Healthcare & Medical Jobs in Boston, MA

Boston's Longwood Medical and Academic Area packs Beth Israel Deaconess, the Brigham, Boston Children's and Dana-Farber into a few city blocks, with Mass General, Boston Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center minutes away. The guides below cover every healthcare and medical role in Boston, who is hiring and what it pays.

Why Healthcare Work Is Different in Boston

Healthcare is Boston's defining employer cluster. Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston Children's, Boston Medical Center, Tufts Medicine and Dana-Farber all run flagship hospitals inside city limits, most of them in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area off Brookline and Huntington Avenues, with Mass General in the West End, Tufts Medical Center in Chinatown and BMC in the South End. In May 2025, healthcare practitioners and technical workers made up 6.8 percent of jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro against 6.3 percent nationally, at a mean wage of $59.87 an hour versus $52.26 for the US. Healthcare support workers earned a mean of $22.69 an hour, compared with $19.62 nationally, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The market has its own rules. Hospital nursing is heavily unionized: the Massachusetts Nurses Association represents nearly 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's, and 1199SEIU represents about 2,000 RNs, LPNs and nurse practitioners at Boston Medical Center. The 2024 collapse of Steward Health Care reshaped the map: Carney Hospital in Dorchester closed in August 2024, St. Elizabeth's in Brighton became BMC Brighton, and Good Samaritan in Brockton became BMC South. Massachusetts is not part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so nurses moving here need a state license first, and most large employers now post a pay range on every opening.

Top Healthcare & Medical Employers in Boston

These are the health systems and care providers doing the most hiring in and around the city:

• Mass General Brigham - runs Massachusetts General Hospital in the West End, Brigham and Women's in the Longwood Medical Area, Brigham and Women's Faulkner in Jamaica Plain and Spaulding Rehabilitation in the Charlestown Navy Yard.
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - the Beth Israel Lahey Health flagship on its East and West campuses in the Longwood Medical Area, hiring nurses, LPNs and medical assistants.
• Boston Medical Center - New England's largest safety-net hospital, in the South End, plus BMC Brighton, with a steady flow of nursing, CNA and patient care roles.
• Boston Children's Hospital - the pediatric hospital on Longwood Avenue, which posts pay ranges on its openings, from clinical assistants to registered nurses.
• Tufts Medical Center - the Tufts Medicine academic hospital in Chinatown, hiring nurses and medical assistants for its inpatient units and specialty clinics.
• VA Boston Healthcare System - federal care for veterans at campuses in Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and Brockton, hiring through USAJobs.
• Hebrew SeniorLife - the senior care nonprofit on Centre Street in Roslindale, hiring LPNs and patient care associates and training new nurse aides.

Healthcare & Medical Career Paths in Boston

• Licensed nursing - Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse. These roles need a Massachusetts license and carry the highest pay, and Boston's academic hospitals hire RNs at every level from new graduate residencies to top-step staff nurses.
• Direct care and clinic support - Certified Nursing Assistant and Medical Assistant. These are the fastest ways in, with training measured in weeks or months, and they are common stepping stones toward nursing school.
• Industry overview - the Healthcare guide, for a broad look at who is hiring across Boston's hospitals, clinics and senior care.

How to Start a Healthcare & Medical Career in Boston

• Massachusetts RN or LPN license - issued by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing after a board-approved program and the NCLEX. No temporary licenses are issued, and out-of-state nurses must apply by endorsement.
• Massachusetts nurse aide certification - the Nurse Aide Registry Program in the Department of Public Health lists aides who complete approved training and pass the state competency evaluation.
• Medical assistant certification - not a state license. National credentials such as the CMA, RMA or CCMA are often required or preferred by employers.
• Local programs - Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown and Roxbury Community College at Roxbury Crossing offer associate nursing degrees and short nurse aide and medical assistant programs; Quincy College in Quincy Center runs a 10-month practical nursing certificate and a CNA program; UMass Boston's Manning College of Nursing at Columbia Point, Northeastern, Simmons and MCPHS award nursing degrees.

An RN or LPN license is legally required to work as a nurse, and nurse aide certification is required for CNA positions; medical assistant certification is employer preference rather than law.

Healthcare & Medical Salaries in Boston

• Entry - about $18 to $28 an hour for certified nursing assistants and medical assistants, based on ranges posted by Boston hospitals in 2026.
• Mid - about $30 to $50 an hour for LPNs and newly licensed registered nurses.
• Senior - about $55 to $106 an hour for experienced RNs, with the top staff nurse step at Brigham and Women's at $105.65.

These are estimates, and employer type matters. Union hospitals pay on step scales that rise with years of service, and Brigham and Women's adds differentials such as $3.00 an hour for evenings and $4.50 for nights. Boston Children's posted a range of $76,003 to $163,678 a year for a 36-hour radiology RN, while senior care and outpatient clinics generally sit lower on the scale. Boston Medical Center offers nurses up to $5,000 in tuition reimbursement after six months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do nurses make in Boston?

Newly licensed RNs in Boston generally start around $40 to $50 an hour, experienced nurses earn about $55 to $85, and top union steps reach above $100 an hour at Brigham and Women's. LPNs see posted ranges of about $30 to $46 an hour.

Can I work in Boston with a nursing license from another state?

Not until you hold a Massachusetts license. The state does not take part in the Nurse Licensure Compact and does not issue temporary licenses, so you apply to the Board of Registration in Nursing for a license by endorsement before starting.

What is the fastest way to start a healthcare career in Boston?

Nurse aide and medical assistant programs are the quickest routes. Quincy College's CNA program runs 5 to 7 weeks, Hebrew SeniorLife's runs about four weeks full time, and Roxbury Community College's clinical medical assistant program is 320 hours.

Where are most Boston hospital jobs located?

The Longwood Medical and Academic Area holds Beth Israel Deaconess, Brigham and Women's, Boston Children's and Dana-Farber, reachable on the Green Line. Mass General sits in the West End near Charles/MGH on the Red Line, Tufts Medical Center in Chinatown on the Orange Line, and Boston Medical Center in the South End.

Are Boston hospital jobs unionized?

Many are. The Massachusetts Nurses Association represents nurses at Brigham and Women's, and 1199SEIU represents nurses and LPNs at Boston Medical Center along with service and technical staff at BMC Brighton and BMC South. Union roles pay on contract step scales.

Ready to get started? Browse all current healthcare and medical job openings in Boston, MA on LocalJobPage.