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How exposed to AI is a Medical Assistant?

Of the 20 tasks O*NET lists for medical assistants, 1 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 15 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)Chiropractor AssistantClinical Medical AssistantDoctor's AssistantHealth AssistantOphthalmic AssistantOphthalmological AssistantOptometric AssistantOutpatient Surgery AssistantRegistered Medical Assistant (RMA)
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
20
tasks rated for this occupation
17%
hold a degree, from a survey of 20
728k
people do this job in the US
8 of 19
least protected in healthcare support

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

1
  • Perform general office duties, such as answering telephones, taking dictation, or completing insurance forms

Only with software built on top

4
  • Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records
  • Schedule appointments for patients
  • Contact medical facilities or departments to schedule patients for tests or admission
  • Keep financial records or perform other bookkeeping duties, such as handling credit or collections or mailing monthly statements to patients

Cannot be sped up

15
  • Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height
  • Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies
  • Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients
  • Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean
  • Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing
  • Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician
  • Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures
  • Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses
  • Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic
  • Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician
  • Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies
  • Change dressings on wounds
  • Inventory and order medical, lab, or office supplies or equipment
  • Operate x-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), or other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests
  • Set up medical laboratory equipment
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.