock of supplies is maintained.
- Prescribe medications and observe patients' reactions, modifying prescriptions as needed.
- Prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices, or other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy, inhalation therapy, or related therapeutic procedures.
- Provide or arrange for training or instruction of auxiliary personnel or students.
- Refer patients for specialty consultations or treatments.
- Refer students or patients to specialized health resources or community agencies furnishing assistance.
- Teach classes in mental health topics, such as stress reduction.
- Treat patients for routine physical health problems.
How that compares
Among the 65 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, registered nurses rank 13. The group averages 4.1%, and its most exposed job is Medical Records Specialists at 66.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 235Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs 6.0%
- 237Clinical and Counseling Psychologists 5.9%
- 237Electrical Engineers 5.9%
Just below
What this does and does not mean
Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.
A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.
Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.