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Critical Care Nurses

Provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.

$97,550 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).

now
40%

of the working time. Estimate.

Kinds of work
  • 43%
  • 4%
  • 53%
6%

Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.

Half the desk work within reach
Already

On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.

Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030

0%25%50%75%100%2027202820292030NowDesk work: 43% of the time
Chosen to Ceiling: the share
DateNow
NowEnd of 2030

What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .

At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.

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, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 40%. Today's estimate: 40%.

0%10%20%30%40%50%2023202420252026GPT-4, March 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023), November 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4o, May 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (June 2024), June 2024: 0% within reacho1-preview, September 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (Oct 2024), October 2024: 0% within reacho1, December 2024: 1% within reachClaude 3.7 Sonnet, February 2025: 3% within reacho3, April 2025: 17% within reachGPT-5, August 2025: 23% within reachGemini 3 Pro, November 2025: 30% within reachClaude Opus 4.5, November 2025: 30% within reachGPT-5.2, December 2025: 33% within reachClaude Opus 4.6, February 2026: 34% within reachClaude Mythos Preview (early), April 2026: 40% within reachToday (estimate), September 2026: 40% within reach
Each step is a new best model measured by METR, four in five; the dashed end is today's estimate. Point at a dot for the model.

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.

The tasks

Sorted by . 29 tasks from .

TaskKind
Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 12%33 min13 min to 1.3 hStays with people
Supervise and monitor unit nursing staff.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 10%50 min25 min to 1.7 hStays with people
Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.Done several times a day by most who do it. AI observed on this task.7%25 min13 min to 50 min100%Half by now
Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 6%21 min8 min to 50 min100%Half by now
Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 6%13 min4 min to 33 min100%Half by now
Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 5%13 min4 min to 25 minStays with people
Document patients' medical histories and assessment findings.Done several times a day by most who do it. AI observed on this task.5%25 min13 min to 50 min100%Half by now
Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.Done daily by most who do it. 4%25 min13 min to 50 minStays with people
Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, based upon patients' clinical status.Done more than weekly by most who do it. 4%38 min13 min to 1.7 hStays with people
Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 4%13 min4 min to 25 minStays with people
Advocate for patients' and families' needs, or provide emotional support for patients and their families.Done several times a day by most who do it. 4%25 min8 min to 1.3 h97%Half by now
Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.Done several times a day by most who do it. 4%25 min13 min to 1.1 hStays with people

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.

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). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.

Where the most of these jobs are

The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.