Healthcare & Medical Jobs in San Jose, CA
Santa Clara County runs its own four-hospital system, Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, and together with Kaiser Permanente, Good Samaritan and El Camino Health it makes healthcare one of the biggest employers outside tech in the South Bay. The guides below cover every healthcare role in San Jose, who is hiring, and what it pays.
Why Healthcare Work Is Different in San Jose
San Jose is unusual because the county is a hospital operator, not just a payer. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare runs Santa Clara Valley Medical Center on South Bascom Avenue, O'Connor Hospital on Forest Avenue, Regional Medical Center on North Jackson Avenue in East San Jose, which the county took over in April 2025 and where Level 2 trauma care was restored, and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, the only acute hospital in South County. The county system employs about 20,000 people, and its lab, pharmacy, imaging and respiratory therapy departments all recruit locally. Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center off Santa Teresa Boulevard, HCA's Good Samaritan Hospital in Cambrian near SR 85 and SR 17, and El Camino Health's Los Gatos hospital round out the hospital map.
Pay is the other difference. BLS 2025 data puts the median registered nurse in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro at about $216,740 a year, and support roles sit well above the California average too. California's SB 525 health care minimum wage puts large health systems, dialysis clinics and certain county facilities at $25 an hour from July 1, 2026. Hospital nursing is heavily unionized, and the county's RN contract runs through October 2027. Outside the hospitals, the work spreads across outpatient clinics along the US 101 and I-280 corridors, ambulance operators, labs such as Quest Diagnostics on Quimby Road in Evergreen, retail pharmacies and outpatient therapy chains from Los Gatos to Sunnyvale.
Top Healthcare Employers in San Jose
These employers hire across the San Jose healthcare market, from bedside nursing to pharmacy and emergency medicine:
- Santa Clara Valley Healthcare - the county system runs Valley Medical Center, O'Connor, Regional Medical Center and St. Louise, with a Nurse Training Program for nurses new to acute care.
- Kaiser Permanente - San Jose Medical Center on Hospital Parkway in south San Jose, plus the Santa Clara Medical Center, both part of Kaiser's Northern California RN residency.
- Good Samaritan Hospital - HCA's 470-plus bed hospital on Samaritan Drive hires across nursing, nursing support, imaging, lab, pharmacy and therapy.
- El Camino Health - the Magnet-designated system recruits nurses for its Los Gatos and Mountain View hospitals.
- AMR - the ambulance operator runs 911 service in Santa Clara County from Vander Way and employs about 480 paramedics and EMTs in the county.
- Quest Diagnostics - the lab company hires certified phlebotomists in San Jose, including a float role based on Quimby Road.
- Walgreens - hires pharmacy technicians and runs a pharm tech apprenticeship at San Jose stores such as Blossom Hill Road.
Healthcare Career Paths in San Jose
- Nursing - Registered Nurse. The largest and best paid track, built around the county hospitals, Kaiser, Good Samaritan and El Camino, with new-grad residencies at several of them.
- Emergency and pre-hospital care - EMT and Paramedic. Ambulance and fire service work that starts with a one-semester EMT course and can lead to a paramedic license or a fire academy.
- Rehabilitation and therapy - Physical Therapy Assistant. A two-year, licensed path into outpatient clinics, hospital rehab and skilled nursing therapy.
- Industry overview - Healthcare. The starting point if you are comparing roles, employers and training routes across the San Jose market.
How to Start a Healthcare Career in San Jose
- Registered nurse license - issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing after an approved program and the NCLEX-RN. San Jose State University's Valley Foundation School of Nursing downtown and Evergreen Valley College's Associate Degree Nursing program in the east foothills both prepare students for it.
- Licensed vocational nurse - California uses LVN, licensed by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Mission College in Santa Clara runs a vocational nursing program.
- Certified nurse assistant - certified by the California Department of Public Health after training, a background check and a competency exam. Evergreen Valley College and Mission College both offer CNA training.
- EMT and paramedic - EMT certification goes through the Santa Clara County EMS Agency after an approved course and the National Registry exam; paramedics are licensed by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.
- Allied health licenses and certificates - physical therapist assistants are licensed by the Physical Therapy Board of California, pharmacy technicians by the California State Board of Pharmacy, and phlebotomists hold certificates from CDPH Laboratory Field Services.
Every credential on this list is a legal requirement for the role it names; employer preferences such as BLS certification, a second language or specialty experience come on top.
Healthcare Salaries in San Jose
- Entry - about $22 to $30 an hour for nursing assistants, medical assistants and EMTs, based on BLS 2025 metro data, and at least $25 an hour at large health systems and dialysis clinics under SB 525.
- Mid - roughly $40 to $55 an hour for LVNs, physical therapist assistants and paramedics, whose metro medians run from about $40 to $47 an hour.
- Senior - registered nurses earn from about $124,000 a year at the 10th percentile to a median near $216,740, and a December 2023 county survey put Clinical Nurse III top steps at local hospitals at about $195,000 to $216,000.
These are estimates. Pay moves with license, shift and employer: hospital nurses work on step scales with differentials, such as the $4.25 an hour charge nurse differential in the county RN contract, while outpatient and retail employers generally offer daytime hours. A license is the single biggest lever, whether that is moving from EMT to paramedic or from LVN to RN.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which hospitals hire the most healthcare workers in San Jose?
Santa Clara Valley Healthcare runs the most hospitals, with Valley Medical Center, O'Connor and Regional Medical Center in San Jose and St. Louise in Gilroy, and the county employs about 20,000 people. Kaiser Permanente San Jose, Good Samaritan Hospital and El Camino Health's Los Gatos hospital are the other major hospital employers.
What is California's healthcare minimum wage?
Under SB 525, large health systems with 10,000 or more workers, dialysis clinics and certain county facilities must pay at least $25 an hour from July 1, 2026. Other healthcare employers follow different tiers, and the general state minimum wage applies elsewhere.
How much do nurses make in San Jose?
Registered nurses in the San Jose metro earn a BLS 2025 median of about $216,740 a year, and even the 10th percentile is about $124,140. Pay depends on experience step, shift and employer, and the county's RN contract runs through October 2027.
Where can I train for a healthcare job in San Jose?
San Jose State University and Evergreen Valley College train registered nurses, Mission College in Santa Clara offers vocational nursing, CNA, EMT and pharmacy technician programs, and San Jose City College runs a dental assisting program. Foothill College and Ohlone College add paramedic and physical therapist assistant programs nearby.
Do I need a license to work in healthcare in San Jose?
Many roles require one. Nurses, LVNs, CNAs, EMTs, paramedics, physical therapist assistants, pharmacy technicians and phlebotomists all need a California license or certificate, while roles such as medical receptionist do not. Each guide above explains the requirement for its role.
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