Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
Healthcare Support Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 31-9096.00
Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· 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
0.018
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
0.14· 2 ISCO-08 groups
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.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 3240Veterinary Technicians and Assistants0.14
- ISCO-08 5164Pet Groomers and Animal Care Workers0.14
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only28 rated tasks · 9 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (32.1%)
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
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties.31-9096.00 | 0.026167.6 |
Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems.31-9096.00 | 0.010427.0 |
Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding.31-9096.00 | 0.00215.4 |
| Not observed on any surface — 24 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | |
Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms. | —0 |
Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment. | —0 |
Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians. | —0 |
Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals. | —0 |
Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease. | —0 |
Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures. | —0 |
Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays. | —0 |
Fill medication prescriptions. | —0 |
Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces for testing. | —0 |
Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury. | —0 |
Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries. | —0 |
Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures. | —0 |
Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules. | —0 |
Exercise animals or provide them with companionship. | —0 |
Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth. | —0 |
Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies. | —0 |
Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses. | —0 |
Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers. | —0 |
Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests. | —0 |
Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories. | —0 |
Sell pet food or supplies to customers. | —0 |
Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals. | —0 |
Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages. | —0 |
Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats. | —0 |
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. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding.O*NET Task ID 4322 | 1.0 |
Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties.O*NET Task ID 4329 | 1.0 |
Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories.O*NET Task ID 4330 | 1.0 |
Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.O*NET Task ID 4313 | 0.5 |
Fill medication prescriptions.O*NET Task ID 4314 | 0.5 |
Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems.O*NET Task ID 4323 | 0.5 |
Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers.O*NET Task ID 4327 | 0.5 |
Sell pet food or supplies to customers.O*NET Task ID 4332 | 0.5 |
Place orders to restock inventory of hospital or laboratory supplies.O*NET Task ID 21195 | 0.5 |
Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.O*NET Task ID 4306 | 0.0 |
Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals.O*NET Task ID 4307 | 0.0 |
Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment.O*NET Task ID 4308 | 0.0 |
Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.O*NET Task ID 4309 | 0.0 |
Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals.O*NET Task ID 4310 | 0.0 |
Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.O*NET Task ID 4311 | 0.0 |
Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.O*NET Task ID 4312 | 0.0 |
Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing.O*NET Task ID 4315 | 0.0 |
Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.O*NET Task ID 4316 | 0.0 |
Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.O*NET Task ID 4317 | 0.0 |
Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures.O*NET Task ID 4318 | 0.0 |
Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages.O*NET Task ID 4319 | 0.0 |
Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules.O*NET Task ID 4320 | 0.0 |
Exercise animals or provide them with companionship.O*NET Task ID 4321 | 0.0 |
Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth.O*NET Task ID 4324 | 0.0 |
Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies.O*NET Task ID 4325 | 0.0 |
Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses.O*NET Task ID 4326 | 0.0 |
Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests.O*NET Task ID 4328 | 0.0 |
Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats.O*NET Task ID 4333 | 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®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (28)
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 |
|---|---|
| Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms. | Core |
| Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment. | Core |
| Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians. | Core |
| Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals. | Core |
| Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease. | Core |
| Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures. | Core |
| Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays. | Core |
| Fill medication prescriptions. | Core |
| Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing. | Core |
| Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury. | Core |
| Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries. | Core |
| Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures. | Core |
| Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages. | Core |
| Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules. | Core |
| Exercise animals or provide them with companionship. | Core |
| Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding. | Core |
| Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems. | Core |
| Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth. | Core |
| Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies. | Core |
| Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses. | Core |
| Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers. | Core |
| Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests. | Core |
| Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties. | Core |
| Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories. | Core |
| Sell pet food or supplies to customers. | Core |
| Place orders to restock inventory of hospital or laboratory supplies. | Core |
| Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals. | Supplemental |
| Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats. | Supplemental |
0.39/ 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 |
|---|---|
| Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms. | E0 none |
| Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians. | E0 none |
| Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals. | E0 none |
| Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures. | E0 none |
| Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Fill medication prescriptions. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing. | E0 none |
| Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury. | E0 none |
| Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries. | E0 none |
| Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages. | E0 none |
| Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Exercise animals or provide them with companionship. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth. | E0 none |
| Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses. | E0 none |
| Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests. | E0 none |
| Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals. | E0 none |
| Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats. | E0 none |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 132K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 144K
- Change (2025–35)
- +9.1%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $38,150
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43319 | 그 외 수의사 보조원 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 61399 | 그 외 축산 및 사육 관련 종사원 | This occupation is broader | 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 3240Veterinary Technicians and Assistants
- ISCO-08 5164Pet Groomers and Animal Care Workers
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.
- veterinary nurseESCO 3240.2.4Same scope
Veterinary nurses support animals undergoing veterinary treatment and give advice to veterinary clients in the promotion of animal health and disease prevention in accordance with national legislation.
- animal care attendantESCO 5164.1Overlapping, not the same
Animal care attendants provide routine care for non-production animals, which may include feeding, watering, cleaning, exercise and enrichment, grooming, training and monitoring of the health and welfare, in accordance with national legislation.
- animal shelter workerESCO 5164.3Overlapping, not the same
Animal shelter workers provide animal care routine services at the animal shelter. They receive animals brought to the shelter, respond to calls about lost or injured animals, nurse animals, clean cages, handle papers for adoption of animals, transport animals to the veterinarian and maintain database with the animals present in the shelter.
- kennel workerESCO 5164.1.2Overlapping, not the same
Kennel workers handle animals in kennels or catteries and provide care for pets. They feed the animals, clean their cages, look after ill or old animals, groom them and take them out for a walk.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| A1501 | Auxiliaire vétérinaire | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| A1505 | Animalier / Animalière de laboratoire | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| A1506 | Soigneur animalier / Soigneuse animalière | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 5893 | Cuidadores de animales y adiestradores | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 3327 | Ayudantes de veterinaria | Related, not a matchprovisional |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 81142 | Tiermedizinische Fachangestellte - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the same |
| 11582 | Berufe in der Tierpflege (sonstige spezifische Tätigkeitsangabe) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
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 narrowerprovisional |
| 462 | 養畜従事者 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
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