---
title: "Healthcare Jobs Without a Degree, Ranked by Pay"
description: "Hospital, clinic and lab jobs you can train for without a bachelor's degree, with May 2025 median pay, training type and 2025 to 2035 growth."
url: https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/healthcare/
updated: 2026-10-09
site: CareerDirecting
---

Lists · Healthcare

# Healthcare jobs without a degree Patient care and behind-the-scenes roles.

Clinics, hospitals, labs

Healthcare is one of the few fields where you can start with a few weeks of training and keep stacking credentials for years. This list covers both patient-facing roles and quieter ones in labs and records offices.

In short

Healthcare jobs without a bachelor's degree range from nursing assistants, who train in weeks, to dental hygienists and radiation therapists, who need a two-year degree and earn far more. BLS projects steady growth for most of these roles through 2035. Medical assistants, for example, are projected to grow 12.9%.

**Job numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics** Updated October 9, 2026. Pay figures are national medians and are not a promise of what you will earn.

## Healthcare jobs, ranked

Sort by

Healthcare jobs without a bachelor's degree

| # | Job | Median pay | Typical way in | Growth 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiation therapists [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiation-therapists.htm) | $105,310 | Associate degree | 2.8% | 700 |
| 2 | Nuclear medicine technologists [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nuclear-medicine-technologists.htm) | $101,370 | Associate degree | 4.4% | 800 |
| 3 | [Dental hygienists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/dental-hygienist/) | $98,100 | Associate degree | 8% | 15,000 |
| 4 | [Diagnostic medical sonographers](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/ultrasound-technician/) | $96,590 | Associate degree | 13.9% | 6,000 |
| 5 | [Magnetic resonance imaging technologists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/mri-technologist/) | $95,480 | Associate degree | 7.7% | 2,300 |
| 6 | [Respiratory therapists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/respiratory-therapist/) | $82,280 | Associate degree | 8.5% | 8,600 |
| 7 | [Radiologic technologists and technicians](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/radiology-technician/) | $80,110 | Associate degree | 5% | 13,000 |
| 8 | [Cardiovascular technologists and technicians](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/cardiovascular-technologist/) | $74,310 | Associate degree | 3.7% | 3,400 |
| 9 | [Occupational therapy assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/occupational-therapy-assistant/) | $72,300 | Associate degree | 21.5% | 8,100 |
| 10 | [Physical therapist assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/physical-therapist-assistant/) | $68,380 | Associate degree | 23% | 18,500 |
| 11 | Health information technologists and medical registrars [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/health-information-technologists-and-medical-registrars.htm) | $68,020 | Associate degree | 15.9% | 3,000 |
| 12 | Surgical assistants [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/surgical-technologists.htm) | $66,800 | Certificate | 6.1% | 1,400 |
| 13 | Hearing aid specialists | $65,160 | High school or GED | 19.4% | 900 |
| 14 | [Surgical technologists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/surgical-technologist/) | $64,650 | Certificate | 5% | 7,100 |
| 15 | [Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/lpn/) | $64,400 | Certificate | 3% | 51,800 |
| 16 | [Paramedics](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/paramedic/) | $60,600 | Certificate | 5.7% | 4,300 |
| 17 | [Massage therapists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/massage-therapist/) | $58,450 | Certificate | 15.3% | 20,400 |
| 18 | [Medical records specialists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/medical-billing-and-coding/) | $51,140 | Certificate | 7.8% | 14,000 |
| 19 | [Dental assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/dental-assistant/) | $48,070 | Certificate | 7.4% | 53,000 |
| 20 | [Medical equipment preparers](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/sterile-processing-technician/) | $47,700 | High school or GED | 10.8% | 10,700 |
| 21 | [Veterinary technologists and technicians](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/vet-tech/) | $47,380 | Associate degree | 9.4% | 13,400 |
| 22 | [Opticians, dispensing](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/optician/) | $47,260 | High school or GED | 4.2% | 5,600 |
| 23 | [Pharmacy technicians](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/pharmacy-technician/) | $45,750 | High school or GED | 6.4% | 44,700 |
| 24 | [Medical assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/medical-assistant/) | $45,690 | Certificate | 12.9% | 109,700 |
| 25 | Ophthalmic medical technicians | $45,570 | Certificate | 21.4% | 11,800 |
| 26 | [Phlebotomists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/phlebotomist/) | $45,230 | Certificate | 6.8% | 18,000 |
| 27 | Psychiatric technicians [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/psychiatric-technicians-and-aides.htm) | $45,130 | Certificate | 22.3% | 17,000 |
| 28 | Psychiatric aides [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/psychiatric-technicians-and-aides.htm) | $44,910 | High school or GED | 1.9% | 4,900 |
| 29 | [Emergency medical technicians](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/emt/) | $44,470 | Certificate | 5.8% | 13,800 |
| 30 | [Nursing assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/cna/) | $42,260 | Certificate | 2.6% | 196,200 |

Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm) (Table 1.2), May 2025 median wages, retrieved 2026-10-09. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or switch fields.

## Start fast, then climb

Many people in healthcare start in a short-training role and move up. A nursing assistant might become a [practical nurse](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/lpn/) in about a year, and later a registered nurse. A [phlebotomist](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/phlebotomist/) might move into lab work. The first job pays the bills while you plan the next step.

### If you do not like blood

Not every healthcare job is hands-on with patients. [Medical billing and coding](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/medical-billing-and-coding/), pharmacy tech and sterile processing keep you in the field with less bedside contact.

## Questions people ask

### What is the highest-paying healthcare job without a degree?

Among jobs needing less than a bachelor's, radiation therapists, nuclear medicine technologists and dental hygienists sit near the top, all with associate degrees.

### What healthcare job can I get in a few weeks?

Nursing assistant and phlebotomy programs are often a few weeks to a few months.

### Do I need to be good at science?

For short programs, basic math and reading are usually enough. Two-year programs often require biology and anatomy courses first.

## Sources

- [BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035, Table 1.2 (occupational projections and worker characteristics)](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm)
- [BLS Employment Projections: education and training assignments](https://www.bls.gov/emp/documentation/education/tech.htm)

## Where to go next

- [Certificate programs](https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/short-certificate-programs/)
- [CNA](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/cna/)
- [Phlebotomist](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/phlebotomist/)
- [Jobs without a degree](https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/)
- [6-month certificates](https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/6-month-certificate-programs/)
- [AI-proof jobs](https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/ai-proof-jobs/)
- [Associate degree jobs](https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/associate-degree-jobs/)
- [Trades for women](https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/best-trades-for-women/)

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