AI Career Radar

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.

AI exposure40 / 100Moderate exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation17
Freedom to set tasks63
Repeating the same tasks75
$38,150Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+9.1%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (much faster than average)BLS Employment Projections
50Skill durability (fragile)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Active Listening
63
63
Critical Thinking
63
56
Monitoring
63
53
Speaking
63
50
Judgment and Decision Making
63
47
Coordination
62
50
Active Learning
62
47
Complex Problem Solving
62
47
Reading Comprehension
61
53
Time Management
61
50
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Writing
60
53
Social Perceptiveness
60
50
Instructing
58
47
Learning Strategies
58
28
Systems Analysis
57
25
Service Orientation
56
53
Systems Evaluation
56
28
Persuasion
54
28
Mathematics
53
44
Science
52
41
Negotiation
52
28
Management of Personnel Resources
50
28
Operations Analysis
49
22
Installation
48
0
Management of Material Resources
47
31
Quality Control Analysis
47
28
Troubleshooting
47
25
Management of Financial Resources
47
25
Technology Design
47
19
Equipment Selection
47
16
Equipment Maintenance
47
16
Operations Monitoring
46
28
Repairing
46
16
Programming
45
6
Operation and Control
43
25

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

#1Massage TherapistsHealthcare Support
87/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$58,450
10-yr growth
+15.3%
Skill gap
4%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Judgment and Decision Making

86/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$120,230
10-yr growth
+34.6%
Skill gap
22%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Systems Analysis, Active Learning, Systems Evaluation, Reading Comprehension

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$53,140
10-yr growth
+36.5%
Skill gap
22%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Installation, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Quality Control Analysis

#4Physical Therapist AssistantsHealthcare Support
83/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$68,380
10-yr growth
+23%
Skill gap
18%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Persuasion, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring

82/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$45,570
10-yr growth
+21.4%
Skill gap
7%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Speaking, Active Listening, Active Learning, Social Perceptiveness

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.