Healthcare jobs in Puerto Rico: how to get in

Who hires

Healthcare is one of the steadiest hiring sectors in Puerto Rico. The large employers are the metro-area and regional hospital systems, Centro Médico, the VA Caribbean Healthcare System in San Juan, the 330 primary care centers spread across the island, nursing homes, and home care agencies.

Then there is healthcare work that is not clinical and gets overlooked: medical billing, authorizations, transcription, admissions, medical records and health plan customer service. These are office roles that pay above the office average, and they come in through certification rather than licensure.

What each entry point requires

Clinical roles require a license from the corresponding examining board in Puerto Rico. If you studied abroad, start the credential evaluation and licensing process before you apply, because it takes the longest and costs the most offers.

Almost every job in the sector requires a current health certificate, and many require up-to-date CPR and BLS. Get them before they call: they are among the few requirements you can have ready without depending on anyone.

• License from the examining board for your profession
• Current health certificate
• Up-to-date CPR and BLS
• Criminal record certificate
• Act 300: background verification for work with vulnerable populations
• Bilingualism: weighs heavily at the VA and at health plans

Getting in without clinical experience

The most accessible doors are care assistant, home care companion, patient transporter, environmental services aide, front desk and admissions. Many require only a high school diploma plus the health certificate and a short certification.

The strategy that works best is getting in through one of those doors at a large hospital system and moving internally. Hospitals post internal openings before external ones and often have tuition assistance: it is the cheapest route to a licensed role.