Will AI replace Veterinary Technologists and Technicians?

Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 31 official task statements scored for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (United States, SOC 29-2056), 11% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 14 out of 100 (range 11–18, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.

Which tasks in “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians” can AI already do?

The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Schedule appointments and procedures for animals” (85/100, very high); “Maintain laboratory, research, or treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment, or supplies” (69/100, high); “Monitor medical supplies and place orders when inventory is low” (69/100, high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.

Which tasks in “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians” stay human?

About 85% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Restrain animals during exams or procedures” (0/100, minimal); “Conduct specialized procedures, such as animal branding or tattooing or hoof trimming” (0/100, minimal); “Bathe animals, clip nails or claws, and brush or cut animals' hair” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.

What should someone working in “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians” do about AI?

Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 11% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 85% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.

How is the AI exposure score for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians calculated?

Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 31 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

US dataswitch to UK

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

administering anesthesia to animals, observing the behavior and condition of animals and monitoring their clinical symptoms and filling prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: caring for and monitoring the condition of animals recovering from surgery is work software can't reach.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 11%
changing shape: 4%
staying human: 85%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 14 out of 100 (11–18 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, across 31 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.

How we know this

What is measured: Every published task statement for veterinary technologists and technicians is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.

What shifts is scheduling appointments and procedures for animals: the overhead at the edges, not the middle you trained for.

Your week, as this page understands it

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. The job title says “veterinary technologists” or “technicians”: officially one job, two names. The real job is the part underneath: caring for and monitoring the condition of animals recovering from surgery. That is the thing someone has to be right about.

The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But veterinary technologists and technicians is not one task. It is 31 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is caring for and monitoring the condition of animals recovering from surgery, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 11%
changing shape: 4%
staying human: 85%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

How we know this

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.

Your job, task by task

These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.

Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Shifting to AI

4 tasks

Tasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.

Maintaining laboratory, research or treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment or supplies
This is reading one thing and writing another: laboratory, research or treatment records in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Maintain laboratory, research, or treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment, or supplies.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Treatment records and stock lists are structured paperwork that software keeps accurately with very little help.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Monitoring medical supplies and placing orders when inventory is low
This is reading one thing and writing another: medical supplies in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Monitor medical supplies and place orders when inventory is low.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Watching stock levels and reordering is routine systems work computers do automatically.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Scheduling appointments and procedures for animals
This is reading one thing and writing another: appointments in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Schedule appointments and procedures for animals.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 85 out of 100 (78–92 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Booking appointments and procedures runs on calendars and rules that scheduling software already handles very well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Performing a variety of office
This is reading one thing and writing another: a variety of office in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Perform a variety of office, clerical, or accounting duties, such as reception, billing, bookkeeping, or selling products.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 64 out of 100 (60–68 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Reception, billing and bookkeeping are standard office tasks that software already performs to a high standard.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.

Changing shape

1 task

Tasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.

Maintaining controlled drug inventory and related log books
The software now makes the first pass at controlled drug inventory, but someone has to be answerable for the result, and it cannot be the software. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 52 out of 100 (45–59 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Controlled drug logs are structured records software maintains well, though the law keeps a named accountable person over them.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Staying human

26 tasks

Tasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.

Caring for and monitoring the condition of animals recovering from surgery
This work happens in the physical world: and monitoring the condition of animals, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Post-operative care means physically checking and handling the recovering animal.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Preparing and administering medications, vaccines, serums or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians
This work happens in the physical world: medications, vaccines, serums or treatments, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Preparing and giving medication to an animal is physical care by trained hands.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Performing laboratory tests on blood
This work happens in the physical world: laboratory tests, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “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.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 13 out of 100 (6–20 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Reading results is information work, but running blood, urine and fecal tests means handling samples and machines.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Restraining animals during exams or procedures
This work happens in the physical world: animals during exams, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Restrain animals during exams or procedures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Holding an animal still is purely physical work with the animal in front of you.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Cleaning and sterilizing instruments, equipment or materials
This work happens in the physical world: instruments, equipment or materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Cleaning and sterilizing instruments is hands-on work in the treatment room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Show the other 21 tasks

Providing information or counseling regarding issues
staying human
The value here is that a specific person handles information and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Provide information or counseling regarding issues such as animal health care, behavior problems, or nutrition.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 34 out of 100 (27–41 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Advice on pet health, nutrition and behavior is well-documented material, though owners often want it from a familiar person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Discussing medical health of pets with clients
staying human
The value here is that a specific person handles medical health of pets and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Discuss medical health of pets with clients, such as post-operative status.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (14–28 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Explaining how a pet came through surgery matters most when a worried owner hears it from someone they trust.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Supervising or training veterinary students or other staff members
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: veterinary students, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Supervise or train veterinary students or other staff members.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 15 out of 100 (8–22 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Written material is easy to produce, but supervising students on real animals happens in the room with them.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Filling prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Fill prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Dose calculation and labeling are computer work, but measuring out and dispensing medicine is done by hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Observing the behavior and condition of animals and monitoring their clinical symptoms
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: the behavior, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Observe the behavior and condition of animals and monitor their clinical symptoms.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 11 out of 100 (4–18 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: The judgment about symptoms is information, but noticing changes means being with the animal and watching it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Administering anesthesia to animals
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: anesthesia, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Giving anesthesia and watching the animal response is hands-on clinical work at the table.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Administering emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: emergency first aid, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Administer emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Emergency resuscitation is immediate physical intervention on the animal.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Collecting, preparing and labelling samples for laboratory testing, culture or microscopic examination
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: samples, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Collect, prepare, and label samples for laboratory testing, culture, or microscopic examination.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Collecting and labeling samples means physically taking them from the animal.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing veterinarians with the correct equipment or instruments
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: veterinarians, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Provide veterinarians with the correct equipment or instruments, as needed.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Handing the vet the right instrument means standing beside them during the procedure.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Preparing animals for surgery, performing such tasks as shaving surgical areas
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: animals, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Prepare animals for surgery, performing such tasks as shaving surgical areas.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Shaving and preparing an animal for surgery is hands-on work before the procedure.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Taking animals into treatment areas and assisting with physical examinations by performing such duties as obtaining temperature
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: animals, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Take animals into treatment areas and assist with physical examinations by performing such duties as obtaining temperature, pulse, or respiration data.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Moving animals and taking temperature, pulse and breathing readings is hands-on handling.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Taking and developing diagnostic radiographs
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: diagnostic radiographs, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Take and develop diagnostic radiographs, using x-ray equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Taking an x-ray means positioning the animal and operating the machine in the room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Giving enemas and performing catheterizations
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: enemas, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Give enemas and perform catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Catheters, enemas and feeding tubes are physical procedures performed on the animal.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Preparing treatment rooms for surgery
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: treatment rooms, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Prepare treatment rooms for surgery.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Setting up a treatment room for surgery is physical preparation of the space.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Maintaining instruments, equipment or machinery to ensure proper working condition
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: instruments, equipment or machinery, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Maintain instruments, equipment, or machinery to ensure proper working condition.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Servicing instruments and machinery means working on the equipment itself.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Performing dental work, such as cleaning, polishing or extracting teeth
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: dental work, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Perform dental work, such as cleaning, polishing, or extracting teeth.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Cleaning, polishing and extracting teeth is skilled physical work inside the animal mouth.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Cleaning kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Clean kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Cleaning kennels and clinical areas is physical work throughout the practice.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Providing assistance with animal euthanasia and the disposal of remains
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: assistance, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Provide assistance with animal euthanasia and the disposal of remains.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Assisting with euthanasia and handling remains is physical work at the animal side.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Dressing and suturing wounds and applying splints or other protective devices
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: wounds, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Dress and suture wounds and apply splints or other protective devices.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Dressing wounds, suturing and splinting is direct physical treatment of the animal.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Bathing animals, clip nails or claws and brush or cutting animals' hair
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: animals, clip nails or claws and brush, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Bathe animals, clip nails or claws, and brush or cut animals' hair.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Bathing, clipping and brushing animals is entirely hands-on.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Conducting specialized procedures, such as animal branding or tattooing or hoof trimming
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: specialized procedures, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Supplemental
Source: “Conduct specialized procedures, such as animal branding or tattooing or hoof trimming.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Branding, tattooing and hoof trimming are physical procedures on the animal.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

What this job pays, and how many people do it

Median pay: $47,380a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
People doing this job: 129,140in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.

Why this is shifting

The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: laboratory, research or treatment records in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: scheduling appointments and procedures for animals and maintaining laboratory, research or treatment records. What it cannot do is be answerable: and monitoring the condition of animals need a named person the rules will accept, and software cannot be that person. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.

Your move

Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend

Start with what does not change: caring for and monitoring the condition of animals recovering from surgery is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.

So, given all that: 11% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 4% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 85% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 31 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.

So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Scheduling appointments and procedures for animals is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.

This week: one thing

Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to laboratory, research or treatment records, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.

What you end up holding: a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
How long it takes: ten minutes

If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether and monitoring the condition of animals are in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.

Over the next 90 days

Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near maintaining controlled drug inventory and related log books. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.

Over the next 12 months

On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.

The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them

I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.

I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to veterinary technologists and technicians (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers: it pays 19.5% less. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 14/100 here, with only 11% of the task list in the top band, and “care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.

How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.

3 moves I checked and rejected

These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials, and their equivalent is to clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment. Across both published task lists that is about 38% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: It is a pay cut, in those words: $38,150 against your $47,380, 19.5% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Medical Assistants
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials, and their equivalent is to clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies. Across both published task lists that is about 9% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 9% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Pharmacy Technicians
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials, and their equivalent is to clean and help maintain equipment or work areas and sterilize glassware, according to…. Across both published task lists that is about 7% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 7% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Look at that job’s page anyway →

What I’d stop worrying about

A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.

The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 11% of its task weight, across 31 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The headlines about your trade disappearing
They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like caring for and monitoring the condition of animals recovering from surgery arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.
Retraining out of a job that is holding up
On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.

You are reading the United States figures

The nearest United Kingdom equivalent is Veterinary nurses. It is a close match rather than an identical one: the two countries draw the boundary of the job in slightly different places.

Switch to the United Kingdom page →close match

Your route through this

Where to go next, and what it costs

Free, and complete

The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.

Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
American Job Center locator
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
- CareerOneStop local help hub
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop
Free

No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it

Nothing Collab365 runs is built for veterinary technologists / technicians, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.

There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 11% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.

Try The AI Authority free →

7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.

The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for veterinary technologists / technicians. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for veterinary technologists / technicians launches. Nothing else.

That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.

We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.

No Space for veterinary technologists / technicians yet. Should there be one?

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

Collab365 launches new communities where the need is real. If one for veterinary technologists / technicians existed, with researched problems, courses and people in the same boat, would you want in?

Your email

We use your email address for one thing: to tell you if a Space for veterinary technologists / technicians launches. We never sell it, never use it for unrelated marketing, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Our privacy policy has the full version.

This unlocks nothing. Every figure, every row and every step on this page is already yours, whether you fill this in or not.

No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.

Questions people ask about this job

Will AI replace Veterinary Technologists and Technicians?: Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 31 official task statements scored for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (United States, SOC 29-2056), 11% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 14 out of 100 (range 11–18, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
Which tasks in “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians” can AI already do?: The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Schedule appointments and procedures for animals” (85/100, very high); “Maintain laboratory, research, or treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment, or supplies” (69/100, high); “Monitor medical supplies and place orders when inventory is low” (69/100, high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
Which tasks in “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians” stay human?: About 85% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Restrain animals during exams or procedures” (0/100, minimal); “Conduct specialized procedures, such as animal branding or tattooing or hoof trimming” (0/100, minimal); “Bathe animals, clip nails or claws, and brush or cut animals' hair” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
What should someone working in “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians” do about AI?: Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 11% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 85% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
How is the AI exposure score for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians calculated?: Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 31 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Where these numbers come from

Worth knowing about these figures

Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Task statements: onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
Task weights: onet-db (im-rt)
Scores: Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-04.
Pay and employment: bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))

Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.

The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.

The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.

How we score a job Download this release Look up another job

Using these figures?

Cite this

Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.

Plain text

Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).

BibTeX

@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
  title        = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
  author       = {{Collab365}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
  note         = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.