Where Do Allied Health Professionals Work?

Key Insights:

• Allied health roles include support-based positions beyond doctors, dentists, and nurses. Examples of allied health professionals include pharmacy technicians, medical assistants, dental assistants, physical and occupational therapists, and medical billers and coders.
• You can find allied health professionals in hospitals, doctors’ offices, long-term care facilities, urgent care centers, and government agencies, just to name a few. Some allied health roles work in patients' homes or remotely, so these may be options as well, depending on your career path and goals.
• If you’re unsure which allied health role is right for you, identifying the type of setting you want to work in can narrow your options. Career services team members can help guide you in your decision, as can admissions representatives at schools that offer allied healthcare programs.

Healthcare jobs have nearly doubled over the past three decades, employing more than 18.3 million workers in February 2026.¹ If you’re interested in working in this field, a doctor or nurse career path may be the first to come to mind. However, almost 60% of individuals in this field are allied health professionals.²

What Are Allied Health Professionals?

Allied health professionals work in healthcare roles outside of doctor, dentist, and nurse positions. They are known as “health workforce extenders”³ and help support medical professionals and providers, sometimes administratively and other times by performing patient care.

Examples of allied health professionals include:⁴

• Physical, occupational, and respiratory therapists
• Dental hygienists and assistants
• Pharmacy technicians and assistants
• Medical assistants
• Nutritionists and dietitians
• Mental health counselors and family therapists
• Speech-language pathologists

Where Allied Health Professionals Work

If you’re interested in an allied health career path but aren’t sure which role to pursue, it can be helpful to first decide what type of setting you’d like to work in. Here, we provide several options to consider.

Keep in mind when reading the lists of professionals in each setting that they are not exhaustive. In addition, allied health professionals in certain roles can be employed in different healthcare settings. For example, any facility that bills for patient services could employ medical billers and coders, even though this role isn’t listed under each setting type. Local job listings can provide more information on work settings available for allied health professionals in your area.

#1: Hospitals and medical centers

Hospitals are the sixth-largest employer nationwide when you consider professional, administrative, educational, food service, and other types of workers combined.⁵ Allied health roles that can be found in hospital settings include:

• Surgical technician
• Medical assistant
• Physical therapist
• Pharmacy technician
• Phlebotomist
• Medical biller and coder

One potential benefit of working for a hospital is that you may have more opportunities for advancement since they tend to be larger facilities. They can also provide schedule flexibility by providing certain services 24 hours a day.

#2: Private practices

Another allied health career option is to pursue positions with private practitioners. You may work for a specific doctor (or group of doctors), for example, or you may find employment with a particular type of medical specialist. Allied health roles in private practices include:

• Medical administrative assistant
• Medical office and billing specialist
• Speech-language pathologist
• Occupational therapist
• Dietitian or nutritionist

A private practice setting may be preferable if you aren’t interested in working in a hospital or larger healthcare facility. You may also find a greater ability to provide more personalized patient care in these settings due to having smaller caseloads.

#3: Clinics and urgent cares

Healthcare clinics and urgent care centers can also offer several career options for professionals in the allied healthcare field. Walk-in clinics often provide care for minor health concerns such as colds, ear infections, sprains, and immunizations, while urgent care centers can tend to more serious (but non-life-threatening) issues such as broken bones and respiratory conditions.⁷

Allied health professions in these types of healthcare settings include:

• X-ray technician
• Lab technician
• Phlebotomist
• Medical biller and coder
• Medical administrative assistant

You may enjoy working in a clinic or urgent care if you like the idea of seeing new patients with various health conditions daily. Since these facilities aren’t generally open 24 hours a day, they may also be preferred by individuals who want more schedule predictability (such as not being called in on nights and weekends).

#4: Long-term care facilities

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and residential care homes are all examples of long-term care facilities. Allied health roles in these healthcare settings can include:

• Physical therapist
• Dietitian or nutritionist
• Medical records technician
• Residential advocate
• Case worker

If you like the idea of working with the same patients over time, a long-term care facility may be a good fit for you. This setting provides the opportunity to develop more in-depth relationships with the people you serve because you may see them on a daily or weekly basis.

#5: Labs and diagnostic centers

Labs and other types of diagnostic testing are important for identifying health conditions. They also play an essential role in disease management. If this type of allied health career path interests you, you may wish to pursue one of these roles:

• Cardiovascular technologist
• Diagnostic medical sonographer
• Radiology technologist
• Phlebotomist
• Medical records analyst

Labs and diagnostic centers often have set hours, which can provide more schedule stability than healthcare settings that operate all day, every day. You may also find this line of work rewarding by helping patients get the answers they need about their health and wellness.

#6: Patients’ homes

Some allied health professionals spend their days providing services in patients’ homes. The U.S. home healthcare market is projected to grow due to an aging population, digital innovations, and regulatory incentives for at-home care.⁸ Allied health positions in these settings include:

• Home health aide
• Nursing assistant
• Physical therapist
• Medical social worker
• Speech-language pathologist

Providing services in patients’ homes may be enjoyable if you want the variety of diverse settings or don’t want to spend your days in a healthcare facility. Unless you are provided with a company vehicle, you need reliable transportation for this type of position.

#7: Government agencies

Some allied health careers enable you to work for government agencies at the national, state, or local level. These positions can be found at county health departments, schools, jails, prisons, and state-run mental health facilities. They include roles such as:

• Health and human services worker
• Dental hygienist
• Dental assistant
• Radiologic technologist
• Behavioral health technician

Government-based allied health roles can offer the opportunity to work in unique environments outside of typical healthcare settings. You can also work with specific populations of people, from children to prisoners to veterans.

#8: Remote allied health positions

Certain allied health roles can be performed remotely, either full- or part-time, if the employer allows it. These typically don’t involve direct patient care and are more administrative in nature. Potential remote allied health roles can include:

• Medical biller and coder
• Health information technician
• Bookkeeper, accounting, or auditing clerk
• Medical transcriptionist
• Allied health educator

Some roles may offer remote work opportunities depending on the employer (as long as you have internet access). This eliminates daily commutes, which may be nice if you don’t like driving or lack reliable transportation.

Finding a Healthcare Work Setting that Fits You

If you’re unsure what type of allied healthcare role you’d like to pursue, deciding on the setting you’d like to work in can help narrow your options. Here are a few questions to ask when exploring which work setting may be a good fit for you:

• Do you want to work for a large organization like a hospital, or would you prefer a smaller employer, like a private practice with only one physician?
• Would you like to work directly with patients, or would you prefer a more behind-the-scenes healthcare position?
• Are you more interested in working with the same patients over time, or would you prefer to help support new patients daily?
• Do you like the idea of working nights and weekends, or would you prefer a schedule that primarily involves typical business hours?

Answering these questions can help you identify allied health careers that align with your professional interests and goals. Career services and admissions representatives at schools that offer allied health career training programs can also help guide you, making them resources to consider as well.

FAQs

• What is allied health? The allied healthcare field refers to roles outside of doctors, nurses, and dentists. These positions are often supportive in nature, assisting medical professionals with patient care and/or administrative functions.
• Are nurses allied health professionals? No, nurses are not considered allied health professionals. Nursing assistant roles are allied health professions because they’re more supportive in nature, but not nursing roles like RN (registered nurse) or LPN (licensed practical nurse).
• What types of healthcare facilities hire allied health workers? You can find allied health workers in hospitals, private practices, urgent care centers, long-term care facilities, government agencies, and more.
• Where can I locate allied health jobs near me? One option is to look at job posts in local newspapers or review the “Careers” page on local healthcare providers’ websites. Online job search sites like Indeed may also provide some allied health job openings in your area.