Healthcare & Medical Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Tucson is southern Arizona's medical hub, anchored by Banner - University Medical Center Tucson and Tucson Medical Center, two of the metro's ten largest employers. The guides below cover every healthcare and medical role in Tucson, who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed.
Why Healthcare & Medical Work Is Different in Tucson
Healthcare carries more weight in Tucson than it does nationally. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers make up 6.9 percent of local employment against 6.3 percent nationally, and healthcare support workers 5.3 percent against 5.1, according to the BLS May 2025 survey. Education and health services is one of the region's two largest payroll sectors, with about 73,300 jobs in late 2024 and growth of nearly 5 percent in a year, according to HUD's market analysis. The work is spread across the whole metro: the University of Arizona Health Sciences campus and Banner - University Medical Center Tucson in the center of town, Banner - University Medical Center South and the Tucson VA Medical Center on the south side, Tucson Medical Center in midtown near Grant and Craycroft, Carondelet St. Joseph's on North Wilmot Road, Carondelet St. Mary's on the west side, Northwest Medical Center and Oro Valley Hospital to the north, and TMC Rincon on South Houghton Road in the fast-growing southeast.
Two forces keep hiring steady. The first is age: the share of residents 65 and older climbed from 16 percent in 2010 to 22 percent in 2023, which fills specialty clinics, rehab hospitals, pharmacies and imaging centers. The second is building: TMC Rincon opened in 2022 and finished its final phase in 2024, and new rehabilitation hospitals, including the 44-bed Banner Rehabilitation Hospital Tucson, have added beds. Hospitals compete hard for experienced nurses, and fall 2026 postings at TMC and Carondelet St. Mary's have advertised sign-on bonuses of up to $20,000 for registered nurses.
Top Healthcare & Medical Employers in Tucson
These hospitals, health systems and clinic networks anchor Tucson's healthcare job market:
- Banner - University Medical Center Tucson - the University of Arizona's academic medical center and the metro's largest health employer, with a second hospital on the south side.
- TMC Health - Tucson Medical Center in midtown, TMC Rincon in the southeast and the TMCOne physician practices, hiring nurses, techs and clinic staff.
- Carondelet Health Network - Tenet's St. Joseph's and St. Mary's hospitals, Carondelet Marana and the Tucson Physician Group.
- Southern Arizona VA Health Care System - the Tucson VA Medical Center on South Sixth Avenue plus the VA's mail-order pharmacy, hiring through USAJOBS.
- El Rio Health - the nonprofit community health center network, hiring nurses, medical and dental assistants across Tucson.
- Arizona Community Physicians - a physician-owned primary care group with offices across Tucson, Green Valley and Oro Valley.
- Tucson Orthopaedic Institute - the orthopedic practice hiring radiologic technologists, therapists and coders across the metro.
Healthcare & Medical Career Paths in Tucson
- Nursing - Registered Nurse. The largest single healthcare job in Tucson, with about 10,120 RNs working in hospitals, clinics and the VA.
- Clinic and outpatient support - Medical Assistant. A quick way into patient care, centered on physician practices and community health centers.
- Pharmacy, imaging and allied health - Pharmacy Technician and Radiologic Technologist. State-licensed technical roles with clear training programs at Pima Community College.
- Industry overview - the Healthcare guide, which maps the whole field for anyone still deciding where to start.
How to Start a Healthcare & Medical Career in Tucson
- Arizona State Board of Nursing - licenses RNs and Licensed Practical Nurses, approves nursing programs and runs the nursing assistant registry. Arizona is a Nurse Licensure Compact state.
- Arizona State Board of Pharmacy - licenses pharmacy technician trainees and pharmacy technicians; the full license requires the PTCB or ExCPT exam and a fingerprint clearance card.
- Arizona Department of Health Services - handles state certification for radiologic technologists, including the limited-scope practical technologist credential.
- Medical assistant training - Arizona has no MA license, but the Arizona Medical Board requires an approved training program, or another program plus a national certification exam, before a physician employs you.
- Pima Community College - nursing, medical assistant, pharmacy technology, radiologic technology and other health programs, with nursing taught at the West Campus Health Professions Center of Excellence.
- University of Arizona College of Nursing - the in-person BSN on the Health Sciences campus in Tucson.
Nursing licenses, pharmacy technician licenses and radiologic technologist certification are required by Arizona law; medical assistant training is required by Arizona Medical Board rule, while national credentials such as the CMA and BLS or CPR cards are employer requirements that nearly every posting lists.
Healthcare & Medical Salaries in Tucson
- Entry - about $18 to $21 an hour for medical assistants, pharmacy technician trainees and other support roles.
- Mid - roughly $22 to $36 an hour for certified pharmacy techs, experienced clinic staff and Licensed Practical Nurses.
- Senior - about $40 to $60 an hour or more for registered nurses, radiologic technologists and advanced modality techs.
These are estimates drawn from the BLS May 2025 survey for the Tucson metro, where healthcare practitioners average $50.14 an hour and healthcare support workers $19.22, and where registered nurses average $46.06. Hospital postings for experienced nurses carry the largest sign-on bonuses, and VA jobs follow the federal pay scale. The City of Tucson's minimum wage is $15.45 an hour in 2026, so even entry healthcare support pay runs well above the floor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest healthcare employers in Tucson?
Banner - University Medical Center Tucson and Tucson Medical Center are the two largest, each among the metro's ten biggest employers overall. Carondelet Health Network, the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, Northwest Healthcare and El Rio Health round out the major systems.
Which Tucson healthcare jobs can I get without a degree?
Medical assistant and pharmacy technician jobs both start with certificate programs of about one year or less at Pima Community College. Pharmacy techs can even begin work on an Arizona trainee license while they finish training and certification.
How much do healthcare workers make in Tucson?
The BLS May 2025 survey puts the average for healthcare practitioners in Tucson at $50.14 an hour and for healthcare support workers at $19.22. Registered nurses average $46.06 an hour and radiologic technologists $41.09.
Does Arizona accept nursing licenses from other states?
Arizona belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an RN or LPN whose primary residence is another compact state can work in Arizona on that multistate license. Nurses who move to Arizona and make it their primary residence apply for an Arizona license through the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
Where can I train for a healthcare career in Tucson?
Pima Community College offers nursing, medical assistant, pharmacy technology, radiologic technology and several other health programs, many at its West Campus. The University of Arizona College of Nursing runs a BSN on the Health Sciences campus.
Ready to get started? Browse all current healthcare and medical job openings in Tucson, AZ on LocalJobPage.