Healthcare career start guides

A high school diploma is the only qualification BLS lists. There is no license to get, and the training happens on the job over days or weeks.

2 years full time: an associate degree built around an ACEND-accredited dietetic technician program, then the CDR exam for the NDTR credential.

No license and no degree: employers ask for a high school diploma and a CPR card, then train you on the job for about a week to a month.

There is no hospice aide license. Federal rules give four ways to qualify, and the longest is 75 hours of training plus a nurse-run competency check.

No US certification exists for this job, and no course is required. You need a high school diploma and an employer willing to train you, plus whatever your state requires.

An accredited program takes 12 months, an associate degree 2 years. Employers also hire on a high school diploma and give you 1 to 2 years to certify.

Most people train on the job: a supervised trainee period, then a state exam. Florida's floor is 6 months, Washington wants a degree or certificate first.

Your state sets the training for this job, and no federal rule sits behind it. 7 states require none at all, and Hawaii wants 100 hours.

No national credential exists. In most states a high school diploma and employer training are enough. Where a state certifies, expect 80 to 230 training hours.

The usual route is a 2-year associate degree from a CODA-accredited program, then board exams. Counting prerequisite courses, plan on about 3 years.

A certificate takes about a year at most schools, an associate degree about two. Most states do not license medical assistants, and employers may prefer or require certification.

You need a high school diploma, then either paid training at a pharmacy or a college certificate; the ones we checked run 3 to 9 months. Your state decides the rest.

4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, then a residency of 3 to 7 years: 11 years from high school into primary care, 15 into neurosurgery.

A state-approved program of at least 75 hours, a competency exam, then your state nurse aide registry. The community college courses run 5 to 15 weeks.

PA school is a master's program that runs about 27 months, and many programs want patient care hours before you apply. About 6 to 7 years from high school.

A bachelor's degree, then a 3-year Doctor of Physical Therapy, then a state license. About 7 years from your first day of college.

You need a PharmD and a state license. From high school that is about 6 years: 2 years of prerequisite college courses, then 4 years of pharmacy school.

You need an RN license first, then a master's or doctorate in an NP track. That is 6 to 8 years from scratch on the master's route, 2 to 4 with a BSN.

The usual route is a 2-year associate degree in sonography, then ARDMS certification. With college or clinical hours behind you, 12 to 18 months.

Remote healthcare hiring is thin and mostly needs a license. Here are the entry-level roles that don't, from live remote listings on MedJobList.

The healthcare roles that pay the most without a college degree, ranked by real posted pay on MedJobList. Practical nursing leads at $22 to $49/hr.

You can start in healthcare without a degree or experience. Here are the entry-level roles that hire, the training they need, and what they pay.