Medical Equipment Preparers

Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.

The occupation "Medical Equipment Preparers" has an automation risk of 42.9%, which is closely aligned with the base risk value of 43.3%. This suggests that while a substantial portion of the work in this field could be automated in the future, a significant part of the job still relies on human intervention. The moderate risk percentage indicates that automation technologies—like robotic systems, digital records management, and IoT-enabled sterilization units—are increasingly capable of performing many daily tasks, but not all. The work environment and the routine, repetitive nature of certain duties make automation feasible, but the job also entails tasks that require adaptability, physical presence, and sometimes direct patient interaction. Overall, the automation risk reflects a balance between routine, well-defined technical responsibilities and more variable, human-centric activities. The top three most automatable tasks for medical equipment preparers revolve around routine operations and documentation processes. For example, operating and maintaining steam autoclaves, including recordkeeping of loads and maintenance, is a standardized, repetitive process amenable to automation. Cleaning instruments for sterilization is another task that can be efficiently handled by automated washers and robotic arms, reducing the need for manual labor. Similarly, recording sterilizer test results is a data-entry operation that can be easily digitized, further supporting automation adoption. These tasks share characteristics of high regularity and strict procedural standards, making them particularly attractive for automation through software and machinery. In contrast, the most automation-resistant tasks highlight the need for hands-on, flexible, and context-sensitive human involvement. Assisting hospital staff with patient care—such as providing transportation or setting up traction—requires interpersonal skills, adaptability, and real-time problem-solving. Delivering equipment to specified locations, especially to patients’ residences, involves navigation, customer service, and sometimes dealing with unpredictable environments. Lastly, purging wastes from equipment by manually connecting hoses and flushing systems demands physical dexterity and on-the-spot troubleshooting. These resistant tasks are less likely to be automated soon, mainly due to their requirements for spatial awareness, mobility, and responsiveness—areas where bottleneck skills like originality (assessed at 2.0%) remain weak points for current automation technologies.