Alternative careers for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
People searching for career moves out of Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses usually want two things at once: work that still uses familiar skills, and work that is less exposed to Generative AI. This matrix ranks other occupations by shared O*NET Detailed Work Activities, then filters toward lower AI vulnerability scores than the current 17/100 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses.
Overlap is Jaccard similarity on Detailed Work Activities (DWAs) — a shared federal taxonomy of work verbs, not fuzzy title matching. Preferred matches need AI risk under 30 and DWA overlap of at least 50%. In the pilot catalog, when those strict matches are scarce, we expand the filter and disclose the fallback.
The strongest overlap in this set is Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (34% shared activities, AI risk 9, median pay $47,380). Compare wage and growth before switching — a lower AI score is not automatically a raise.
Fallback results are labeled on this page. Prefer matches with positive overlap percentages when choosing a transition path. Pilot fallback: fewer than three matches met the strict threshold (risk < 30 and ≥ 50% DWA overlap), so we expanded the filter and labeled results accordingly.
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
29-2056.00
9
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (72/100) P90 Ceiling: $59,310 Pay Delta: -$17,020 vs current- Overlap
- 34%
- Median pay
- $47,380
- Growth
- +9.4%
16 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (9 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($47,380, -$17,020 vs current), and growth (+9.4%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 72/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
29-2034.00
26
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (74/100) P90 Ceiling: $102,380 Pay Delta: +$15,710 vs current- Overlap
- 22%
- Median pay
- $80,110
- Growth
- +5.0%
10 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (26 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($80,110, +$15,710 vs current), and growth (+5.0%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 74/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Registered Nurses
29-1141.00
23
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (74/100) P90 Ceiling: $132,680 Pay Delta: +$33,150 vs current- Overlap
- 16%
- Median pay
- $97,550
- Growth
- +5.6%
9 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (23 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($97,550, +$33,150 vs current), and growth (+5.6%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 74/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Nurse Practitioners
29-1171.00
33
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (75/100) P90 Ceiling: $168,030 Pay Delta: +$67,900 vs current- Overlap
- 15%
- Median pay
- $132,300
- Growth
- +41.0%
7 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (33 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($132,300, +$67,900 vs current), and growth (+41.0%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 75/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Chiropractors
29-1011.00
40
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (80/100) +4 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $142,580 Pay Delta: +$14,800 vs current- Overlap
- 14%
- Median pay
- $79,200
- Growth
- +8.7%
5 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (40 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($79,200, +$14,800 vs current), and growth (+8.7%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 80/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Medical Assistants
31-9092.00
29
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (66/100) P90 Ceiling: $56,480 Pay Delta: -$18,710 vs current- Overlap
- 13%
- Median pay
- $45,690
- Growth
- +12.9%
6 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (29 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($45,690, -$18,710 vs current), and growth (+12.9%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 66/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Speech-Language Pathologists
29-1127.00
36
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (70/100) P90 Ceiling: $129,930 Pay Delta: +$33,470 vs current- Overlap
- 13%
- Median pay
- $97,870
- Growth
- +16.6%
6 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (36 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($97,870, +$33,470 vs current), and growth (+16.6%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 70/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Physical Therapists
29-1123.00
35
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (80/100) +4 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $130,870 Pay Delta: +$38,360 vs current- Overlap
- 12%
- Median pay
- $102,760
- Growth
- +11.9%
6 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (35 vs 17 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), pay ($102,760, +$38,360 vs current), and growth (+11.9%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 80/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
How to use this matrix
- Prefer matches with positive DWA overlap — those reuse skills you already practice.
- Check whether median pay and BLS growth are acceptable tradeoffs for lower AI exposure.
- Open the destination occupation’s task page to see which duties remain human-led.
- Treat fallback matches (thin overlap) as directional, not as guaranteed skill transfers.
Fallback results are labeled on this page. Prefer matches with positive overlap percentages when choosing a transition path.
FAQ
What are good alternative careers for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses?
The strongest overlap in this set is Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (34% shared activities, AI risk 9, median pay $47,380). Compare wage and growth before switching — a lower AI score is not automatically a raise.
How do you match alternative careers to Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses?
Overlap is Jaccard similarity on Detailed Work Activities (DWAs) — a shared federal taxonomy of work verbs, not fuzzy title matching. Preferred matches need AI risk under 30 and DWA overlap of at least 50%. In the pilot catalog, when those strict matches are scarce, we expand the filter and disclose the fallback.
Should I switch careers because of AI risk?
Fallback results are labeled on this page. Prefer matches with positive overlap percentages when choosing a transition path. Wage, growth, credentials, and personal preference matter as much as the AI score.