Healthcare Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Healthcare is Tucson's fastest-growing line of work, with education and health services now about 18 percent of the metro's payroll jobs. From midtown Tucson Medical Center to the Carondelet hospitals and the Tucson VA, here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get started.
Current healthcare Openings in Tucson, AZ
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Healthcare Work in Tucson
Tucson has become the medical hub for southern Arizona, and the reason is demographic. People 65 and older are about 22 percent of Pima County's population, up from 16 percent in 2010, and the retirees moving here for the climate need hospitals, clinics, rehab beds and home care. Federal housing analysts count health systems among the metro's largest employers, led by Banner - University Medical Center Tucson next to the University of Arizona and Tucson Medical Center in midtown, and the pipeline keeps growing: TMC Rincon opened on South Houghton Road to serve the southeast side, new rehabilitation hospitals have been built, and El Rio Health has been converting a former heart hospital into a downtown primary care center.
The work is spread across the whole valley. Carondelet St. Joseph's sits on North Wilmot Road on the east side, Carondelet St. Mary's serves the west side, Carondelet runs a micro-hospital in Marana, and the Tucson VA Medical Center on South Sixth Avenue treats veterans from across the region. Healthcare practitioners make up 6.9 percent of Tucson employment, above the national share, and licensed practitioners average about $50 an hour even though Tucson wages overall run below the U.S. average.
Top Tucson Employers Hiring Healthcare Workers
These Tucson health systems are hiring across nursing, technical and support roles right now:
- TMC Health - the nonprofit behind Tucson Medical Center, TMC Rincon and the TMCOne practices hires nurses, LPNs, nurse practitioners and allied health staff.
- Carondelet Health Network - Tenet's St. Joseph's and St. Mary's hospitals post openings for RNs, patient care techs, surgical techs, lab techs, radiology techs and medical assistants.
- Southern Arizona VA Health Care System - the Tucson VA Medical Center hires clinical, administrative and support staff through USAJOBS.
- El Rio Health - the nonprofit community health center network hires nursing, medical and dental assistants, behavioral health staff and providers for its Tucson clinics.
Healthcare Salaries in Tucson
- Entry level: about $16 to $21 an hour for support roles such as aides, patient care techs, EMTs and front desk staff.
- Experienced: roughly $22 to $36 an hour for technical and licensed roles such as pharmacy technicians and licensed practical nurses.
- Senior: $45 to $60 an hour and up for registered nurses and other licensed practitioners, with specialty nurses earning more.
These are estimates built from federal wage data for the Tucson metro, where healthcare support roles averaged $19.22 an hour and healthcare practitioners $50.14 in May 2025. Licenses, specialty units, night shifts and experience move pay the most, and Tucson hospitals currently add sign-on bonuses for experienced nurses.
How to Start a Healthcare Career in Tucson
Most entry roles need a high school diploma, BLS certification and a short certificate. Pima Community College runs Tucson's widest set of programs, including Nursing Assistant, Practical Nurse and Associate Degree in Nursing at its West Campus Health Professions Center of Excellence, plus certificates and degrees in Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy, Pharmacy Technology, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care, Surgical Technology and Medical Laboratory Technician. The University of Arizona College of Nursing offers a BSN on the Health Sciences Campus. Nurses and nursing assistants are licensed or certified by the Arizona State Board of Nursing, while many other support roles need no state license at all.
What the Job Involves
Healthcare work covers direct patient care, such as taking vitals, giving medications and helping patients move, as well as technical work in labs, imaging and pharmacy, and the scheduling, registration and billing that keep clinics running. Hospital roles often run 12-hour day or night shifts, while clinic jobs keep more regular weekday hours.
Skills Employers Look For
- BLS certification, plus any license or certificate the role requires
- Patient communication and empathy
- Electronic health record experience
- Attention to detail with medications, specimens and records
- Reliability on rotating, night or weekend shifts
- Bilingual English and Spanish is a plus
Career Path and Advancement
Tucson's healthcare ladder is short at the bottom and tall at the top. Many people start as nursing assistants, patient care techs or medical assistants, use a Pima Community College certificate to move into a licensed or technical role, and then return for an ADN or BSN. Nurses move into specialty units, charge and manager roles, and nurse practitioner work, and technologists can move into lead tech and department supervisor positions at TMC, Carondelet or the VA.
Related Careers in Tucson
Explore a specific Tucson healthcare role:
Frequently Asked Questions
What healthcare jobs in Tucson need no prior experience?
Patient care tech, patient transporter, patient service representative and many medical assistant roles are common starting points, and many need no state license. A short certificate, such as Pima Community College's 8-week Nursing Assistant program, makes you a stronger candidate.
How much do healthcare workers make in Tucson?
Healthcare support workers in Tucson averaged $19.22 an hour in May 2025, while licensed practitioners averaged $50.14. Registered nurses averaged $46.06 an hour and licensed practical nurses $35.80.
Who licenses nurses in Arizona?
The Arizona State Board of Nursing licenses registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, and it oversees certified and licensed nursing assistants. Arizona also takes part in the Nurse Licensure Compact for RNs and LPNs.
Which Tucson hospitals are hiring?
Tucson Medical Center, TMC Rincon, Carondelet St. Joseph's and Carondelet St. Mary's all have current openings, the Tucson VA Medical Center hires through USAJOBS, and El Rio Health hires for its community clinics. The job list at the top of this page shows what is open today.
Is the minimum wage higher in Tucson?
Yes. The City of Tucson minimum wage is $15.45 an hour in 2026, above Arizona's statewide $15.15, so entry healthcare jobs inside city limits start at or above that floor.
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