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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Occupational Requirements Survey > Publications > Factsheets

Healthcare support occupations

Home health aide taking patient's blood pressure This occupational group includes nursing, psychiatric, home health aides, occupational therapy and physical therapist assistants and aides, dental, medical, and veterinary assistants, phlebotomists, and medial transcriptionists.

For terms and definitions in this profile, see definitions of major terms.

Cognitive and mental requirements

The qualifications that workers need to use judgment, make decisions, interact with others, and adapt to changes in jobs.

In 2025, external verbal interactions were required constantly (every few minutes) for 47.0 percent of healthcare support workers. External verbal interactions were required more than once per hour (but not constantly) for 43.5 percent.

Table 1. Percentage of healthcare support workers with cognitive and mental requirements, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Work schedule varies	58.3	41.7
Ability to pause work (and take brief unscheduled breaks)	32.8	67.2
Working around crowds	<0.5	>99.5
Telework routinely allowed	<0.5	>99.5
Supervising others	0.8	99.2
Supervisor present in immediate work area	44.6	55.4
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Education, training, and experience requirements

The minimum level of formal education required, credentials necessary, on-the-job training, and prior work experience necessary for average performance in jobs. The time associated with these requirements is combined to calculate the specific vocational preparation level needed for the job.

In 2025, prior work experience was required for 21.5 percent of healthcare support workers and on-the-job training was required for 86.5 percent.

No minimum education was required for 30.7 percent of healthcare support workers and a high school diploma was required for 63.8 percent.

Environmental conditions

The various hazards or difficulties that are in the area where workers perform their critical tasks.

In 2025, a quiet noise exposure was present for 23.9 percent of healthcare support workers. Another 76.0 percent were exposed to moderate noise, less than 0.5 percent were exposed to loud noise, and less than 0.5 percent to very loud noise. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was used by less than 0.5 percent of workers to mitigate noise exposure and was not used by greater than 99.5 percent.

Physical demands

The physical activities required to perform tasks in jobs. The presence and, in some cases, duration of these activities are published.

In 2025, speaking was required for greater than 99.5 percent of healthcare support workers and was not required for less than 0.5 percent. For 1.2 percent of workers, speaking was seldom required, for 58.2 percent speaking was occasionally required, for 39.4 percent speaking was frequently required, and for less than 5 percent speaking was required constantly.

Performing work in low postures was required for 87.8 percent of healthcare support workers and was not required for 12.2 percent.

The choice to sit or stand when performing critical tasks was available to 3.0 percent of healthcare support workers. On average, workers spent 33.4 percent of the workday sitting and 66.6 percent of the workday standing.

Table 2. Percentage of healthcare support workers with physical demands, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Ability to choose to sit or stand for tasks	3.0	97.0
Driving	28.3	71.7
Climbing structure-related ramps or stairs	39.9	60.1
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey