Medical Equipment Preparers
Healthcare Support Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 31-9093.00
Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.15
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only16 rated tasks · 2 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (12.5%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record sterilizer test results.O*NET Task ID 4294 | 1.0 |
Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low.O*NET Task ID 18703 | 0.5 |
Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.O*NET Task ID 4291 | 0.0 |
Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization.O*NET Task ID 4292 | 0.0 |
Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.O*NET Task ID 4293 | 0.0 |
Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers.O*NET Task ID 4295 | 0.0 |
Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards.O*NET Task ID 4296 | 0.0 |
Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.O*NET Task ID 4297 | 0.0 |
Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff.O*NET Task ID 4298 | 0.0 |
Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.O*NET Task ID 4299 | 0.0 |
Attend hospital in-service programs related to areas of work specialization.O*NET Task ID 4301 | 0.0 |
Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems.O*NET Task ID 4302 | 0.0 |
Deliver equipment to specified hospital locations or to patients' residences.O*NET Task ID 4303 | 0.0 |
Assist hospital staff with patient care duties, such as providing transportation or setting up traction.O*NET Task ID 4304 | 0.0 |
Install and set up medical equipment, using hand tools.O*NET Task ID 4305 | 0.0 |
Stock crash carts or other medical supplies.O*NET Task ID 18702 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (16)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed. | Core |
| Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization. | Core |
| Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed. | Core |
| Record sterilizer test results. | Core |
| Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers. | Core |
| Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards. | Core |
| Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair. | Core |
| Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff. | Core |
| Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated. | Core |
| Attend hospital in-service programs related to areas of work specialization. | Core |
| Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems. | Core |
| Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low. | Core |
| Deliver equipment to specified hospital locations or to patients' residences. | Supplemental |
| Assist hospital staff with patient care duties, such as providing transportation or setting up traction. | Supplemental |
| Install and set up medical equipment, using hand tools. | Supplemental |
| Stock crash carts or other medical supplies. | Supplemental |
0.92/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair. | E0 none |
| Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Stock crash carts or other medical supplies. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Deliver equipment to specified hospital locations or to patients' residences. | E2 structured facilities |
| Assist hospital staff with patient care duties, such as providing transportation or setting up traction. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 80K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 89K
- Change (2025–35)
- +10.8%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $47,700
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24950 | 간호조무사 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 5329Personal Care Workers in Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
This unit group covers providers of routine health and personal care support services not classified elsewhere in Minor Group 532: Personal Care Workers in Health Services. For instance, the group includes occupations such as dental aide, sterilization aide, hospital orderly, medical imaging assistant and pharmacy aide.
Tasks
- In such cases tasks would include -
- (a) cleaning and sterilizing surgical, dental and pharmaceutical instruments, bottles, beakers and other equipment;
- (b) labelling drugs, chemicals and other pharmaceutical preparations and replenishing stock on shelves;
- (c) lifting, turning and moving patients and transporting them in wheelchairs or on moveable beds;
- (d) preparing patients for examination or treatment;
- (e) setting up instrument trays, preparing materials, and assisting dentists or radiographers during procedures;
- (f) exposing diagnostic X-rays.
Example occupations
Dental aide · First-aid attendant · Hospital orderly · Medical imaging assistant · Pharmacy aide · Phlebotomist · Sterilization aide
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- sterile services technicianESCO 5329.3Same scope
Sterile services technicians ensure decontamination of medical devices in compliance with strict hygienic procedures. They dismantle and re-assemble sophisticated medical equipment through sterilising, cleaning, and repackaging it for further usage, under supervision, following the orders of the doctor of medicine or other qualified medical personnel.
- medical laboratory assistantESCO 3212.2This occupation is broader
Medical laboratory assistants work under supervision of the biomedical scientist and carry out basic laboratory procedures. They work in the pre-analytical handling of samples such as checking the details of specimens received for analysis, maintaining analysers, loading reagents, and packaging specimens. They also perform clerical tasks such as monitoring the stock levels of reagents used in analysis.
- respiratory therapy technicianESCO 3259.5This occupation is broader
Respiratory therapy technicians assist doctors and surgeons to treat respiratory problems. They work in hospitals and medical facilities where they operate medical equipment to test patients' respiratory conditions and aid in their treatment. Respiratory therapy technicians also tend to breathing equipment and machines during surgery.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| J1309 | Agent / Agente de stérilisation de service hospitalier | Same scopeprovisional |
| J1301 | Agent / Agente de service hospitalier (ASH) | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| J1303 | Assistant / Assistante médico-technique | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 5629 | Trabajadores de los cuidados a las personas en servicios de salud no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 81182 | Medizinische Fachangestellte (sonstige spezifische Tätigkeitsangabe) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 379 | その他の保健医療サービス職業従事者 | This occupation is narrower |
| 739 | その他の運搬・清掃・包装等従事者 | Related, not a match |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources