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AI exposure Healthcare practitioners and technical

Will AI replace physician assistants?

Physician Assistants. US occupation 29-1071.

0.0%

of the time physician assistants spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of physician assistants' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for physician assistantsWhat physician assistants no longer do alone

O*NET lists 28 tasks for physician assistants. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them, though too little of the job's time goes on them to register in the exposure figure. 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.

  1. Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.Core task automated and assisted 0.78

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

27 of the 28 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Administer anesthetic, adjuvant, or accessory drugs under the direction of an anesthesiologist.Core task
  • Administer blood, blood products, or supportive fluids.Core task
  • Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.Core task
  • Assist anesthesiologists in monitoring of patients, including electrocardiogram (EKG), direct arterial pressure, central venous pressure, arterial blood gas, hematocrit, or routine measurement of temperature, respiration, blood pressure or heart rate.Core task
  • Assist anesthesiologists in performing anesthetic procedures, such as epidural or spinal injections.Core task
  • Assist in the application of monitoring techniques, such as pulmonary artery catheterization, electroencephalographic spectral analysis, echocardiography, or evoked potentials.Core task
Show the other 21
  • Assist in the provision of advanced life support techniques including those procedures using high frequency ventilation or intra-arterial cardiovascular assistance devices.Core task
  • Collect and document patients' pre-anesthetic health histories.Core task
  • Collect samples or specimens for diagnostic testing.Core task
  • Control anesthesia levels during procedures.Core task
  • Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.Core task
  • Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.Core task
  • Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.Core task
  • Monitor and document patients' progress during post-anesthesia period.Core task
  • Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.Core task
  • Order medical and laboratory supplies and equipment.Core task
  • Participate in seminars, workshops, or other professional activities to keep abreast of developments in anesthesiology.Core task
  • Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.Core task
  • Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.Core task
  • Pretest and calibrate anesthesia delivery systems and monitors.Core task
  • Provide airway management interventions including tracheal intubation, fiber optics, or ventilary support.Core task
  • Provide clinical instruction, supervision or training to staff in areas such as anesthesia practices.Core task
  • Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.Core task
  • Respond to emergency situations by providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), or pediatric advanced life support (PALS).Core task
  • Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants.Core task
  • Verify availability of operating room supplies, medications, and gases.Core task
  • Visit and observe patients on hospital rounds or house calls, updating charts, ordering therapy, and reporting back to physician.Core task

How that compares

Among the 65 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, physician assistants rank 53. 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%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Phlebotomists 0.0%
  2. 346Physical Therapist Aides 0.0%
  3. 346Physical Therapist Assistants 0.0%

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.