Orderlies
Also called: Patient Care Assistant (PCA), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Patient Transporter, TransporterTransport patients to areas such as operating rooms or x-ray rooms using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. May maintain stocks of supplies or clean and transport equipment. Psychiatric orderlies are included in Psychiatric Aides.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 22 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 4.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Orderlies and psychiatric aides”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 95% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $31,310 | $29,720 to $33,390 | 400 |
| Alaska | $39,410 | $39,410 to $47,130 | 70 |
| Arizona | $37,380 | $35,790 to $38,220 | 1,220 |
| Arkansas | $31,540 | $27,770 to $35,000 | 170 |
| California | $49,920 | $46,920 to $63,010 | 4,870 |
| Colorado | $43,570 | $40,260 to $44,920 | 540 |
| Connecticut | $37,550 | $35,140 to $39,150 | 980 |
| Delaware | $43,800 | $40,230 to $43,800 | 190 |
| District of Columbia | $39,250 | $39,160 to $39,880 | 120 |
| Florida | $35,420 | $34,180 to $36,630 | 4,440 |
| Georgia | $36,100 | $32,610 to $38,900 | 2,410 |
| Hawaii | $47,130 | $42,080 to $47,160 | 80 |
| Idaho | $38,650 | $38,410 to $44,540 | 300 |
| Illinois | $39,450 | $36,290 to $44,260 | 2,110 |
| Indiana | $38,540 | $35,620 to $40,420 | 1,060 |
| Iowa | $36,850 | $34,930 to $37,730 | 260 |
| Kansas | $37,140 | $35,380 to $37,520 | 200 |
| Kentucky | $35,260 | $31,870 to $37,470 | 710 |
| Louisiana | $27,330 | $26,610 to $30,070 | 600 |
| Maine | $42,530 | $39,410 to $43,830 | 150 |
| Maryland | $38,210 | $36,740 to $40,030 | 1,580 |
| Massachusetts | $38,970 | $37,660 to $46,440 | 1,810 |
| Michigan | $36,220 | $35,180 to $38,620 | 1,700 |
| Minnesota | $44,550 | $38,450 to $49,830 | 430 |
| Mississippi | $29,790 | $28,230 to $31,950 | 440 |
| Missouri | $35,620 | $33,380 to $37,580 | 870 |
| Nevada | $35,850 | $33,140 to $37,970 | 470 |
| New Hampshire | $40,850 | $40,830 to $46,650 | 140 |
| New Jersey | $38,670 | $36,860 to $43,850 | 2,640 |
| New Mexico | $37,650 | $37,010 to $37,650 | 130 |
| New York | $46,600 | $39,290 to $51,570 | 4,680 |
| North Carolina | $38,680 | $37,780 to $39,840 | 1,730 |
| North Dakota | $38,240 | $36,240 to $43,200 | 70 |
| Ohio | $37,030 | $35,630 to $38,000 | 2,360 |
| Oklahoma | $34,430 | $32,900 to $35,810 | 370 |
| Oregon | $45,120 | $43,230 to $48,340 | 500 |
| Pennsylvania | $40,140 | $38,240 to $44,230 | 3,550 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,330 | $21,910 to $22,660 | 630 |
| Rhode Island | $39,830 | $39,180 to $44,910 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $36,480 | $33,810 to $41,050 | 1,430 |
| Tennessee | $31,840 | $28,600 to $38,740 | 1,200 |
| Texas | $37,650 | $34,850 to $39,100 | 2,320 |
| Vermont | $48,120 | $42,770 to $48,120 | 70 |
| Virginia | $36,960 | $34,790 to $39,820 | 900 |
| Washington | $48,690 | $40,890 to $57,300 | 200 |
| West Virginia | $31,770 | $30,830 to $34,730 | 250 |
| Wisconsin | $41,380 | $38,550 to $44,860 | 660 |
| Wyoming | $37,410 | $31,330 to $37,410 | 50 |
Nationally: $38,290. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 22 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers. | Not published |
| Not much | Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. | Not published |
| Not much | Disinfect or sterilize equipment or supplies, using germicides or sterilizing equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance. | Not published |
| AI + software | Carry messages or documents between departments. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Respond to emergency situations, such as emergency medical calls, security calls, or fire alarms. | Not published |
See all 22 tasks
| Not much | Change soiled linens, such as bed linens, drapes, or cubicle curtains. | Not published |
| Not much | Transport portable medical equipment or medical supplies between rooms or departments. | Not published |
| Not much | Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel. | Not published |
| Not much | Restrain patients to prevent violence or injury or to assist physicians or nurses to administer treatments. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect and transport infectious or hazardous waste in closed containers for sterilization or disposal, in accordance with applicable law, standards, or policies. | Not published |
| Not much | Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect soiled linen or trash. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Stock utility rooms, nonmedical storage rooms, or cleaning carts with supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide physical support to patients to assist them to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising. | Not published |
| Not much | Transport bodies to the morgue. | Not published |
| Not much | Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation. | Not published |
| Not much | Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn or reposition bedridden patients, alone or with assistance, to prevent bedsores. | Not published |
| Not much | Separate collected materials for disposal, recycling, or reuse, in accordance with environmental policies. | Not published |
| Not much | Serve or collect food trays. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 22 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 22 tasks fall under 12 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers |
Show all 12 activities
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations | |||
| Intervene in crisis situations or emergencies | |||
| Transport patients or clients |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation45%
- An email or message34%
- An explanation or answer5%
- A document or report4%
- An analysis or summary3%
How they worked with Claude
44% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for orderlies specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 7,661 moves out
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 2 Medical Assistants Moderate +12.9% 4%
- 3 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 6,279 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 3 Medical Assistants Moderate +12.9% 4%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 5 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 7% less than high school
- 89% high school
- 4% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 30 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 33% high school
- 30% some college
- 10% associate's
- 17% bachelor's
- 5% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Orderlies and psychiatric aides” · 549 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Orderlies and psychiatric aides”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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