Overview
The State of California offers a range of medical careers that support its residents and agencies statewide.
A medical professional in state government can deliver direct patient care, develop treatment plans, maintain health records or provide rehabilitative and mental health services.
Whether you are a recent graduate, current student in the field or an experienced medical professional, there are opportunities for a meaningful career in California state government.
What You Might Work On
In California state government, professionals in this field often:
- Provide medical, dental or psychological care within state-funded institutions and local communities
- Perform therapeutic services – physical therapy, speech and language pathology – to a variety of communities
- Maintain state health records and assist state employees with accessing vital health information
Is This a Good Fit?
While roles and responsibilities vary, you might enjoy this field if you:
- Want to provide support to vulnerable populations
- Enjoy working in a variety of settings – office, clinic, in the field
- Like organizing medical data and information
Job Classifications
What are job classifications?
Job classifications map to specific job titles found across California state government. A corresponding code maps to the required exam for that classification. For example, 00108165 is the code for registered nurses.
How to use them:
You can use the job classifications to search for positions on CalCareers in the classification section within the advanced search filter. You can also use key words to find roles in the search bar on the home page. Below is a list of common examples, but additional roles and classifications can be found on CalCareers.
| Exam Code | Classification Name | Common Keywords | What You will Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00109268 | Dentist, Correctional Facility | Dentist; DDS | Perform and/or supervise professional dental care; make oral examinations and provide preventive care to patients at state correctional facilities |
| 00101869 | Health Record Technician | Health Record Technician; Health Record | Technicians code, collate and review data from medical records, laboratory records, vital records and other related sources. Technicians process Release of Information (ROI) documents and maintain tracking logs of ROI requests. |
| 00108280 | Physical Therapist | Physical Therapist; Physical Therapy | Administer active, passive and resistive therapeutic exercises and local or general massage, muscle training and corrective exercises, and coordination work; administer hydrotherapy treatments; teach parents of hospitalized children exercises which are to be continued at home |
| 00108165 | Registered Nurse | Registered Nurse; Nurse; RN | Professional registered nurses are responsible for providing direct nursing care, treatment and rehabilitation to patients/clients in various state facilities. |
| 00102160 | Child Nutrition Consultant | Child Nutrition; Nutrition | Monitors and completes administrative reviews of program operators participating in the Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) for regulation compliance, conduct nutrient analyses of meals served, educate the public as well as nonprofit program operators |
Where You Could Work
State government is broad — so where do you start?
One approach is to focus on a type of role. Another is to focus on a mission area or the kind of impact you want to have (i.e., in public health, education, transportation or elsewhere).
Keep in mind: mission areas often span multiple agencies, so you may find relevant roles in places you wouldn’t expect!
Professionals in this field work across many state agencies depending on mission area, including:
- Nursing: California Department of Veterans Affairs
- Occupational Therapy: California Department of Education
- Psychiatry: California Correctional Health Care Services
Examples of California Agencies with Medical Professionals
Did you know you could have a medical career at one of these agencies? Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all the options in California state government, but a helpful starting place as you begin exploring your future medical career!
| Agency Name |
|---|
| California Correctional Health Care Services |
| California Department of Developmental Services |
| California Department of Education |
| California Department of Health Care Services |
| California Department of Social Services |
| California Department of State Hospitals |
| California Department of Veterans Affairs |
Sample Positions
Audiologist [00108273]
| Employer / agency | California Departments of Mental Health and Developmental Services |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Tulare County |
| Mission context | The mission of the Departments of Mental Health and Developmental Services is to ensure Californians with developmental disabilities have the opportunity to make choices and lead independent, productive lives as members of their communities in the least restrictive setting possible. |
In this role, you may:
- Administer specialized measuring devices and tests for identification of hearing impairment to the developmentally disabled
- Administer diagnostic tests to identify individuals with hearing impairments and to determine the nature and extent of hearing disorders
Staff Psychiatrist [00109758]
| Employer / agency | California Correctional Health Care Services |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Sacramento County |
| Mission context | California Correctional Health Care Services provides care that includes medical, dental and mental health services to California’s incarcerated population at all 31 California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation institutions. |
In this role, you may:
- Perform evaluations of incarcerated individuals referred for various reasons to case management
- Perform follow-up or initial assessments on the psychiatric medication of new admissions or subsequent assessments of existing cases already on medication
Occupational Therapist [00108288]
| Employer / agency | California Department of Education |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Alameda County |
| Mission context | The Department of Education serves the state by innovating and collaborating with educators, schools, parents and community partners. |
In this role, you may:
- Provide students at the California School for the Blind (CSB) with assessment and services in the areas of fine motor skills and coordination
- Collaborate with teachers, other service providers and parents to foster motor skill and sensory processing growth for all students
