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Healthcare · Updated Aug 2026

Physician Assistants

Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
60/100
High

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
50/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence82/100
Task coverage86%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.High
67
Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.High
63
Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.High
65
Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.High
66
Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.High
57
Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.High
65
Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.High
72
Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.High
35
Visit and observe patients on hospital rounds or house calls, updating charts, ordering therapy, and reporting back to physician.High
50
Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants.Medium
63
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.72
  2. Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.67
  3. Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.66
  4. Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.65
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.01
  2. Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.02
  3. Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.03
  4. Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants.04
  5. Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency63
Physical dependency41
Adoption pressure57
Labour-market resilience75
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence82/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →