Real Job Openings on Indeed - November 29, 2025
Yes, there are hundreds of thousands of healthcare jobs available. But let's be crystal clear about what's happening:
January 2025: Mass General Brigham (Boston) - laying off hundreds
January 2025: University of Louisville Hospital - 200+ staff cuts
November 2024: Mass General Brigham - 200 corporate positions eliminated
2024: Steward Health Care - closed multiple hospitals, thousands laid off
2023-2024: Hundreds of rural hospitals closed or on brink of closure
Here's the pattern: Hospitals are cutting administrative staff, IT workers, billing departments, and management while desperately hiring for direct patient care roles. If you want to sit at a desk in healthcare, that ship has sailed. The jobs that exist require you to touch patients, work nights/weekends, and deal with bodily fluids.
But here's the truth they won't tell you: These bedside jobs exist because they're brutal. The turnover is massive. People quit within 2-5 years because of:
So yes, the jobs exist. But they exist because most people can't or won't do them long-term.
These are REAL job postings on Indeed as of November 29, 2025
🟢 Green = Shortest/Cheapest training
🟡 Yellow = Moderate time/cost
🟠 Orange = Longer commitment
🔴 Red = Longest/Most expensive
Education Required:
• Bachelor's degree (any field): 4 years
• Master's in OT (required): 2-3 years
Cost: $40,000-$120,000+ for Master's program alone
Certification: NBCOT exam required
Median Salary: $96,370/year
The Reality: Massive education debt for a job that pays less than travel nurses with 2-year degrees. But it's rewarding work if you can afford the investment.
Education Required:
• Associate's degree (2 years) OR Bachelor's (4 years)
Cost: $6,000-$40,000 depending on program
Certification: ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) required
Median Salary: $77,660/year
National Employment: 228,000 radiologic techs currently employed
Job Growth: 5% projected (2023-2033)
The Reality: Solid middle-class career. Radiation exposure is real but managed. Great for people who want patient interaction without bodily fluids.
Fast Track Option:
• Certificate programs: 9-12 months
• Online accelerated: as fast as 4-9 months
Traditional Option:
• Associate's degree: 2 years (recommended)
Cost: $1,200-$15,000 (certificate) or $3,500-$30,000 (associate's)
Certification: CMA (AAMA) or RMA - optional but highly preferred
Median Salary: $42,000/year (~$20/hour)
The Reality: Easiest healthcare entry point that doesn't involve wiping butts. You'll do vitals, give injections, handle paperwork. Day shifts, weekends off usually. Low pay but normal work-life balance.
Fastest Healthcare Entry:
• State-approved training: 75-120 hours (varies by state)
• Can complete in 2-6 weeks full-time
• Background check + competency exam
Cost: FREE to $600 (most programs subsidized)
Certification: State certification required, CHHA national cert optional
Median Salary: $33,530/year (~$16/hour)
The Reality: You'll bathe people, help them dress, cook meals, do light housekeeping. Independent work but physically demanding. Elder abuse by family members is common and you'll witness it. Low pay but you can start in weeks.
Ultra-Fast Track:
• On-the-job training: Many retail chains hire and train (CVS, Walgreens)
• Self-study for CPhT exam: 3-6 months
Certificate Programs:
• Vocational/community colleges: 4-12 months
Associate's Degree: 2 years (not required but helpful)
Cost: $1,000-$5,000 (certificate) or FREE (on-the-job training)
Certification: CPhT (Certified Pharmacy Technician) required in most states - exam is $129
Median Salary: $42,723/year (~$20.54/hour)
The Reality: Repetitive work, standing all day, dealing with insurance companies and angry customers. Retail pharmacy is slowly dying as everything moves to mail-order and automation. Hospital pharmacy tech jobs are more stable but competitive.
Education Required:
• Associate's degree: 2 years (most common)
• Bachelor's degree: 4 years (optional, better pay)
Cost: $20,000-$60,000 for associate's program
Certification: ARDMS (American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography) required
Median Salary: $89,340/year
Job Growth: 15.1% projected (2023-2033) - MUCH faster than average
The Reality: Excellent pay for a 2-year degree. You'll spend all day in dark rooms moving ultrasound wands. Repetitive strain injuries are common (shoulder, wrist). Emotional toll when you find fetal abnormalities. But it's one of the best-paying allied health jobs.
Education Required:
• Associate's degree: 2 years (minimum)
• Bachelor's degree: 4 years (increasingly preferred)
Cost: $20,000-$70,000 depending on program
Certification: CRT or RRT through NBRC - exam required
Median Salary: $77,960/year
The Reality: COVID made this job hell. You're managing dying COVID patients on ventilators, dealing with panicked families, coding patients constantly. High stress, high responsibility. But job security is excellent because nobody else wants to do it.
Education Required:
• Bachelor's degree (any field): 4 years
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT): 3 years
Cost: $60,000-$150,000+ for DPT program alone
Licensing: National PT exam required
Median Salary: $99,710/year
The Reality: You need a DOCTORATE to make $100K. That's $100K+ in student loans for maybe $5K more per year than a travel nurse with a 2-year degree. The math doesn't math. Great career if someone else pays for school.
Education Required:
• 2-4 years pre-pharmacy undergrad coursework
• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.): 4 years
Total Time: 6-8 years minimum
Cost: $65,000-$200,000+ for Pharm.D. program
Licensing: NAPLEX and state law exam (MPJE) required
Median Salary: $136,030/year
The Reality: The job market collapsed. Too many pharmacy schools pumping out graduates, retail chains cutting hours and replacing pharmacists with techs, mail-order automation destroying jobs. You'll spend 8 years and $200K in debt to work at CVS getting yelled at about insurance. Hospital pharmacy jobs exist but are ultra-competitive.
Education Required:
• Associate's degree: 2 years (most common entry)
• Bachelor's degree: 4 years (optional, for advancement)
Cost: $20,000-$50,000 for associate's program
Licensing: National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) + state clinical exam
Median Salary: $87,530/year
The Reality: Excellent pay for a 2-year degree and you usually work M-F daytime hours. But you'll spend all day hunched over people's mouths, repetitive strain injuries to hands/wrists/back are guaranteed by age 50. Private practice dentists often don't offer benefits. But if you can handle the ergonomics, it's one of the best healthcare deals.
Education Required:
• Certificate program: 9-12 months (fastest)
• Associate's degree: 2 years (preferred by hospitals)
Cost: $5,000-$20,000
Certification: CST (Certified Surgical Technologist) preferred but not always required
Median Salary: $62,830/year
National Employment: 134,000 surgical techs currently employed
Job Growth: 6% projected (2023-2033)
The Reality: You'll see things you can't unsee. Trauma surgeries, amputations, cancer removals. Stand for 8-12 hours straight in the OR. Surgeons are notoriously abusive to support staff. But if you can handle blood and abuse, it's steady work with decent pay.
These jobs are real. The numbers above are actual positions available RIGHT NOW on Indeed, not projections or estimates.
But here's what you need to know: If you're willing to do hands-on, physical labor—taking X-rays, helping patients move, cleaning teeth, managing ventilators, working nights and weekends—these jobs exist and will continue to exist.
If you want a healthcare career sitting at a desk doing billing, IT work, administration, or management? Those positions are disappearing as hospitals struggle financially.
The path forward is clear but narrow: Direct patient care = job security. Everything else = layoffs.
~392,000 allied health jobs available on Indeed right now. The opportunity is real. The choice is yours.
All data compiled from official government sources, accredited educational institutions, and verified job posting platforms as of November 29, 2025.
Radiologic Technologists:
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers:
Surgical Technologists:
Pharmacy Technicians:
Home Health Aides:
Medical Assistants:
Respiratory Therapists:
Physical Therapists:
Occupational Therapists:
Pharmacists:
Dental Hygienists:
Note: Educational costs and program durations vary by institution, location, and program type. Costs listed represent typical ranges as of 2024-2025 academic year. Many programs offer financial aid, scholarships, and employer tuition reimbursement. Always verify current requirements with specific schools and state licensing boards.