Provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens. May transfer or transport patients. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
33 of 33 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can parse EHR allergies and dietary orders and generate or validate meal selections and modifications to ensure appropriate diets.
Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff.
AI: Fully automatable - Networked vital-sign monitors, wearables and middleware can automatically capture temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration and log them into EHRs under clinician direction in 2025.
Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities.
AI: Fully automatable - As of 2025 AI and integrated systems can reliably gather and synthesize information from caregivers, nurses, and physicians via EHRs, messaging, and structured interviews or forms.
Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated transcription, summarization, and clinical documentation tools can record and report observations to nurses with high accuracy and are already deployed in clinical workflows.
Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated reminders delivered via apps, voice assistants, or integrated care platforms can reliably prompt patients to take medications or supplements.
Record height or weight of patients.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated scales and stadiometers integrated with EHRs can reliably measure and record patient height and weight without human intervention.
Provide information such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers.
AI: Fully automatable - Providing directions, visiting hours, and authenticated patient-status information can be fully handled by chatbots, kiosks and IVR systems integrated with hospital records.
Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.
AI: Fully automatable - Specimen and pharmacy item transport and documentation can be fully automated using pneumatic tube systems, AMRs and LIMS integrations to ensure delivery and records.
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
AI: Partial - AI-driven intercoms and triage chat/audio systems can answer calls and determine basic needs, but cannot replace in-person responses for many patient requests or emergencies.
Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
AI: Partial - Robotic lifts and assistive devices can help reposition patients but reliable, hands-on turning often still requires human caregivers and supervision.
Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
AI: Partial - Robotics and AI can assist with transfers and mobility in controlled settings, but full, reliable replacement of human hands-on care for varied patient needs is not yet achievable.
Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
AI: Partial - Automated sensors and smart containers can record many fluid and catheter outputs, but accurately measuring solid food intake and some outputs remains largely manual.
Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.
AI: Partial - Computer vision and sensors can detect many visible signs such as bruises or open wounds but cannot fully replace hands-on clinical examination or reliably detect non-visible issues like internal bleeding.
Exercise patients who are comatose, paralyzed, or have restricted mobility.
AI: Partial - Exoskeletons and rehab robots can assist movement, but individualized exercise and safe mobilization of comatose or paralyzed patients still need hands-on human care.
Supply, collect, or empty bedpans.
AI: Partial - Automation can assist with alerts, disposal systems, and logistics around bedpans, but complete, safe handling with infection‑control and dignity considerations remains largely manual.
Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
AI: Partial - Robotic feeding aids and assistive devices exist for limited scenarios, but most feeding assistance still requires human dexterity, judgment, and safety monitoring.
Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.
AI: Partial - Powered lifts and assistive devices automate parts of transfers, yet autonomous lifting and safe, individualized patient transfers still require human oversight and judgment.
Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.
AI: Partial - Robotic and mechanical aids can support aspects of bathing and dressing, but intimate personal care typically requires human caregivers for safety, adaptability, and dignity.
Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support.
AI: Partial - Conversational AI can screen, gather emotional reports, and provide basic social support, but nuanced emotional assessment and therapeutic rapport continue to benefit from human clinicians.
Prepare or serve food trays.
AI: Partial - Automated kitchens and delivery robots can prepare and transport standardized trays, but individualized meal preparation, warm serving, and patient‑specific accommodations still often need human staff.
Wash, groom, shave, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.
AI: Partial - Washing, grooming, shaving, and draping are sensitive, hands-on tasks requiring tactile judgement and patient comfort that AI can guide but not fully perform.
Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.
AI: Partial - Autonomous cleaning and UV robots can handle floors and some disinfection tasks, but comprehensive cleaning of bathrooms, high-touch surfaces, and judgement-based sanitization still requires human staff.
Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care.
AI: Partial - AI can operate equipment remotely and provide decision support, but physical assistance and bedside coordination in patient care remain human responsibilities.
Collect specimens, such as urine, feces, or sputum.
AI: Partial - AI can guide patients and automate labeling/processing, but reliably collecting diverse specimens (urine, feces, sputum) and maintaining chain-of-custody often requires human involvement.
Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings, or support bandages, under direction of nurse or physician.
AI: Partial - Applying dressings and support bandages requires manual dexterity and clinical assessment so AI can assist or instruct but not fully perform these tasks in 2025.
Restock patient rooms with personal hygiene items, such as towels, washcloths, soap, or toilet paper.
AI: Partial - Inventory systems and delivery robots can move supplies to units, but restocking inside patient rooms and ensuring correct placement and hygiene typically requires humans.
Change bed linens or make beds.
AI: Partial - Simple bed-making can be aided by robotics, but complete changing of linens in occupied patient rooms with infection-control judgment still needs human workers.
Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse.
AI: Partial - Some medication delivery devices are automated, but administering invasive treatments (catheterizations, enemas, etc.) requires sterile technique, legal oversight, and human clinicians.
Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
AI: Partial - Positioning patients requires safe, adaptive physical interaction and judgment; robotic/automated aids exist but full autonomous, general-purpose replacement is not widely feasible in 2025.
Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.
AI: Partial - Patient transport involves complex patient handling, safety and clinical judgment—some automation (vehicle navigation, bed movement) exists, but full autonomous patient transfer remains limited.
Set up treating or testing equipment, such as oxygen tents, portable radiograph (x-ray) equipment, or overhead irrigation bottles, as directed by a physician or nurse.
AI: Partial - Setting up treatment/testing equipment requires manual dexterity, device-specific procedures and clinical oversight; automation can assist but not fully replace humans in most settings in 2025.
Explain medical instructions to patients or family members.
AI: Partial - AI can generate and communicate medical instructions, but personalization, nuance, consent and legal/clinical responsibility mean human clinicians still must oversee communication.
Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays.
AI: Partial - Automated dispensing cabinets and inventory systems can issue supplies, but restocking, handling irregular items and exception management still require human work.