There’s good news for nurses and allied health professionals as those fields have been labelled as virtually AI-proof.
American company Resume Genius has uncovered the 10 highest paying jobs that are predicted to boom in the next decade – albeit their rankings are based on American salaries – with healthcare-related professions among the best to be working in.
At the very top of the rankings are physician assistants, trained medical professionals who work under a medical practitioner and perform tasks like physical examinations, writing prescriptions, coordinating referrals to other medical specialists and even assisting in surgeries.
While we don’t see many physician assistants in Australia – it’s a role minimally supported by the RACGP – there are still plenty of AI-proof jobs in aged care listed by Resume Genuis, including nurse practitioners, occupational therapists and speech pathologists.
These roles are viewed as AI-proof because of the high amount of personal interaction, quick thinking and emotional intelligence required. These jobs would be nearly impossible to automate, although AI can certainly play a supporting role.
Should aged care workers be worried their jobs aren’t listed here? Not really. As very hands-on jobs, personal care workers and nurses share a lot of responsibilities similar to those mentioned in the list. If it was based on Australian data, it would likely be included.
Here is the full list of AI-proof jobs, ranked by their salary from lowest to highest.
This traditional American role is unlikely to see the same kind of boom over the next 10 years here in Australia, although there have been pilot programs to test its worth.
Physician assistants would work under a medical doctor to support them in a range of tasks, including patient treatment, administration/patient management and even surgery. Direct healthcare tasks such as diagnosing and treating illnesses or interpreting medical tests are possible duties.
However, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) believes the role could devalue the work of GPs. Instead, it’s likely that other nursing roles such as Enrolled Nurses and Registered Nurses are those more likely to experience significant growth down under.
Nurse practitioners are highly qualified registered nurses, with the experience, expertise and authority to diagnose and treat illnesses. There is a growing push to expand their roles in aged care as they can work with GPs to conduct regular health assessments and consult when clinical management changes are required.
The 2020 Aged Care Workforce Census Report said just over 200 Nurse Practitioners work in residential aged care.
The doctors of the animal world, veterinarians are at a low risk of being ousted by technological advancements. AI will likely help streamline diagnosis and treatment, but it also comes with practical and ethical limitations.
Medical and health services managers need judgment, management, and interpersonal skills, which doesn’t suit AI with the need to constantly adapt to changing requirements and also hard to automate.
Management roles will be filled by real people for a long time.
Another American term here; we’re referring to physiotherapists. Physiotherapy or physical therapy is an exercise program that helps to improve movement, relieve pain, encourage blood flow for faster healing, and restore physical function and fitness levels.
It’s a hands-on role that plays a crucial role in helping people of all ages and abilities. Just under 3,000 physiotherapists are directly employed by residential aged care homes.
Just like physiotherapists, occupational therapists also have a high degree of personal interaction and need adaptability to each patient’s needs, things which render AI unsuitable.
Unlike physios, the 2020 Aged Care Workforce Census Report revealed fewer than 800 are directly employed by residential care providers. This is a small percentage of the aged care workforce, but one that’s likely to grow as more providers tap into reablement and preventative care services.
Although AI could arguably be used to engage with people through conversation, it really doesn’t go far enough where speech pathology is concerned. There is a high level of personalised care, adaptability and emotional intelligence needed in this field due to the variety of causes or challenges behind speaking or swallowing difficulties.
Although AI can assist with diagnoses of hearing problems, the emotional and psychological support provided by audiologists is something still best suited to humans. This is a role that’s more external to aged care, although with an ageing population, audiology will remain an in-demand service.
Epidemiologists use complex data analysis and interpretation to determine patterns and health outcomes, which AI can help with, but they also require judgment and ethical understanding that the machines lack.
This role is less person-centred, meaning you’re unlikely to ever encounter an epidemiologist, but it will still be critical for growing populations.
Another part of the allied health umbrella, orthotist/prosthetists assess and treat the physical and functional limitations of people resulting from illnesses and disabilities, including limb amputations. Orthotist/prosthetists are trained to prescribe, design, fit and monitor orthoses and prostheses.
Like all jobs listed here, their skills are so unique and personalised that generic AI technology cannot replace it, although it will no doubt help as prosthetic technology continues to advance.
