Benefits of Becoming a Healthcare Worker in California

Posted on August 27, 2026 by Stanbridge

Healthcare careers in California offer several potential benefits, including strong projected employment demand, a wide range of work environments, and opportunities to care directly for patients. According to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), many healthcare occupations are projected to grow through 2032, including registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, occupational therapy assistants, and physical therapist assistants.¹ Understanding these trends alongside characteristics of each profession can help you decide whether healthcare aligns with your interests and long-term career goals.

Benefits of Becoming a Healthcare Worker in California — *Hands-on anatomy education helps healthcare students connect foundational science concepts with patient care.*

Why Consider a Healthcare Career in California?

California has one of the largest healthcare workforces in the nation, with professionals serving patients in hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare settings, schools, and community settings.

In each of these settings, “healthcare” refers to many different professions rather than one specific career path. You may be interested in nursing and direct patient care. Alternatively, you may prefer rehabilitation and helping patients improve movement or independence. Other healthcare careers focus on diagnostics, administration, mental health, technology, or public health.

As a result, healthcare can offer several educational and professional pathways depending on your interests.

Some of the potential benefits of pursuing a healthcare career include:

Strong projected employment demand in many healthcare occupations
Multiple educational pathways
Opportunities to work with different patient populations
A variety of healthcare settings
Opportunities to develop specialized experience
Options for additional education later in your career

Is Healthcare Employment Growing in California?

California EDD projections show continued demand across many healthcare occupations. ¹

Several individual healthcare careers also show notable projected growth:

Healthcare Career	California Employment Growth, 2022–2032
Physical Therapist Assistants	41.8%
Occupational Therapy Assistants	33.3%
Licensed Vocational Nurses	17.8%
Registered Nurses	12.9%

These percentages represent statewide employment projections rather than guaranteed job opportunities for individual graduates. Demand also varies by employer, location, experience, and economic conditions.

Still, workforce projections can provide useful context if you are deciding whether to pursue healthcare education in California.

Why Does California Need More Healthcare Workers?

Several factors contribute to healthcare workforce needs. California has a large and diverse population that requires care for different stages of life. As people age, they often need more nursing, rehabilitation, home health, and long-term care services.

Healthcare professionals also support patients living with or recovering from surgery, injuries, illnesses, neurological conditions, and other health challenges.

In addition, new healthcare workers are continually needed when existing professionals retire, change careers, or leave particular occupations. EDD employment projections account for both occupational growth and replacement needs when estimating future job openings.

As a result, demand can come both from new positions and from the need to replace workers who leave an occupation.

What Are Some Accessible Healthcare Career Pathways?

Healthcare does not always require spending four or more years in school before pursuing a patient-care role. Several occupations have educational pathways that can be completed in less time than a traditional bachelor’s degree.

Examples include vocational nursing, occupational therapy assisting, and physical therapist assisting.

While these roles still require formal education, and many require examinations, certification, or state licensure before you can practice, they often take less time to enter and do not involve medical school.

Licensed Vocational Nurse

Licensed vocational nursing can provide a relatively focused pathway into licensed nursing practice.

LVNs provide hands-on nursing care within their scope of practice and under the supervision of registered nurses (RNs) and physicians. Depending on the setting, responsibilities may include monitoring vital signs, administering medications, providing basic wound care, assisting with daily activities, documenting care, and communicating changes in a patient’s condition.

According to California EDD, employment for LVNs is projected to increase from approximately 78,100 positions in 2022 to 92,000 in 2032, representing 17.8% projected growth. EDD projects approximately 78,260 total job openings during that period.²

To work as an LVN, you typically need to complete a postsecondary vocational training program, such as an Associate of Occupational Science in Vocational Nursing program.²

Vocational nursing may appeal to you if you want to pursue licensed nursing practice through a shorter and more focused educational pathway than a registered nursing degree.

Registered Nurse

Registered nursing involves a broader scope of nursing responsibility. RNs assess patients, coordinate care, administer treatments and medications, educate patients, communicate with healthcare teams, and contribute to patient care planning.

You can pursue RN licensure through nursing education pathways such as an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), followed by the applicable licensure requirements.

California EDD projects registered nurse employment to increase from approximately 333,700 positions in 2022 to 376,900 in 2032, representing 12.9% growth. EDD projects approximately 234,250 total job openings during that period.³

Because registered nursing includes many patient populations and healthcare settings, RN education may appeal to you if you want a broader nursing scope of practice and potential options for additional education later.

Occupational Therapy Assistant

If you are interested in rehabilitation and helping people participate more fully in everyday life, occupational therapy assisting may be another healthcare pathway to consider.

Occupational therapy assistants work under the supervision of occupational therapists to provide therapeutic activities and interventions. Depending on the patient, treatment may support skills related to dressing, bathing, work, school, mobility, cognition, or other meaningful daily activities.

California EDD projects employment for occupational therapy assistants to increase from approximately 2,700 positions in 2022 to 3,600 in 2032, representing 33.3% projected growth. EDD projects approximately 5,160 total job openings during that period.⁴

To become an OTA, you would usually earn an associate degree in occupational therapy assisting.⁴

As a result, occupational therapy assisting may interest you if you want an associate-level rehabilitation career focused on independence and daily activities.

Physical Therapist Assistant

Physical therapist assistants work under the direction and supervision of licensed physical therapists to help patients improve movement and physical function.

Depending on the setting, PTAs may work with people living with or recovering from orthopedic injuries, surgery, neurological conditions, sports injuries, or age-related mobility challenges.

California EDD projects PTA employment to increase from approximately 7,900 positions in 2022 to 11,200 in 2032, representing 41.8% projected growth.⁵

PTA programs typically provide associate-level education that combines classroom learning, laboratory practice, and supervised clinical education.

If you enjoy movement, rehabilitation, and working directly with patients, physical therapist assisting may be worth exploring.

How Do These Healthcare Pathways Compare?

Each career has different educational requirements and professional responsibilities.

Career	Common Educational Pathway	General Role
Licensed Vocational Nurse	Postsecondary vocational nursing education	Provides hands-on nursing care within the LVN scope of practice
Registered Nurse	ADN or BSN	Assesses patients and provides and coordinates registered nursing care
Occupational Therapy Assistant	Associate degree	Helps patients participate in meaningful daily activities under OT supervision
Physical Therapist Assistant	Associate degree	Helps patients improve movement and function under PT supervision

The right pathway depends on the type of patient care you enjoy, how much time you want to spend in school, and your long-term educational goals.

For example, you might appreciate that vocational nursing can offer a shorter educational route than registered nursing. Alternatively, OTA and PTA programs may appeal to you if rehabilitation interests you more than nursing.

Healthcare Work Environments

Another benefit of healthcare is the variety of settings where professionals can work. Depending on your occupation, you may find opportunities in:

Hospitals
Outpatient clinics
Rehabilitation facilities
Skilled nursing facilities
Physician offices
Home healthcare
Schools
Community organizations

The work environment can significantly affect your daily responsibilities. For example, an LVN in a skilled nursing facility may have a different routine from an LVN working in a physician’s office. Likewise, a PTA in an outpatient orthopedic clinic may work with different patients and treatment goals than a PTA in inpatient rehabilitation.

As you research healthcare careers, consider both the profession and the settings where that profession commonly works.

What Types of Patients Would You Work With?

Healthcare careers can give you opportunities to care for patients throughout their lives. Depending on your profession and workplace, you may support infants, children, adults, older adults, or a combination of age groups.

You may also gain experience with specific patient populations over time. For example, a PTA may develop experience working with orthopedic or neurological patients. An OTA may work primarily with children in a school setting or older adults in rehabilitation. Nurses may work in areas such as medical-surgical care, pediatrics, maternal-newborn care, mental health, or long-term care.

You do not necessarily need to know your preferred patient population before starting your education. Clinical education and professional experience may help you discover which settings and populations interest you most.

Does Healthcare Offer Opportunities for Continued Education?

Many healthcare careers also provide opportunities to pursue additional education. An LVN, for example, may later explore an LVN-to-RN pathway. An ADN-prepared registered nurse may pursue a BSN, while a BSN-prepared RN may consider graduate nursing education, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

However, healthcare career progression is not automatic. Each educational program has its own admissions requirements, prerequisites, costs, and time commitments. Transfer credit policies also vary between programs. Therefore, if additional education is part of your long-term plan, it’s best to research and consider those requirements before choosing your initial program.

So What Should You Consider Before Choosing a Healthcare Career?

Employment growth is useful information, but like any other single piece of data, it should not be the only reason you choose a healthcare profession. You should consider a variety of factors, balancing the benefits and opportunities with the responsibilities and demands.

Patient-care careers can be physically and emotionally demanding. Depending on your role, you may spend significant time standing, moving patients, responding to changing health conditions, documenting care, or communicating with patients and families during difficult situations.

Schedules can also be unusual or irregular. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other healthcare organizations often operate around the clock, which can mean early mornings, evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays.

Before choosing a pathway, consider:

The type of patient care you want to provide
Your preferred work environment
Educational requirements and program length
Licensing or certification requirements
Physical and emotional demands
Work schedules
Opportunities for future education
Employment projections in your region

Looking at the full picture can help you determine whether a particular healthcare career aligns with your strengths and goals.

Is a Healthcare Career in California Right for You?

California’s healthcare workforce includes a wide range of occupations, educational pathways, and work environments. Employment projections show continued demand across several patient-care professions. However, choosing healthcare is ultimately about more than job growth.

Consider whether you enjoy working with people, solving problems, learning healthcare concepts, communicating with teams, and supporting patients through illness, injury, recovery, or long-term health needs. Then, compare the educational requirements and professional responsibilities associated with the careers that interest you.

If nursing, occupational therapy, or physical therapy aligns with your goals, you can explore educational pathways at Stanbridge University to help you identify your next step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is healthcare growing in California?

Yes. California EDD projects growth across many healthcare occupations through 2032. For example, physical therapist assistant employment is projected to grow 41.8%, occupational therapy assistant employment 33.3%, licensed vocational nurse employment 17.8%, and registered nurse employment 12.9%.² ³ ⁴ ⁵

What are some healthcare careers you can enter without a bachelor’s degree?

You can explore careers such as licensed vocational nursing, occupational therapy assisting, and physical therapist assisting without first earning a bachelor’s degree. Educational, examination, certification, and licensing requirements vary by profession.

How long does it take to become an LVN in California?

Vocational nursing program length varies by institution and schedule, but generally lasts about 1-2 years. Programs generally provide postsecondary vocational education that prepares you to pursue the examination and licensing requirements for vocational nursing practice in California.

Do you need a bachelor’s degree to become a PTA?

No. Physical therapist assistants generally complete an accredited associate-level PTA education program before pursuing applicable examination and state licensure requirements.

Do you need a bachelor’s degree to become an OTA?

No. Occupational therapy assistants generally complete an accredited associate-level OTA education program, required fieldwork, and applicable certification and state licensure requirements.

Is nursing the only healthcare career with strong demand in California?

No. California EDD projects employment growth across nursing and allied health careers. Physical therapist assistants and occupational therapy assistants, for example, are projected to grow 41.8% and 33.3%, respectively, from 2022 to 2032.⁴ ⁵