Healthcare Jobs in Chicago, IL
Healthcare is one of Chicago's biggest employers, with four major hospital systems in the Illinois Medical District alone and more in Streeterville and Hyde Park. Below are current healthcare openings across the city, followed by the employers, pay ranges and training programs behind them.
Current healthcare Openings in Chicago, IL
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Healthcare Work in Chicago
The center of gravity is the Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side, which calls itself the oldest medical district in the nation. Rush University Medical Center, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, UI Health and the Jesse Brown VA share it, along with Malcolm X College and the UIC College of Nursing, all a short ride on the Blue or Pink line. Downtown, Northwestern Medicine, Lurie Children's and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab crowd Streeterville, UChicago Medicine anchors Hyde Park, and Advocate Illinois Masonic serves Lakeview. Education and health services is the third-largest job sector in the metro at about 812,500 jobs, according to BLS.
The map has shifted lately. Prime Healthcare took over Ascension's Illinois hospitals, including Saint Mary of Nazareth and Resurrection, in 2025. Weiss Memorial's ER in Uptown closed in August 2025 and West Suburban in Oak Park shut in March 2026. Mercy Hospital on South Michigan now operates as Insight. Outside hospitals, a large share of the work sits in nursing homes, community clinics such as ACCESS, and Chicago Public Schools.
Top Chicago Employers Hiring Healthcare Workers
These employers are hiring nurses, techs and support staff in Chicago on their own career sites:
- Northwestern Medicine - the downtown academic system posts nurses, LPNs and patient care techs for its Chicago hospitals.
- Rush University Medical Center - the medical district teaching hospital hires nurses, patient care techs, phlebotomists and pharmacy techs.
- Advocate Health - runs Illinois Masonic in Lakeview and Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, hiring RNs, LPNs and nursing assistants.
- UChicago Medicine - the Hyde Park academic medical center hires nurses and support staff on the South Side.
- Cook County Health - the public system staffs Stroger Hospital in the medical district and Provident Hospital on the South Side.
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center - the veterans hospital on South Damen hires RNs and practical nurses through federal job postings.
Healthcare Salaries in Chicago
- Entry level: about $20 to $26 an hour for patient care techs, ER techs and phlebotomists.
- Experienced: roughly $23 to $40 an hour for certified pharmacy techs and licensed practical nurses.
- Licensed and senior: about $36 to $62 an hour or more for registered nurses, with specialty roles higher.
These are estimates drawn from ranges posted this year by Rush, Advocate, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and the VA, checked against BLS May 2025 averages of $20.79 an hour for Chicago-area healthcare support workers and $51.06 for healthcare practitioners. Licenses, certifications, night shifts and union contracts all move pay up.
How to Get Into Healthcare in Chicago
The fastest entry points are short certificates. Malcolm X College, the City Colleges healthcare campus on West Jackson, runs basic nursing assistant, phlebotomy, pharmacy technology, medical assisting and EMT programs, plus longer tracks in practical nursing, the ADN, surgical technology, radiography and respiratory care. Licensing depends on the role. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) licenses RNs, LPNs and respiratory care practitioners and registers pharmacy techs. The Illinois Department of Public Health keeps the Health Care Worker Registry for CNAs and licenses EMTs. Illinois has no state license for phlebotomists or medical assistants, so national certification is the employer's call.
What the Job Involves
Healthcare work covers direct patient care, like taking vitals, helping patients move and giving medications, plus the technical and support jobs around it: drawing blood, filling prescriptions, running imaging, scheduling and billing. Hospital roles run around the clock in 8- or 12-hour shifts, while clinic and school jobs keep daytime hours.
Skills Employers Look For
- The license or certification the role requires
- BLS or CPR certification
- Comfort with electronic health records
- Calm, clear communication with patients
- Attention to detail with medications and records
- Reliability across nights, weekends and holidays
Career Path and Advancement
A common Chicago ladder starts with a nursing assistant or patient care tech job at a hospital or nursing home, then moves to the practical nursing certificate and the LPN-to-RN bridge at Malcolm X College. RNs go on to BSN programs at UIC, Loyola, Chicago State or Saint Xavier, and from there to specialty units, charge roles and graduate study.
Related Careers in Chicago
Start with these Chicago healthcare guides:
Frequently Asked Questions
What healthcare jobs can I get in Chicago without a degree?
Nursing assistant, patient care tech, phlebotomist, pharmacy tech and medical assistant jobs all start with a certificate of one to three semesters or less. Malcolm X College and Wright College both run basic nursing assistant programs, and Malcolm X offers the others.
Where are most hospital jobs in Chicago?
The Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side has Rush, Stroger, UI Health and the Jesse Brown VA. Streeterville has Northwestern, Lurie Children's and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and UChicago Medicine is in Hyde Park.
How much do entry-level healthcare workers make in Chicago?
Posted ranges for patient care techs and phlebotomists at Chicago hospitals run about $20 to $26 an hour this year. Inside city limits no one can be paid below the Chicago minimum wage of $17.05 an hour.
Do I need a state license to work in Chicago healthcare?
It depends on the job. Nurses need an IDFPR license, CNAs must be on the IDPH Health Care Worker Registry, and pharmacy techs register with IDFPR. Illinois does not license phlebotomists or medical assistants, though many employers want national certification.
Are Chicago healthcare jobs unionized?
Some are. National Nurses United represents RNs at UChicago Medicine and Cook County Health, and the Illinois Nurses Association represents nurses at UI Health. Ask about representation when you interview.
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