What Is a Health Care Worker
A health care worker is a person whose primary job involves providing medical, nursing, diagnostic, therapeutic, or support services in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, home health, or public health agencies. The World Health Organization defines the health workforce as all people engaged in actions whose primary intent is to enhance health, and the latest global estimates place the total number of health and social care workers at more than 65 million worldwide, with the United States alone employing roughly 16 million to 18 million in health care occupations as of the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data source.
In the U.S., the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that health care occupations will add more jobs than any other occupational group from 2022 to 2032, driven by an aging population and expanded insurance coverage source. Common roles include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical and clinical laboratory technologists, radiologic technologists, pharmacists, dental hygienists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, medical assistants, home health aides, and medical and health services managers.
Roles, Settings, and Workforce Structure
Clinical health care workers deliver direct patient care and include physicians, surgeons, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, and allied health professionals such as radiologic technologists and cardiovascular technologists. Support roles include medical records specialists, health information technicians, medical transcriptionists, patient service representatives, medical assistants, phlebotomists, and sterile processing technicians, many of whom work in hospitals, outpatient care centers, and physician offices source.
Settings and Employers
Health care workers are employed in hospitals (state, local, and private), physicians' offices, outpatient care centers, nursing and residential care facilities, home health care services, and government agencies such as the Veterans Health Administration and state health departments. Large hospital systems like HCA Healthcare, CommonSpirit Health, Ascension, and Trinity Health employ tens of thousands of workers each, while companies such as DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care operate large networks of outpatient dialysis clinics source.
Pay, Training, and Certification
Median annual wages for health care practitioners and technical occupations in the United States were substantially above the national median for all occupations in the most recent BLS data, with registered nurses earning a median wage around $81,220 and physicians and surgeons earning well above $200,000, while home health aides and personal care aides had median wages near $30,000 to $35,000 source. Training pathways range from short-term certificates for medical assistants and phlebotomists to associate degrees for licensed practical nurses, bachelor's and master's degrees for registered nurses and nurse practitioners, and doctoral or professional degrees for physicians, pharmacists, and dentists.
Licensing and Regulation
Most clinical health care workers must obtain state licensure or certification, with requirements set by state boards of nursing, medical examiners, pharmacy boards, and allied health professions agencies