Healthcare Jobs in Atlanta, GA
Hospitals dominate Atlanta hiring: four of the metro's ten largest employers are health systems, led by Northside and Piedmont. From Grady's downtown trauma center to the Pill Hill hospitals in Sandy Springs, here are the current openings, then who is hiring, what it pays and how to get in.
Current healthcare Openings in Atlanta, GA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Healthcare Work in Atlanta
Atlanta's healthcare jobs cluster in a handful of places a resident can name: Grady Memorial on Jesse Hill Jr. Drive downtown, the Emory campus on Clifton Road in Druid Hills, Piedmont Atlanta and the Shepherd Center on Peachtree Road, and Pill Hill at GA-400 and I-285, where Northside, Emory Saint Joseph's and Children's at Scottish Rite sit next to the Medical Center MARTA station. Children's moved its Egleston patients into the new 446-bed Arthur M. Blank Hospital on North Druid Hills Road in September 2024, and Wellstar's Kennestone campus anchors Cobb County to the northwest.
Grady is Atlanta's only verified Level I trauma center, treating about 7,300 trauma patients a year, and it absorbed much of the emergency volume after Wellstar closed Atlanta Medical Center in November 2022. That keeps demand steady for nurses, techs and aides on every shift, and Atlanta pay runs above the Georgia median for most clinical roles.
Top Atlanta Employers Hiring Healthcare Workers
These health systems hire clinical and support staff across the metro:
- Northside Hospital - the metro's second-largest employer, with its Atlanta flagship on Pill Hill and LPN and new-grad residency programs.
- Piedmont Healthcare - Piedmont Atlanta Hospital on Peachtree Road hires nurses, techs and support staff and runs a nursing residency.
- Grady Health System - the downtown safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center, hiring across nursing, imaging and EMS.
- Emory Healthcare - Emory University Hospital, Emory Midtown, Emory Saint Joseph's and Emory Decatur, with Magnet-designated nursing.
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - the pediatric system behind Arthur M. Blank Hospital, Scottish Rite and Hughes Spalding.
- Wellstar Health System - Kennestone in Marietta plus primary care and urgent care clinics across Cobb and Atlanta.
Healthcare Salaries in Atlanta
- Entry level: about $16 to $23 an hour for nursing assistants, medical assistants and pharmacy technicians.
- Experienced: roughly $23 to $38 an hour for licensed practical nurses, with a metro median near $31.
- Senior: about $37 to $64 an hour for registered nurses, with a metro median near $48.
These are estimates drawn from federal wage data for the Atlanta metro. Pay moves with your license, your unit, night and weekend differentials, and the employer: hospital inpatient roles generally pay more than clinic roles, and float pools and critical-care units add premiums.
How to Start a Healthcare Career in Atlanta
Most entry roles need a high school diploma or GED, a background check and a drug screen, and many need a state credential. Nursing assistants are listed on the Georgia Nurse Aide Registry, run by Alliant Health Solutions for the Georgia Department of Community Health. LPNs and RNs are licensed by the Georgia Board of Nursing, and pharmacy technicians must register with the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy. Locally, Atlanta Technical College on Metropolitan Parkway trains medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, radiologic technologists and associate-degree nurses; Georgia Piedmont Technical College in Clarkston runs a one-year practical nursing certificate; and Georgia State's Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing downtown and Emory's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing offer the BSN.
What the Job Involves
Healthcare work covers bedside care, clinic visits, lab and pharmacy support, imaging and patient registration. Daily tasks depend on the role: taking vital signs, giving medications, helping patients move and bathe, drawing blood, filling prescriptions, charting in the electronic health record and keeping rooms turned over. Hospitals run around the clock, so 12-hour shifts, nights and weekends are common.
Skills Employers Look For
- A current Georgia license, registration or certification for the role
- Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association
- Electronic health record charting
- Clear communication with patients and families
- Infection control and patient safety habits
- Reliability across 12-hour and rotating shifts
Career Path and Advancement
Atlanta's ladder is well marked. Many people start as nursing assistants or medical assistants, finish an LPN certificate at a technical college, then use Atlanta Technical College's LPN to RN bridge or a BSN at Georgia State or Emory to become registered nurses. Grady, Emory, Piedmont and Northside all run residencies for new graduates, and from there the path leads to specialty units, charge nurse and management roles.
Related Careers in Atlanta
These Atlanta guides go deeper on specific roles:
Frequently Asked Questions
Which hospital systems hire the most in Atlanta?
Northside Hospital and Piedmont Healthcare are the metro's two largest healthcare employers, followed by Wellstar, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Grady, according to the Metro Atlanta Chamber's 2025 employer survey. Emory Healthcare and the Atlanta VA in Decatur are also major clinical employers.
Can I get a healthcare job in Atlanta without experience?
Yes. Nursing assistant, patient registration and pharmacy technician jobs are common starting points, and several hospital systems train new hires. You will still need the required Georgia credential for licensed or registered roles before your first shift.
How much do healthcare workers make in Atlanta?
Federal wage data puts the Atlanta median near $19 an hour for nursing assistants, about $31 for LPNs and about $48 for registered nurses. Shift differentials, specialty units and experience push pay higher.
Where can I train for healthcare jobs in Atlanta?
Atlanta Technical College, Georgia Piedmont Technical College in Clarkston, Georgia State University and Emory University all run healthcare programs. Technical colleges cover certificates and associate degrees, while the universities offer the BSN and graduate nursing degrees.
Do Atlanta hospitals hire for night shifts?
Yes. Inpatient units, emergency departments and Grady's trauma center staff around the clock, and night and weekend differentials are common. Children's, for example, advertises night, weekend, float pool and critical staffing differentials for nurses.
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