Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 31% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 69% of the time, stays with people.
Conduct tests on pulmonary or cardiovascular systems of patients for diagnostic, therapeutic, or research purposes. May conduct or assist in electrocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations, pulmonary functions, lung capacity, and similar tests.
62,960 people do this job in the US. $74,310 a year.
Reviewed on October 3, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on0 h
- A person checks AI's work12 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people28 h
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 12 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 28 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Watch the imaging screens (about 4 h, a person checks); Calculate valve areas (about 2 h, a person checks); Type and distribute reports (about 2 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 13%
- 18%
- 0%
- 15%
- 54%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 31% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 30%. Today's estimate: 31%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 21 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.016% to 0.03% (released February and March 2025); 0.0086% to 0.013% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.016% | 470 of 708 | 4 of 21 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.03% | 358 of 703 | 3 of 21 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0086% | 470 of 655 | 1 of 21 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.011% | 468 of 672 | 2 of 21 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.013% | 461 of 677 | 2 of 21 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 21 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 21 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 58% of this job's working time as physical work. For 4% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 4% in a purpose-built cell. 0.04 of 3, the 597th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 42%
- No robot shown 54%
- In a purpose-built cell 4%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
69% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Conduct cardiac tests, the hands-on work, 13%
- Assist in cardiac procedures, the hands-on work, 8%
- Record vascular readings, the hands-on work, 7%
- Watch patients during tests, the in-person work, 7%
- Operate imaging equipment, the hands-on work, 6%
- Monitor vital signs in procedures, the hands-on work, 6%
What becomes checking the machine
30% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it.
- Watch the imaging screens, severe if wrong, 9%
- Calculate valve areas, severe if wrong, 5%
- Type and distribute reports, severe if wrong, 5%
- Compare heart measurements to norms, severe if wrong, 4%
- Monitor vital signs in procedures, severe if wrong, 4%
- Take and record patient details, severe if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
- The hands-on craft. About 54% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Running AI inside the business systems. About 18% of the time is work inside business systems, which a model can do only once it is connected: knowing the systems well enough to set that up and watch it.
- Signing off under your license. Some tasks need a licensed, certified or sworn person to do or sign them. The license, and the judgment it stands for, stays with the person.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 21 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, stress testing, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments.EKG, echo and stress tests run on the patient with the test equipment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 13% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 80%, in person 20% | Stays with people |
| Monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate using electrocardiogram (EKG) equipment during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures to notify the physician if something appears wrong.Pressure and heart rate watched on the EKG through the procedure at the patient's side.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 60%, systems 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Observe gauges, recorder, and video screens of data analysis system during imaging of cardiovascular system.Gauges, recorder and screens of the analysis system watched during imaging.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 42 min17 min to 1.3 h | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Assist physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac or peripheral vascular treatments, such as implanting pacemakers or assisting with balloon angioplasties to treat blood vessel blockages.Hands in the procedure as pacemakers are implanted and vessels opened.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 8% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Observe ultrasound display screen and listen to signals to record vascular information, such as blood pressure, limb volume changes, oxygen saturation, or cerebral circulation.The probe on the patient while the screen and signals are read.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 38 min17 min to 1.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Monitor patients' comfort and safety during tests, alerting physicians to abnormalities or changes in patient responses.Being with the patient through the test and calling the physician at any change.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | In person 60%, hands-on 40% | Stays with people |
| Operate diagnostic imaging equipment to produce contrast enhanced radiographs of heart and cardiovascular system.Contrast radiographs of the heart and vessels taken at the imaging equipment.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Assess cardiac physiology and calculate valve areas from blood flow velocity measurements.Cardiac measures worked out from the blood flow velocities.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 29 min13 min to 50 min | Documents 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Prepare and position patients for testing.Readying and positioning the patient by hand, explaining as it goes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | Hands-on 70%, in person 30% | Stays with people |
| Transcribe, type, and distribute reports of diagnostic procedures for interpretation by physician.Procedure reports typed up and sent to the physician through the record system.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 33 min | Documents 60%, systems 40% | 100%Half by now |
| Compare measurements of heart wall thickness and chamber sizes to standard norms to identify abnormalities.Wall thickness and chamber sizes read against the standard values.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 21 min8 min to 33 min | Documents 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Obtain and record patient identification, medical history, or test results.Asking the patient for identification and history and entering them with the results.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | Systems 50%, in person 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 31% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 31% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Watch the imaging screens (100% of the task's time now); Calculate valve areas (100% of the task's time now); and Type and distribute reports (100% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Conduct cardiac tests; Assist in cardiac procedures; and Record vascular readings. Together such tasks are about 61% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are judgment where errors are severe; the hands-on craft; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 69% of the working time stays with people, 30% becomes checking a model's work and 1% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 58% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 4% of the working time. Its index is 0.04 of 3. One example: Robotiq Machine Tending Solution for "adjust test equipment". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 21 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 3, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
This job in your state or metro area
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.
Your own version of this job
The page above is the occupation. Your job is your title and what you actually do: give both, and they are read against these tasks in your browser, nothing sent anywhere. The headline is free: how much of your working time is within reach now and by the end of 2028, and how many of the tasks your description names.
The full personal report is $19, to print or save as a PDF: every task with when it comes within reach, which ones your description names, the parts of your description the task list does not cover, what stays with you, what becomes checking the machine and what to learn.