Healthcare & Medical Jobs in Sacramento, CA

Health care is Sacramento's largest private industry, and four systems run most of it: UC Davis Health, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente and Dignity Health. The guides below cover every healthcare and medical role in Sacramento, who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed.

Why Healthcare & Medical Work Is Different in Sacramento

Health care is the largest private sector in the Sacramento region. The California Community Colleges Centers of Excellence counted 188,698 health jobs in Greater Sacramento in 2024, 14.3 percent of all regional employment, and projects close to 214,000 by 2029. Health postings made up 18 percent of all regional job postings over the past year, with a median advertised wage of $41.71 an hour against $30.77 for the region as a whole. The work clusters around a handful of campuses: UC Davis Medical Center in Oak Park off Stockton Boulevard, Sutter Medical Center Sacramento in Midtown, Kaiser's Sacramento and South Sacramento hospitals, Dignity Health's Mercy General in East Sacramento and Methodist Hospital Sacramento, and the Sacramento VA Medical Center at Mather in Rancho Cordova.

Pay is the other big difference. California's health care worker minimum wage sets a floor well above the $16.90 state minimum: from July 2026, covered facilities owned by systems with 10,000 or more full-time employees pay at least $25 an hour, and most other covered facilities pay at least $23. Union contracts at the big systems push wages higher still, so Sacramento's healthcare jobs pay well above what the same titles earn in most other states. California also requires state certificates for phlebotomists and X-ray technologists, and uses the Licensed Vocational Nurse title rather than LPN.

Top Healthcare & Medical Employers in Sacramento

These employers hire across nursing, clinic, lab and imaging roles in the Sacramento area:

• UC Davis Health - the region's academic medical center on X Street, with a nurse residency program and ambulatory clinics from Midtown to Folsom, Elk Grove and Rocklin.
• Sutter Health - the regionally headquartered system runs Sutter Medical Center Sacramento in Midtown, home to Northern California's largest Level IV NICU.
• Kaiser Permanente - runs Sacramento and South Sacramento hospitals plus medical offices, hiring nurses, medical assistants, lab and imaging staff.
• Dignity Health - the CommonSpirit system operates Mercy General, Methodist Hospital Sacramento, Mercy San Juan in Carmichael and Dignity Health Medical Foundation clinics.
• VA Northern California Health Care System - the Sacramento VA Medical Center at Mather runs an 81-bed hospital and a post-baccalaureate RN residency.
• Shriners Children's Northern California - the pediatric specialty hospital hires medical assistants and radiology techs for its Sacramento clinics and imaging.
• Quest Diagnostics - the lab company hires phlebotomists and clinical lab scientists at Sacramento sites.

Healthcare & Medical Career Paths in Sacramento

• Nursing and direct patient care - Registered Nurse, Licensed Vocational Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistant and Patient Care Technician. The biggest hiring track in the region, with a clear ladder from CNA to LVN to RN through Los Rios programs.
• Clinic and front office - Medical Assistant, Medical Receptionist, Medical Biller and Coder and Dental Assistant. Outpatient clinics across the metro hire for these roles, and most of them need a certificate rather than a license.
• Lab, imaging and pharmacy - Phlebotomist, Medical Laboratory Technician, Radiologic Technologist, Surgical Technologist, Pharmacy Technician and Respiratory Therapist. Technical roles, several of them state-certified, with strong pay for the training time.
• Emergency, therapy and behavioral health - EMT and Paramedic, Physical Therapy Assistant and Behavioral Health Technician, plus the Healthcare overview guide for anyone still choosing a direction.

How to Start a Healthcare & Medical Career in Sacramento

• Registered Nurse license - issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing after an approved ADN or BSN program and the NCLEX-RN. Sacramento City College, American River College and Sacramento State's School of Nursing all run approved programs.
• Licensed Vocational Nurse license - issued by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Sacramento City College runs a three-semester vocational nursing program approved by the board.
• Certified Nurse Assistant certificate - issued by the California Department of Public Health after a state-approved training program and competency exam. American River College offers a CNA certificate.
• Phlebotomy and X-ray certificates - the California Department of Public Health certifies phlebotomists through Laboratory Field Services (CPT I) and radiologic technologists through the Radiologic Health Branch (CRT).
• Medical assisting - no state license; the Medical Board of California sets training rules. Cosumnes River College in South Sacramento runs a medical assisting program.

The RN, LVN, CNA, phlebotomy and X-ray credentials are legally required for those jobs; national medical assistant certification, BLS cards and bachelor's degrees for nurses are employer preferences, and some new-grad programs, such as UC Davis Health's nurse residency, are built for BSN graduates.

Healthcare & Medical Salaries in Sacramento

• Entry - about $19 to $25 an hour for nursing assistants, phlebotomists and clinic support staff, with large-system jobs at or above the $25 health care minimum.
• Mid - about $29 to $46 an hour for medical assistants with experience, LVNs and certified lab assistants.
• Senior - about $63 to $105 an hour for registered nurses and radiologic technologists, with experienced RNs at the top of the range.

These are estimates from federal May 2025 wage data for the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro, where the median RN earns about $82.43 an hour, the median LVN $39.22, the median medical assistant $29.79 and the median nursing assistant $22.84. Large systems covered by the $25 health care minimum pay more than small private practices, and night, weekend and specialty differentials add to base pay. New graduates can also look for paid training: UC Davis Health and Sutter run nurse residency programs, and the VA's post-baccalaureate RN residency at Mather pays a $67,133 stipend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the biggest healthcare employers in Sacramento?

UC Davis Health, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente and Dignity Health dominate the region, each with hospitals and clinic networks across the metro. The Sacramento VA Medical Center at Mather, Shriners Children's Northern California and lab companies such as Quest Diagnostics add more.

What is the minimum wage for healthcare workers in Sacramento?

California's health care worker minimum wage applies. From July 2026 it is $25 an hour at covered facilities owned by systems with 10,000 or more full-time employees and $23 at most other covered facilities, with lower rates for some community clinics and safety-net hospitals.

Which Sacramento healthcare jobs can I start without a degree?

Certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist and medical assistant roles all need training measured in weeks or months rather than years. CNAs and phlebotomists need a state certificate from the California Department of Public Health, while medical assistants need training but no state license.

Does California use LPN or LVN?

California uses Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). The license is issued by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, and Sacramento job postings use the LVN title.

Where can I train for healthcare jobs in Sacramento?

The Los Rios Community College District covers most entry routes: nursing and vocational nursing at Sacramento City College, nursing and CNA training at American River College and medical assisting at Cosumnes River College. Sacramento State offers BSN and MSN degrees through its School of Nursing.

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