Also called: Health Facility Surveyor, Long-Term Care Surveyor, State Survey Agency Inspector
Shows up unannounced at nursing homes and hospitals to inspect care, interview residents, and cite violations of federal rules.
Surveyors arrive in teams without warning and spend several days watching meals, checking medication carts, reading charts, and talking with residents and families. They investigate complaints like neglected bedsores or falls. Findings can lead to fines or loss of Medicare funding, and they write detailed reports that become public.
State government pay; RN surveyors earn the most. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Usually a registered nurse, dietitian, or social worker; federal surveyor training and test.
Ways in: 4-year college, 2-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Nursing, Social Work, Dietetics, Health Administration.
Growing faster than average. States report surveyor shortages as the population ages (approx.).
Low risk for 10 years. AI can flag facilities with bad data; walking the halls and interviewing residents stays human.
Classes: Biology, Health-science CTE class, Psychology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 13-1041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.