UCLA Health Jobs, Salaries & Visa Sponsorship

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is the main hospital of UCLA Health, on the UCLA campus in Westwood, Los Angeles. UCLA says the medical center was founded in 1955 and reopened in 2008 in a new 10-story building.

It has 520 inpatient beds and a Level 1 trauma center, and the building also houses UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA.

U.S. News & World Report named "UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center" to its 2026-2027 Best Hospitals Honor Roll, which lists 20 hospitals in alphabetical order. UCLA Health also holds Magnet recognition for nursing.

For doctors trained abroad, the David Geffen School of Medicine publishes a written GME visa policy: the ECFMG-sponsored clinical J-1 is preferred, and H-1B is considered only in specific situations, such as transferring from another US program on H-1B or qualifying as a physician of national or international renown.

UCLA Health's international services team offers nursing observership and management programs for visiting nurses, but we found no international hiring program for nurses, pharmacists, therapists or other clinical staff on UCLA Health's pages. Each needs a California license from the relevant board.

Founded

1955

Run by

UCLA Health, University of California, Los Angeles

Leadership

• John C. Mazziotta, MD, PhD, Senior Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences; CEO, UCLA Health
• Johnese Spisso, MPA, President, UCLA Health; CEO, UCLA Hospital System; Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences

Accreditations

• Magnet status for nursing excellence, as UCLA Health states.

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

(310) 825-9111

• Level 1 trauma center

  Adult trauma care with a dedicated CT scanner.

• Organ transplantation

  UCLA describes the medical center as a leader in organ transplantation.

• UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital

  Pediatric care within the Ronald Reagan building, with a Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit.

• Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA

  Inpatient psychiatric care on the same campus.

• Emergency medicine

  Ronald Reagan emergency department in Westwood.

• Doctors: UCLA's GME visa policy, approved by the Graduate Medical Education Committee on December 4, 2023, says: "The clinical J-1 visa sponsored by ECFMG is preferred when applying to an ACGME accredited training program at UCLA." Each department's ECFMG Training Program Liaison works with the school's Visa and Licensing Office on J-1 applications.
• H-1B is permitted in three situations under the policy: graduates of LCME-accredited US or Canadian schools or US osteopathic colleges using F-1 OPT while completing USMLE Step 3; applicants already in a US residency or fellowship on H-1B with enough time left for UCLA training; and physicians who qualify as of national or international renown under USCIS standards. Departments bear the H-1B costs, and all applicants needing work authorization are reviewed before an offer.
• Nurses: UCLA Health International Services offers an International Nursing Observership Program, "an informal observership experience that enables participants to observe UCLA Health nurses in various units during patient rounds, bedside care, and clinical settings", and an International Nursing Management Program. These are education programs, not jobs.
• We found no international nurse recruitment program on UCLA Health's careers 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 UCLA residency or fellowship place, any training license the Medical Board of California requires, and normally the ECFMG J-1.

• H-1B: limited to the cases in UCLA's policy. 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 to the Board of Registered Nursing, fix any educational gaps and pass the NCLEX-RN.
2. 2

   2. Search uclahealthcareers.org

   UCLA Health posts nursing and other jobs on its careers site. Check each posting for license and work authorization requirements.
3. 3

   3. Doctors: plan on the J-1

   Read UCLA's GME visa policy. Unless you fit one of the three H-1B cases, expect to train on an ECFMG-sponsored J-1.
4. 4

   4. Apply through ERAS and the Match

   Check the program's own requirements before applying; your work authorization will be reviewed before any offer.
5. 5

   5. Visiting nurses: contact International Services

   If you want to observe rather than work, ask UCLA Health International Services about its nursing observership or management programs.
6. 6

   6. Complete immigration steps

   Residents work with their department's Training Program Liaison on the J-1; nurses complete VisaScreen and an EB-3 petition with their sponsoring employer.

• Registered nurses

  $135,560

  Median, May 2025. Mean $140,370; 10th to 90th percentile $100,980 to $174,200.

• Nurse practitioners

  $161,470

  Median, May 2025. Mean $163,610.

• Licensed practical and vocational nurses

  $79,310

  Median, May 2025. Mean $80,810.

• Pharmacists

  $157,440

  Median, May 2025. Mean $151,100.

• Physical therapists

  $108,170

  Median, May 2025. Mean $115,890.

• Respiratory therapists

  $104,640

  Median, May 2025. Mean $102,570.