Healthcare Jobs in Nashville, TN
Healthcare is Nashville's signature industry, and the hiring shows it: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, HCA's TriStar hospitals, Ascension Saint Thomas and Nashville General all recruit here. Healthcare practitioners in the metro average $51.66 an hour. Start with the current openings below, then see who is hiring and how to get in.
Current healthcare Openings in Nashville, TN
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Healthcare Work in Nashville
Nashville's hospital jobs cluster in a few places a local learns fast. The biggest is the West End and Midtown medical district, where Vanderbilt University Medical Center sits on Medical Center Drive, Saint Thomas Midtown fronts Church Street and TriStar Centennial's 741-bed campus spreads across Patterson Street. The rest of the work rings the county: TriStar Skyline on Dickerson Pike, TriStar Summit in Hermitage off I-40, TriStar Southern Hills on Wallace Road, Saint Thomas West on Harding Road and Nashville General on Albion Street in North Nashville.
The mix is what makes the market different. According to BLS figures for May 2025, healthcare practitioners make up 6.8 percent of Nashville-area jobs against 6.3 percent nationally, while support roles are a smaller share than the national average, so licensed and credentialed workers are where the demand concentrates. Out in the suburbs, the Alvin C. York VA in Murfreesboro and Saint Thomas Rutherford add more hospital work along I-24.
Top Nashville Employers Hiring Healthcare Workers
These Nashville health systems hire across nursing, clinical and support roles:
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center - the academic medical center and home of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, hiring for nursing, research and a wide range of other roles.
- TriStar Health - HCA Healthcare's Middle Tennessee hospitals, including Centennial, Skyline, Summit and Southern Hills, with RN openings and a nurse residency for new grads.
- Ascension Saint Thomas - the Catholic system behind Saint Thomas Midtown and Saint Thomas West, recruiting registered nurses for its Nashville hospitals.
- Nashville General Hospital - the city's safety-net hospital in North Nashville, staffing an RN Pool for the ER, labor and delivery and ICU.
- VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System - the Nashville VA Medical Center and Alvin C. York VA Medical Center, hiring clinical, administrative and support staff.
Healthcare Salaries in Nashville
- Entry level: healthcare support jobs average about $20 an hour in the Nashville metro.
- Licensed and experienced: about $26 to $32 an hour for most LPNs and $39 to $50 an hour for most registered nurses.
- Senior and specialized: top-paid RNs pass $53 an hour, and healthcare practitioners overall average $51.66 an hour.
These are estimates built from BLS wage data for the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin metro, May 2025. Pay moves with your license, your unit, night and weekend shifts, and the employer, and hospital systems often add sign-on bonuses for hard-to-fill nursing units.
How to Get a Healthcare Job in Nashville
It depends on the role. Support jobs such as patient transport or unit secretary usually need a high school diploma and on-the-job training. Licensed nursing starts with a program approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing: TCAT Nashville on White Bridge Pike runs a 12-month Practical Nursing diploma, Nashville State Community College's White Bridge campus offers a two-year Nursing A.A.S., and Belmont University, Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt School of Nursing offer bachelor's and graduate routes. Tennessee is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a Tennessee multistate license also covers other compact states.
What the Job Involves
Healthcare work covers bedside nursing, assisting physicians in clinics, running lab and imaging tests, dispensing medications, registering patients and billing insurers. Most hospital roles mean 8 or 12-hour shifts, charting in an electronic health record, following infection-control rules and working as part of a care team that runs around the clock.
Skills Employers Look For
- A current Tennessee or compact license or certification for licensed roles
- BLS certification from the American Heart Association
- Electronic health record experience
- Clear communication with patients and families
- Willingness to work nights, weekends and holidays
- Attention to detail and calm under pressure
Career Path and Advancement
Many Nashville careers start in a support role or a nursing-assistant job, then move to an LPN diploma at TCAT and an RN through Nashville State's LPN to RN Pathway. RNs climb to charge nurse, specialty units and nurse manager, and Vanderbilt School of Nursing's MSN and DNP programs open nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesia roles. With this many hospitals inside Davidson County, moving between systems is a common way to move up.
Related Careers in Nashville
If healthcare interests you, these Nashville guides go deeper:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the biggest healthcare employers in Nashville?
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, HCA's TriStar Health hospitals and Ascension Saint Thomas are the largest hospital employers, with Nashville General Hospital and the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System adding hospital jobs in the city and in Murfreesboro.
How much do healthcare workers make in Nashville?
It depends heavily on the role. BLS data for May 2025 puts healthcare support jobs at a mean of about $20 an hour in the metro, licensed practical nurses at a median near $29.78, and registered nurses at a median of $40.40 an hour.
Does Tennessee have a minimum wage for healthcare workers?
Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal $7.25 an hour applies. Hospital pay in Nashville runs well above that for nearly every role, and licensed jobs pay several times the minimum.
Where can I train for a healthcare job in Nashville?
TCAT Nashville and Nashville State Community College, both on White Bridge Pike, are the main low-cost options for practical nursing and the nursing associate degree. Belmont University, Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt School of Nursing offer bachelor's and graduate nursing programs.
Can I use a nursing license from another state in Nashville?
Tennessee belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate license from another compact state lets you work here. Nurses from non-compact states apply for a Tennessee license by endorsement through the Tennessee Board of Nursing.
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