Stanford Health Care Jobs, Salaries & Visa Sponsorship

Stanford Health Care is part of Stanford Medicine with the Stanford School of Medicine. Its fact sheet for 2023-24 reports 619 licensed beds, 17,200 employees, 2,627 physicians on the active medical staff, 4,437 nurses and 1,492 residents and fellows.

The current Stanford Hospital at 500 Pasteur Drive opened for patient care in 2019, and the hospital is the only Level 1 trauma center between San Francisco and San Jose.

U.S. News & World Report named "Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital" to its 2026-2027 Best Hospitals Honor Roll, which lists 20 hospitals in alphabetical order. Stanford Health Care was first designated a Magnet hospital for nursing in 2007.

For international medical graduates, Stanford's position is direct: its programs use the ECFMG-sponsored J-1, and Stanford does not sponsor H-1B visas for graduates of international medical schools. Graduates of Canadian medical schools also use the J-1.

Stanford sits in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area, which had the highest registered nurse wages of the metro areas on our US hospital pages in May 2025. Stanford does not publish an international recruitment program for nurses, pharmacists, therapists or other clinical staff on the pages we reviewed, and each needs a California license from the relevant board.

Run by

Stanford Health Care, part of Stanford Medicine

Leadership

• David Entwistle, President and Chief Executive Officer
• Niraj Sehgal, MD, MPH, Executive Vice President & Chief Physician Executive
• Neera Ahuja, MD, Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Inpatient Care
• Dale Beatty, Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Executive

Accreditations

• Magnet designation for nursing, first awarded in 2007.

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

650-498-3333

• Stanford Cancer Center

  Cancer care with the Stanford Cancer Institute.

• Heart and vascular care

  Cardiovascular medicine and surgery, including the heart transplant program.

• Transplant program

  Kidney, liver, pancreas, heart and lung transplantation.

• Neuroscience Health Center

  Neurology and neurosurgery for adults.

• Level 1 trauma center

  The only Level 1 trauma center between San Francisco and San Jose, per Stanford.

• Doctors: Stanford's graduate medical education pages state that "Stanford Hospital and Clinics uses the J-1 visa program sponsored by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Stanford does not sponsor H-1B visas for graduates of international medical schools. Graduates of Canadian medical schools must also use the J-1 program."
• The J-1 sponsorship application fee is paid to ECFMG through its online system and is non-refundable. J-1 physicians generally face a two-year home residence requirement after training, which matters if you hope to stay in the US.
• Nurses: Stanford Health Care runs a Nurse Residency Program for newly graduated registered nurses. Candidates who reach the panel interview must confirm they will hold a California license by the interview date. We found no international nurse recruitment program on Stanford Health Care's pages.
• Nurses trained abroad usually need a California RN license first and an employer willing to sponsor an EB-3 green card.

• Registered nurses: a California RN license from the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). Graduates of international nursing programs must have official transcripts mailed to the BRN with its breakdown of educational program form, meet all California educational requirements (completing an approved course for anything missing) and pass the NCLEX-RN. The BRN evaluates the education itself.

• 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 (which includes passing USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK), a Stanford residency or fellowship place, any training license the Medical Board of California requires, and the ECFMG J-1.

• H-1B: Stanford does not sponsor H-1B for graduates of international medical schools. 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.

1. 1

   1. Nurses: start California licensure

   Have your school mail official transcripts and the BRN's breakdown form, complete any required coursework and pass the NCLEX-RN.
2. 2

   2. Search careers.stanfordhealthcare.org

   Stanford posts nursing roles and nurse residency cohorts on its careers site. Check each posting for license and work authorization requirements.
3. 3

   3. Doctors: plan on the J-1

   If you graduated from an international medical school, Stanford will not sponsor an H-1B. Make sure you can meet ECFMG's J-1 requirements.
4. 4

   4. Apply through ERAS and the Match

   Read the program's own page on med.stanford.edu for any extra requirements before applying.
5. 5

   5. Start the J-1 early

   Begin ECFMG J-1 sponsorship as soon as you have a place. The ECFMG application fee is paid online and is non-refundable.
6. 6

   6. Nurses: VisaScreen and EB-3

   Complete VisaScreen and the EB-3 petition with whichever employer sponsors your green card.

• Registered nurses

  $216,740

  Median, May 2025. Mean $194,950; 10th to 90th percentile $124,140 to $235,190.

• Nurse practitioners

  $231,560

  Median, May 2025. Mean $225,610.

• Licensed practical and vocational nurses

  $95,320

  Median, May 2025. Mean $94,420.

• Pharmacists

  $199,040

  Median, May 2025. Mean $190,370.

• Physical therapists

  $139,000

  Median, May 2025. Mean $140,090.

• Respiratory therapists

  $149,680

  Median, May 2025. Mean $146,490.