Healthcare Jobs in Wichita, KS
Outside the aircraft plants, healthcare is one of Wichita's largest fields, with Ascension Via Christi, Wesley Healthcare and the Robert J. Dole VA all hiring. Registered nurses here earn a median near $36.80 an hour. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get started.
Current healthcare Openings in Wichita, KS
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Healthcare Work in Wichita
Wichita's healthcare jobs are concentrated in two hospital systems and one federal medical center. Ascension Via Christi runs St. Francis on the north edge of downtown, St. Joseph on East Harry, St. Teresa on the far west side, and a rehabilitation hospital on North Rock Road. HCA's Wesley Healthcare anchors the Hillside corridor near College Hill with Wesley Medical Center and Wesley Children's Hospital, and adds Wesley Woodlawn plus freestanding ERs in west Wichita and Derby. The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center sits on East Kellogg and hires its own nurses, techs and support staff through USAJOBS.
The Greater Wichita Partnership counts about 3,300 local jobs at Ascension Via Christi and 3,100 at Wesley, which makes healthcare the counterweight to Boeing and Textron Aviation when aerospace production swings. Pay runs below the national average, so the employers compete with sign-on bonuses and nurse residency programs as well as base pay.
Top Wichita Employers Hiring Healthcare Workers
These Wichita employers hire nurses, techs and patient care staff:
- Ascension Via Christi - the Catholic system runs St. Francis, St. Joseph, St. Teresa and the rehab hospital, posting nursing and support roles across its Wichita sites.
- Wesley Healthcare - the HCA network hires nursing, nursing support, imaging, lab, pharmacy and therapy staff for Wesley Medical Center, Wesley Children's and Wesley Woodlawn.
- Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center - the East Kellogg VA hires nurses and clinical staff on published federal pay scales.
- Wichita Public Schools USD 259 - the district's Health Services department hires RN school nurses and substitute school nurses.
Healthcare Salaries in Wichita
- Entry level: about $15 to $19 an hour for nursing assistants and medical assistants.
- Licensed and experienced: roughly $25 to $31 an hour for LPNs and $31 to $40 an hour for most RNs.
- Senior: $44 to $48 an hour or more for top-paid RNs, and up to $127,807 a year on the VA's current RN posting.
These are estimates built from 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data for the Wichita metro and current employer postings. A license is the biggest pay jump, followed by night and weekend shifts, specialty units such as ICU and surgery, and the employer type. Federal VA jobs pay on a published scale, while Wesley has advertised sign-on bonuses of $7,500 or more for experienced hospital RNs.
How to Become a Healthcare Worker in Wichita
Most entry roles need a high school diploma or GED, CPR or BLS certification and a background check. Nurse aides must be listed on the Kansas Nurse Aide Registry kept by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Nurses are licensed by the Kansas State Board of Nursing after passing the NCLEX, and Kansas belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact. Locally, WSU Tech South on East Harry offers Practical Nursing and an associate degree nursing program, Wichita State University's School of Nursing offers the BSN, Newman University has a BSN, and Butler Community College runs a two-level nursing program in El Dorado.
What the Job Involves
Healthcare work covers bedside care, clinic support and the systems behind them. Day to day that means taking vitals, charting in the electronic health record, giving medications within your license, helping patients move and eat, drawing blood, running imaging or lab tests, scheduling, and coordinating with physicians and families. Most hospital roles run 12-hour shifts that include nights, weekends and holidays, while clinics and schools keep daytime hours.
Skills Employers Look For
- Current BLS certification, plus ACLS or PALS for hospital nursing
- A Kansas or multistate license or registry listing for the role
- Electronic health record charting
- Clear communication with patients and families
- Comfort with 12-hour, night and weekend shifts
- Infection control and patient safety habits
Career Path and Advancement
A Wichita healthcare career can start as a nurse aide or patient care tech at a Via Christi or Wesley hospital, then step up to LPN through WSU Tech and on to RN through the LPN-to-ADN bridge or a BSN at Wichita State or Newman. From there the ladder runs to specialty units, charge nurse, nurse educator and management, or to the VA, where federal pay steps reward years of service.
Related Careers in Wichita
If healthcare interests you, this Wichita guide goes deeper into one of the biggest roles:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the biggest healthcare employers in Wichita?
Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Healthcare are the two large hospital systems, with about 3,300 and 3,100 local jobs respectively on the Greater Wichita Partnership's 2026 list. The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center adds about 1,500 more.
Do I need a license to work in healthcare in Kansas?
It depends on the role. Nurses need a license from the Kansas State Board of Nursing, and nurse aides must be on the Kansas Nurse Aide Registry. Support roles such as unit secretary or patient transport carry no state license.
How much do healthcare jobs pay in Wichita?
Support roles such as nursing assistant and medical assistant generally pay about $15 to $19 an hour. LPNs earn a median near $29 an hour and RNs near $36.80, based on 2025 BLS data for the Wichita metro.
Can I use a nursing license from another state in Wichita?
Kansas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from another compact state lets you work here while following Kansas scope of practice. Wichita hospital postings accept either a Kansas license or an active multistate license.
Where can I train for a healthcare job in Wichita?
WSU Tech South on East Harry offers Practical Nursing and associate degree nursing. Wichita State University and Newman University offer the BSN, and Butler Community College runs nursing in El Dorado.
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