Jobs in Health Care

Twenty percent of all job vacancies in the Greater Boston area are in the healthcare sector. Virtually all healthcare careers that provide upward wage mobility require postsecondary education.

Local healthcare employers cannot rely solely on a strategy of recruiting college students who come from other states to pursue their healthcare degrees. Given that the credentials required for entrance into these occupations are portable, graduates can easily work in other regions where the cost of living is lower. Boston residents who earn these credentials are more likely to remain in the region. In addition, the majority of workers who gain access to the sector through entry-level jobs never advance to higher level, higher wage positions.

A postsecondary healthcare credential, even at the associate’s degree level, provides a substantial return in terms of earnings potential. For example, registered nurses and radiologic technologists earn at least $40,000 as newly licensed professionals. With a one-year certificate, newly trained surgical technologists earn $32,000. Healthcare employers are seeking opportunities to diversify the race-ethnicity of their professional and technical workforce in order to provide culturally competent care to an increasingly diverse population.

The PIC recruits students who have succeeded in healthcare sector summer jobs during high school and who plan to major in a related area at a local college. The goal is to develop a pipeline of talent and diversity to meet the staffing needs for healthcare employers in the Boston area.

Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hosptal have been leading the employer effort.

EMPLOYERS: Find out how to hire BPS graduates with interest and experience in the health care field.