Cleveland Clinic Jobs, Salaries & Visa Sponsorship

Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 and is a nonprofit academic health system based in Cleveland, Ohio. Its own facts page reports 83,000 caregivers, 6.6K physicians and scientists, 17.6K registered nurses, 23 hospitals and 6.7K beds, as year-end totals at December 31, 2025.

The main campus is on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.

Cleveland Clinic was named to the U.S. News & World Report 2026-2027 Best Hospitals Honor Roll, a list of 20 hospitals given in alphabetical order. Care is organized into institutes that combine related specialties, such as the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute and the Neurological Institute.

For international doctors, Cleveland Clinic is one of the clearer employers to read: its graduate medical education office publishes which visas it supports and what each needs. It sponsors H-1B visas for residents who have passed all three USMLE Steps and hold an Ohio training certificate or license, and uses the ECFMG J-1 otherwise.

For nurses, pharmacists, therapists and other clinical staff, Cleveland Clinic does not publish an international recruitment program for its US hospitals on the pages we reviewed, and each needs an Ohio license from the relevant state board. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi recruits nurses internationally, but that is a separate employer in the UAE with its own rules.

Founded

1921

Run by

Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit academic health system

Leadership

• Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD, Chief Executive Officer and President and Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair
• Scott R. Steele, MD, MBA, President, Cleveland Clinic Main Campus Submarket
• Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, Executive Vice President, Chief Caregiver Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, Rich Family Chief Caregiver Chair

Accreditations

• Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, first achieved in 2003 and shown as designated in 2026.

Awards and rankings

• U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals 2026-2027: named to the Honor Roll of 20 hospitals (U.S. News & World Report).

Switchboard

800.223.2273

• Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute

  Cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular and thoracic care, organized as one institute.

• Cancer Institute

  Cancer diagnosis, treatment and research across the health system.

• Neurological Institute

  Neurology, neurosurgery and related brain and spine services.

• Digestive Disease Institute

  Gastroenterology, hepatology and colorectal and general surgery.

• Cleveland Clinic Children's

  Pediatric care across Cleveland Clinic's Ohio sites.

• Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute

  Women's health, obstetrics and gynecologic surgery.

• Doctors: Cleveland Clinic's graduate medical education visa document lists two visas for residency and fellowship: the H-1B temporary worker visa and the J-1 exchange visitor visa in the alien physician category sponsored by ECFMG. F-1 or J-1 students graduating from US medical schools may be able to use OPT or academic training to start residency.
• For a clinical H-1B, Cleveland Clinic requires passing scores on USMLE Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 (Step 3 is not required for US medical graduates), a valid ECFMG certificate and a training certificate or permanent license from the State Medical Board of Ohio. Applicants in the Match must have Step 3 scores by April 30, or the J-1 is used; it says it will not wait for a re-test.
• Research fellows can be sponsored on H-1B if the department pays at the required level, on a Cleveland Clinic-sponsored J-1 research scholar visa, and, for Canadian and Mexican citizens, TN for research only. E-3 is available to Australian citizens.
• Observerships: the Center for International Medical Education runs an International Physician Observership Program of one month for fully trained physicians practicing abroad and residents or fellows enrolled abroad. It costs $500 and needs B1, B2, F2, H4, J2, L2, O3 or ESTA status. Cleveland Clinic says it "is not designed for international medical graduates (IMG) residing in the United States or abroad, who intend to apply for residency or fellowship in the U.S."
• Nurses: we found no international nurse recruitment program for Cleveland Clinic's Ohio hospitals on its own pages. Internationally educated nurses usually reach US hospitals by getting an Ohio license and applying directly, or through a recruitment agency working with the employer under an EB-3 green card petition. Ask any agency which employer will sign your petition.

• Registered nurses: an Ohio RN license from the Ohio Board of Nursing. Under Ohio rule 4723-7-04, foreign-educated graduates need a CGFNS (TruMerit) Credentials Evaluation Service report showing education comparable to a US program, proof of English proficiency (or an accepted exemption) and the NCLEX-RN.

• Visa for nurses: VisaScreen is required for most foreign registered nurses before a visa is issued. For most internationally educated nurses the long-term route is an employer-sponsored green card in the EB-3 category. USCIS says professional nurses are a Schedule A occupation, so the employer does not need a DOL-approved labor certification first; your wait then depends on the State Department Visa Bulletin for your country of birth.

• Doctors: ECFMG certification, a residency position (mainly through the National Resident Matching Program) and an Ohio training certificate. For H-1B you also need USMLE Step 3 passed in time for the April 30 deadline.

• H-1B: USCIS says certain new H-1B petitions filed at or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on September 21, 2025 must be accompanied by an additional $100,000 payment unless an exception applies, so check with the employer before relying on an H-1B.

• Observers: one of the visa statuses Cleveland Clinic lists (B1, B2, F2, H4, J2, L2, O3 or ESTA). Observers have no patient care responsibilities.

1. 1

   1. Choose job, residency or observership

   Staff jobs, residency and fellowship places and observerships are separate processes with separate eligibility.
2. 2

   2. Nurses: get on the Ohio licensing path

   Order the CGFNS CES report, meet the English requirement and apply to the Ohio Board of Nursing to sit the NCLEX-RN.
3. 3

   3. Search jobs.clevelandclinic.org

   Filter by location and role. Read each posting for license requirements and any statement on visa sponsorship, which is often stated for physician roles.
4. 4

   4. Doctors: apply through ERAS

   Check the program's page, decide whether you need H-1B or J-1, and make sure your USMLE Step 3 timing fits Cleveland Clinic's April 30 rule if you want H-1B.
5. 5

   5. Observership applicants: apply in the window

   Applications run in two periods a year through the Center for International Medical Education. You need a CV, personal statement, recommendation letter and employment or enrollment letter, all in English.
6. 6

   6. Complete VisaScreen and immigration

   Nurses complete VisaScreen and the EB-3 petition with the sponsoring employer; residents complete ECFMG J-1 or H-1B steps with Cleveland Clinic's visa office.

• Registered nurses

  $83,940

  Median, May 2025. Mean $91,580; 10th to 90th percentile $75,020 to $108,120.

• Nurse practitioners

  $130,800

  Median, May 2025. Mean $127,990.

• Licensed practical and vocational nurses

  $63,900

  Median, May 2025. Mean $64,220.

• Pharmacists

  $140,690

  Median, May 2025. Mean $134,010.

• Physical therapists

  $104,030

  Median, May 2025. Mean $103,500.

• Respiratory therapists

  $80,360

  Median, May 2025. Mean $82,130.