Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 11% 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 89% of the time, stays with people.
Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.
129,140 people do this job in the US. $47,380 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 on1 h
- A person checks AI's work3 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people36 h
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 3 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 36 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Keep treatment and inventory records (about 2 h, a person checks); Keep the controlled drug log (under an hour, a person checks); Reception, billing and sales (under an hour).
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.
- 1%
- 10%
- 2%
- 7%
- 80%
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 11% 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, 11%. Today's estimate: 11%.
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, 0.021% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 330th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 31 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.011% to 0.0073% (released February and March 2025); 0.017% to 0.013% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.023% to 0.021% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.011% | 527 of 708 | 2 of 31 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0073% | 543 of 703 | 2 of 31 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.017% | 382 of 655 | 2 of 31 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.0088% | 497 of 672 | 1 of 31 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.013% | 458 of 677 | 4 of 31 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.023% | 321 of 434 | 1 of 31 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.021% | 330 of 447 | 1 of 31 |
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 83% of this job's working time as physical work. For 28% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 26% in a purpose-built cell, 1% in a structured facility. 0.29 of 3, the 390th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 17%
- No robot shown 55%
- In a purpose-built cell 26%
- In a structured facility 1%
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
89% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Run lab tests, the hands-on work, 7%
- Clean kennels and rooms, the hands-on work, 6%
- Administer medications and vaccines, the hands-on work, 5%
- Bathe and groom animals, the hands-on work, 5%
- Administer and monitor anesthesia, the hands-on work, 5%
- Restrain animals, the hands-on work, 5%
What becomes checking the machine
7% 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 3% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Keep treatment and inventory records, costly if wrong, 4%
- Keep the controlled drug log, severe if wrong, 2%
- Fill prescriptions, a licensed person signs, 0.7%
- Supervise and train students and staff, costly if wrong, 0.6%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 80% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- 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.
- 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 10% 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.
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 . 31 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.Urinalyses and blood counts at the bench.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Collaborative-robot (cobot) pre-analytical processing complex (research group publishing in Diagnostics (MDPI); implementation in a centralized medical laboratory) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 29 min13 min to 1.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Clean kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.Cleaning to control disease.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Envirologic EVO Cleaner (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 25 min8 min to 1.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.Medications and vaccines given as prescribed.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 29 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Bathe animals, clip nails or claws, and brush or cut animals' hair.Bathing, nail clipping and grooming.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.Anesthesia given and the animal watched under the veterinarian's direction.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Restrain animals during exams or procedures.Holding the animal for the exam or procedure.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Perform dental work, such as cleaning, polishing, or extracting teeth.Cleaning, polishing and extractions.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.1 h25 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Maintain laboratory, research, or treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment, or supplies.Records and inventories kept in the system.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 29 min13 min to 1.3 h | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.Care and watching in recovery.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 29 min17 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.Instruments and equipment sterilized.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Steelco/Belimed ATS Automatic Transfer System (SteelcoBelimed) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Collect, prepare, and label samples for laboratory testing, culture, or microscopic examination.Samples taken, prepared and labeled.Done several times a day 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 |
| Take and develop diagnostic radiographs, using x-ray equipment.X-rays taken and developed.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Definium 656 HD (with Intelligent Workflow Suite, Auto Protocol Assist, Auto Field of View, Helix) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 29 min13 min to 1.1 h | 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.
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers17% now, 17% by 2028
- Surgical Assistants0% now, 0% by 2028
- Medical Assistants29% now, 29% by 2028
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians31% now, 31% by 2028
- Surgical Technologists2% now, 2% by 2028
- Emergency Medical Technicians2% now, 2% by 2028
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 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 11% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 11% 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 Veterinary 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: Keep treatment and inventory records (100% of the task's time now); Keep the controlled drug log (60% of the task's time now); and Reception, billing and sales (50% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Veterinary 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: Run lab tests; Clean kennels and rooms; and Administer medications and vaccines. Together such tasks are about 80% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Veterinary 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 the hands-on craft; judgment where errors are severe; and signing off under your license. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 89% of the working time stays with people, 7% becomes checking a model's work and 3% 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 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.021% went to this job's tasks, the 330th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 31 tasks appeared. 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 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 83% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 28% of the working time, 1% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.29 of 3. One example: CUBEX smart cabinets (MedFlex/Mini) for "keep the controlled drug log". 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 31 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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