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22 Healthcare Careers Requiring an Associate Degree or Less

By: Jenn Brusco | May 2025

Healthcare professionals rank just as high on the hero scale as firefighters, military personnel, and others. And the best part? You don’t have to be a world-renowned doctor or cure a terrible disease to be a part of this amazing group. With an associate degree, certificate, or even simply a high school diploma or equivalent, you can become a healthcare professional who provides much-needed care and support for healthcare teams and patients alike. The following 22 healthcare careers fit this mold, so let’s dig a little deeper into each one.

#1. Dental Assistant

Dental assistants have the unique opportunity to support both patients and the dental care team. Some of their primary responsibilities include sterilizing instruments, preparing the work area for dental appointments, supporting dentists during treatments or procedures, and recording dental treatments and procedures in a patient’s medical record.


Dental Assistant career

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#2. Dental Hygienist

If you’ve ever had your teeth cleaned at a dentist’s office, you’ve spent time under the care of a dental hygienist. These healthcare providers help keep your mouth healthy and your teeth white. Some of their primary responsibilities include performing routine dental cleanings, polishing teeth, applying fluoride treatments, taking dental x-rays, and instructing patients on proper oral hygiene.


Dental Hygienist career

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#3. EKG Technician

When it comes to matters of the heart, an EKG technician is a great resource to conduct relevant tests that aid in the identification of potential issues or ailments. To do this, EKG technicians use a specialized electrocardiogram (EKG) machine to monitor the patient’s heart performance by placing electrodes on their chest, arms, and legs.


EKG Tech career

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#4. EMT and Paramedic

When a medical emergency happens, often the first people to arrive on the scene are emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. These medical professionals are trained to assess injuries or illnesses and provide appropriate care, including basic life support and first aid. EMTs and paramedics will transport patients to a hospital or other healthcare facility for further treatment and document and report on their interventions for the receiving healthcare team and the patient’s medical record.


EMT & Paramedic career

#5. Healthcare Office Manager

Healthcare office managers help keep a healthcare facility running smoothly. Some of their primary responsibilities include managing administrative tasks, supervising staff members, and helping to ensure compliance with relevant regulations.


Healthcare Office Manager career

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#6. HIT and Medical Registrar

As you may suspect, the healthcare industry runs on data and requires efficient systems to manage that data. Health information technicians (HIT) and medical registrars are champions of that data, advising organizations on digital healthcare information systems and supporting data analysis. Some of their primary responsibilities include determining system requirements, supporting implementation of health information systems, organizing and updating information in clinical databases, validating patient data integrity, and advocating for patient privacy and confidentiality.


HIT Medical Registrar career

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#7. Home Health and Personal Care Aide

Home health or personal care aides provide much-needed care and support for individuals with injuries, disabilities, or other impairments from the comfort of their own home. Some of their primary responsibilities include helping patients with daily personal tasks (e.g., dressing, bathing), helping with housekeeping tasks, scheduling and arranging transportation for appointments, and shopping for groceries.


Home Health and Personal Care Aide career

#8. Massage Therapist

Massage has been proven to support better circulation, decreased muscle stiffness and joint inflammation, better sleep, improved immune responses, lower stress levels, and more. Massage therapists provide patient care through massage techniques. Some of their primary responsibilities include maintaining a sanitary workspace, discussing patient medical history and treatment goals, massaging muscles and other soft tissue, and providing guidance on stretching, strengthening, and relaxation.


Massage Therapist career

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#9. Medical Assistant

Medical assistants are valuable members of the patient care team, providing direct patient care, administrative support, or both. Some of their primary responsibilities may include taking medical histories, measuring patient vital signs, assisting physicians during examinations, performing basic laboratory tests, scheduling appointments, or updating medical records.


Medical Assistant career

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#10. Medical Administrative Assistant

Some medical assistants focus solely on administrative tasks, earning them the title of medical administrative assistant. Some of their primary responsibilities include answering telephones and greeting patients, updating and filing patient medical records, scheduling appointments, and arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services.


Medical Administrative Assistant career

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#11. Medical Coding and Billing Specialist

Every patient visit must be accurately documented and coded to ensure proper billing — a task often left to the expertise of trained medical coding and billing professionals. Some of their primary responsibilities include reviewing patient records for completeness and accuracy, assigning clinical codes, maintaining and retrieving patient records for reimbursement, and recording data for analysis and reporting.


Medical Coding and Billing career

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#12. Medical Transcriptionist

Medical documentation doesn’t always start in written form. Many healthcare professionals will dictate medical updates, which medical transcriptionists use to create formal reports. Some of their primary responsibilities may include listening to recorded dictation from physicians or other healthcare professionals, interpreting and transcribing that dictation, reviewing and editing drafts created through speech recognition software, and entering medical reports into electronic health record (EHR) systems.


Medical Transcriptionist career

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#13. Nursing Assistant or Patient Care Technician

High-quality patient care requires varying levels of support. From physicians and nurses to nursing assistants or patient care technicians, it takes a village to meet the varying needs of patients of all ages. Some of the primary responsibilities of a nursing assistant or patient care technician include helping patients with personal hygiene tasks (e.g., bathing, toileting, dressing), repositioning or transferring patients, and taking vital signs.


Nursing Assistant or Patient Care Technician career

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#14. Optician

Getting the proper fit for eyeglasses or contact lenses requires the expertise and finesse of a trained optician. There primary responsibilities may include retrieving vision prescriptions, helping customers choose eyeglasses or contact lenses that best fit their vision needs, measuring customers’ eyes and faces to ensure a proper fit, and adjusting or repairing eyewear.


Optician career

#15. Pharmacy Technician

If you’ve ever visited your local pharmacy, you’ve likely spoken with a pharmacy technician. There primary responsibilities may include gathering information to fill prescriptions, measuring medications, packaging and labeling prescriptions, and processing insurance claims.


Pharmacy Tech career

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#16. Phlebotomist

There are numerous types of blood tests that enable healthcare teams to determine specific conditions within the body. These tests are important to effective diagnosis and treatment. A phlebotomist is often the person drawing blood for these tests. Some of their primary responsibilities may include drawing blood, verifying patient identity, labeling collected blood for testing or processing, recording relevant information, properly managing medical instruments (e.g., needles, blood vials), and maintaining a sanitary workspace.


Phlebotomist career

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#17. Physical Therapy Aide

Physical therapy can be used to treat various conditions, such as muscle injuries, arthritis, neurological diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's), and developmental issues. While a physical therapist is the primary caregiver in these scenarios, they often need the support of trained physical therapy aides. Some of the primary responsibilities of a physical therapy aide include observing patients before and after therapy to note their status and reporting back to the physical therapist and assisting patients with specific exercises.


Physical Therapy Aide career

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#18. Radiation Therapist

Radiation therapy has been proven in the treatment of cancer, and radiation therapists are responsible for administering this treatment. Some of the primary responsibilities of a radiation therapist include ensuring proper exposure of radiation, correctly positioning patients to administer treatment, monitoring patients, and keeping detailed records.


Radiation Therapist career

#19. Radiologic and MRI Technician

Taking a closer look inside the body often requires specialized machines, such as x-rays and MRIs. Operating these machines requires specialized knowledge from radiologic and MRI technologists. Some of their primary responsibilities may include preparing patients for procedures, positioning patients to get the correct image, working with physicians to evaluate the images and determine whether additional images are needed, and updating patient records.


Radiologic and MRI Tech career

#20. Respiratory Therapist

Breathing is so natural that it’s easy to take it for granted. But for those who have difficulty, a respiratory therapist is there to help. Some of the primary responsibilities of a respiratory therapist include assessing patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders, conducting diagnostic tests, monitoring patient progress, and advising patients on medications and equipment use.


Respiratory Therapist career

#21. Sterile Processing Technician

Ensuring safe and sanitary conditions for medical and laboratory equipment is essential to delivering high-quality patient care. This important job is handled by sterile processing technicians. Their primary responsibilities include decontaminating surgical equipment, preparing and packaging instruments for procedures, documenting reprocessing steps for safety and compliance, and distributing and tracking instruments used in other areas.


Sterile Processing Tech career

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#22. Veterinary Assistant

Healthcare isn’t just for humans; animals need the same care and attention from veterinary health professionals. Veterinary assistants are important members of the animal care team. Some of their primary responsibilities include handling animal care tasks (e.g., feed, bathe, exercise), cleaning and disinfecting kennels and examination rooms, monitoring animals after surgery, and providing assistance during examinations or laboratory procedures.


Veterinary Assistant career

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*Statements found in the United States Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook are not a guarantee of any post-graduation salary, in part because the data used to create the Occupational Outlook Handbook includes workers from differing educational backgrounds, levels of experience, and geographic areas of the country.

**A career in this field may require you to meet certain regulations and requirements for certification, training, registration, and licensure and varies by vocation and state. You should contact the regulatory agency in the state(s) where they plan to work to confirm their requirements.

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