Healthcare & Medical Jobs in New York, NY

Healthcare support jobs are the largest occupational group in the New York metro, and the work runs from Hospital Row on First Avenue to nursing homes in the Bronx and Brooklyn. The guides below cover every healthcare and medical role in New York City, who is hiring, and what it pays.

Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs Healthcare Jobs Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs Medical Assistant Jobs Registered Nurse Jobs

Why Healthcare & Medical Work Is Different in New York

New York packs a remarkable number of academic medical centers into five boroughs. NYU Langone and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue share First Avenue in Kips Bay, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Hospital for Special Surgery and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell cluster on the Upper East Side, The Mount Sinai Hospital anchors East Harlem, and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia fills Washington Heights. Montefiore Einstein runs the Bronx, Maimonides and One Brooklyn Health serve Brooklyn, and the public system's 11 acute hospitals and Gotham Health centers reach every borough. Federal May 2025 data puts healthcare support jobs at 8.9% of metro employment and healthcare practitioners at 6.4%.

Three things set the work apart. Pay is high and posted: the city's pay transparency law means most hospital postings carry a salary range. Much of the workforce is unionized, with NYSNA representing RNs at many hospitals and 1199SEIU representing LPNs, aides and technicians at League hospitals and nursing homes; both won three-year contracts in 2026. And New York draws hard lines on scope of practice, so LPNs, not medical assistants, give injections in clinics, and nurse aides must be on the state registry. Most of this workforce commutes by subway, bus, LIRR and Metro-North, and night shift runs on the 24-hour subway.

Top Healthcare & Medical Employers in New York

These systems are among the city's largest healthcare employers, hiring everyone from aides to specialist nurses:

  • NYC Health + Hospitals - the public system, with 11 acute hospitals including Bellevue, Kings County, Elmhurst and Jacobi, plus post-acute sites and Gotham Health centers.
  • Mount Sinai Health System - The Mount Sinai Hospital in East Harlem, Mount Sinai West, Morningside, Queens and Brooklyn, plus a large outpatient network.
  • NewYork-Presbyterian - Columbia in Washington Heights, Weill Cornell on the Upper East Side, NYP-Queens in Flushing and hospitals in Brooklyn.
  • NYU Langone Health - the First Avenue main campus and NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in Sunset Park, with faculty practices across the boroughs.
  • Montefiore Einstein - the Bronx academic system, with the Moses, Weiler/Einstein and Wakefield campuses and a children's hospital.
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering - the cancer center on York Avenue, hiring clinical nurses, including new graduates through its residency.
  • VNS Health - the nonprofit home care and hospice provider formerly known as Visiting Nurse Service of New York, hiring RNs, LPNs and medical assistants.

Healthcare & Medical Career Paths in New York

  • The nursing ladder - Certified Nursing Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse. Each step is a state credential, and New York employers and CUNY bridge programs are built for moving up while you work.
  • Clinic and outpatient support - Medical Assistant. The hospital systems' neighborhood practices hire MAs to keep patient flow moving, a fast entry into health care without a license.
  • Industry overview - the Healthcare guide, for a map of the whole sector before you pick a role.

How to Start a Healthcare & Medical Career in New York

  • New York State Nurse Aide Registry - run by the New York State Department of Health. A DOH-approved training program of at least 100 hours, then skills and knowledge tests.
  • LPN license - issued by the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, after an approved practical nursing program and the NCLEX-PN. CUNY certificates run at BMCC in Tribeca and LaGuardia in Long Island City.
  • RN license - also from the State Education Department, after an approved nursing degree and the NCLEX-RN. CUNY associate degrees run at Kingsborough, Queensborough, BMCC and City Tech, and bachelor's programs at Hunter-Bellevue, Lehman and NYU Rory Meyers. New York requires most new RNs to earn a BSN within 10 years.
  • Medical assistant certification - a national credential such as the CMA or CCMA. LaGuardia's continuing education division prepares students for the CCMA exam.

The nurse aide registry listing and the LPN and RN licenses are legally required; medical assistant certification is employer preference, since New York does not license the role.

Healthcare & Medical Salaries in New York

  • Entry - about $18 to $27 an hour for certified nursing assistants and medical assistants, with metro medians near $23.50.
  • Mid - about $30 to $39 an hour for licensed practical nurses, with a metro median of $36.50.
  • Senior - about $50 to $64 an hour for most registered nurses, with a metro median of $57.56, and posted specialty RN salaries above $125,000 a year.

These are estimates from federal May 2025 wage data for the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro and from salary ranges on employer postings. Union contracts set step increases at many hospitals and nursing homes, nights and weekends carry differentials, and academic medical centers such as NYU Langone, NewYork-Presbyterian and Memorial Sloan Kettering post the highest ranges for experienced nurses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do New York City hospitals hire new graduate nurses?

Yes. NYC Health + Hospitals runs a 12-month nurse residency that enrolls full-time new graduates across its 11 hospitals, and Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, Montefiore Einstein and Memorial Sloan Kettering all run accredited residency programs for newly licensed RNs.

Is New York part of the Nurse Licensure Compact?

No. New York has not joined the compact, so nurses licensed in other states need a New York license by endorsement from the State Education Department before they can work here.

Are healthcare jobs in New York City unionized?

Many are. NYSNA represents registered nurses at hospitals including Mount Sinai, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian, and 1199SEIU represents about 86,000 workers at League hospitals and nursing homes downstate under a 2026 agreement with 4% annual raises.

What is the fastest way into healthcare in New York?

Certified nursing assistant training takes a minimum of 100 hours, and medical assistant programs are short too. Both put you in a paid job quickly, and many New Yorkers use them as the first step toward an LPN or RN license.

Which borough has the most healthcare jobs?

Manhattan has the densest cluster, with Hospital Row, the Upper East Side medical centers, Mount Sinai and Columbia. The Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens each have major systems and many nursing homes, so most New Yorkers can find healthcare work within their own borough.

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