Nurse Anesthetist

O*NET: Nurse Anesthetists·29-1151.00

The Verdict:Anesthesia demands hands-on mastery in the operating room — intubating airways, inserting catheters, titrating drugs amid shifting patient responses. No robot replicates tactile adaptation to unique anatomies. AI aids monitoring and planning, enhancing human precision without replacing core physical judgment. Demand surges with surgical volumes, securing the role long-term.

Resilience Score

/100

Highly Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$223k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+8.6%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 1 of 24 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
18 of 24 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 21% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

1exposed

5AI leverage

18human-essential

View all 24 tasks

AI Can Handle This1 task

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

Request anesthesia equipment repairs, adjustments, or safety tests.

AI Leverage5 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Assess patients' medical histories to predict anesthesia response.

Develop anesthesia care plans.

Select and prescribe post-anesthesia medications or treatments to patients.

Select, order, or administer pre-anesthetic medications.

Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.

Human Advantage18 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Manage patients' airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation.

Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.

Monitor patients' responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.

Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.

Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.

Perform or manage regional anesthetic techniques, such as local, spinal, epidural, caudal, nerve blocks and intravenous blocks.

Obtain informed consent from patients for anesthesia procedures.

Prepare prescribed solutions and administer local, intravenous, spinal, or other anesthetics, following specified methods and procedures.

Perform pre-anesthetic screenings, including physical evaluations and patient interviews, and document results.

Calibrate and test anesthesia equipment.

Evaluate patients' post-surgical or post-anesthesia responses, taking appropriate corrective actions or requesting consultation if complications occur.

Administer post-anesthesia medications or fluids to support patients' cardiovascular systems.

Perform or evaluate the results of diagnostic tests, such as radiographs (x-rays) and electrocardiograms (EKGs).

Insert peripheral or central intravenous catheters.

Insert arterial catheters or perform arterial punctures to obtain arterial blood samples.

Discharge patients from post-anesthesia care.

Instruct nurses, residents, interns, students, or other staff on topics such as anesthetic techniques, pain management and emergency responses.

Disassemble and clean anesthesia equipment.

Resilience Landscape

Nurse Anesthetist lands in Stable & Well-Paid

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