Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
In short: today's best AI models could do about 16% 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 84% of the time, stays with people.
Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
648,410 people do this job in the US. $64,400 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 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 work6 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people34 h
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 6 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 34 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Plan and deliver care with the team (about 2 h, a person checks); Evaluate outcomes of nursing care (about 1 h, a person checks); Observe patients and chart changes (under an hour, 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.
- 7%
- 9%
- 0%
- 31%
- 52%
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 16% 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, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 16%. Today's estimate: 16%.
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 22 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.0026% to 0.005% (released February and March 2025); 0.0035% to 0.013% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.0026% | 672 of 708 | 1 of 22 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.005% | 583 of 703 | 2 of 22 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0035% | 570 of 655 | 1 of 22 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.011% | 473 of 672 | 2 of 22 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.013% | 464 of 677 | 1 of 22 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 22 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 22 |
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 86% of this job's working time as physical work. For 16% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 16% in a purpose-built cell. 0.16 of 3, the 469th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 14%
- No robot shown 70%
- In a purpose-built cell 16%
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
84% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Supervise nurses' aides, the in-person work, 15%
- Plan and deliver care with the team, the in-person work, 9%
- Give basic care and treatments, the hands-on work, 8%
- Give care in patients' homes, the hands-on work, 6%
- Help patients bathe, dress and move, the hands-on work, 6%
- Observe patients and chart changes, the hands-on work, 5%
What becomes checking the machine
15% 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. Another 1% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Plan and deliver care with the team, a licensed person signs, 4%
- Evaluate outcomes of nursing care, a licensed person signs, 3%
- Observe patients and chart changes, a licensed person signs, 2%
- Do clinic clerical duties, costly if wrong, 2%
- Measure and record vital signs, severe if wrong, 2%
- Give medications and start IVs, a licensed person signs, 1%
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.
- 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.
- The hands-on craft. About 52% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- The conversations. About 32% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Handling protected records. Much of the work touches protected personal records: knowing what may be shared with a model, and how, is part of the job.
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 . 22 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.Leading aides on the unit, in person.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.Conversation on the unit, the chart, and care given by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 13% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 50%, documents 30%, hands-on 20% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.Hands-on nursing care.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 8% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.Watching and checking the patient in person, then charting and reporting.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Hands-on 50%, systems 30%, in person 20% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Provide medical treatment or personal care to patients in private home settings, such as cooking, keeping rooms orderly, seeing that patients are comfortable and in good spirits, or instructing family members in simple nursing tasks.Hands-on care and housekeeping, with teaching for the family.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 70%, in person 30% | Stays with people |
| Help patients with bathing, dressing, maintaining personal hygiene, moving in bed, or standing and walking.Hands-on care.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.Giving the medication or starting the drip by hand, with the times and amounts charted.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 80%, systems 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.Reading the chart against the plan, and talking it over on the unit.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Documents 50%, in person 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Set up equipment and prepare medical treatment rooms.Setting up by hand.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Assemble and use equipment, such as catheters, tracheotomy tubes, or oxygen suppliers.Hands-on clinical work.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.Going to the patient and asking what is needed.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 7 min3 min to 17 min | In person 70%, hands-on 30% | Stays with people |
| Sterilize equipment and supplies, using germicides, sterilizer, or autoclave.Hands-on work with a sterilizer.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, STERIS ATLAS Workflow Automation Vehicle (WAV) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays 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. 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 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 16% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 16% 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 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 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: Plan and deliver care with the team (30% of the task's time now); Evaluate outcomes of nursing care (50% of the task's time now); and Observe patients and chart changes (30% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Supervise nurses' aides; Give basic care and treatments; and Give care in patients' homes. Together such tasks are about 59% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 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; signing off under your license; and the hands-on craft. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 84% of the working time stays with people, 15% 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 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses?
- 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 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 86% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 16% of the working time. Its index is 0.16 of 3. One example: STERIS ATLAS Workflow Automation Vehicle (WAV) for "sterilize equipment and supplies". 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 22 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 September 30, 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.
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