Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Human edge, growing
Emergency medical technicians
Assess injuries and illnesses and administer basic emergency medical care. May transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 97% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.8% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $44,470
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.8%
- Openings a year
- 13,800
- People doing it (2025)
- 182,000
- Usual route in
- College certificate
Where people already use AI for this work
- Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- Provide support or encouragement to others
- Analyze health or medical data
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care
- Administer emergency medical treatment
- Monitor health conditions of humans or animals
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as emergency medical technicians increasingly take on the tasks of ambulance drivers and attendants as part of their now standard set of duties and responsibilities. Employer expectations regarding the ability to drive an ambulance will also contribute to this trend.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- PhlebotomistsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +6.8%
- Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialistsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +13.1%
- Surgical assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +6.1%
- Physical therapist assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +23.0%
Also known as: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), First Responder.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.