Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Full-time, Days
Listed compensation
$63-$82.28/hr
The week · per this posting4-day week · 4×10s
Ask the employer about time off.
Job Description
Company Description
At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry.
As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system.
We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?
Job Description
Northwestern Medicine has an exciting opportunity for either an Acute Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant to work in our inpatient Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) department. The surgical subspecialities continue to be primary with our SICU team providing critical care support.
The SICU APP coordinates daily care plans with the primary team.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, completing daily assessments of the patients, ordering necessary labs and imaging, participating in multidisciplinary ICU rounds, care coordination with consulting services, and providing family updates/assisting with goal of care conversations.
In addition, our SICU APPs will perform bedside procedures such as bronchoscopy, central line placement (triple lumen catheter, cordis, trialysis catheter), arterial line placement, chest tube placement, and ultrasound.
Schedule: 4 ten-hour shifts weekly with rotating days off one weekend (Saturday and Sunday) each month is required (these shifts will be included in the 4 shifts for the week and not in addition to) no nights, holidays, or on-call
Essential Functions
Demonstrates clinical expertise and expanded knowledge through patient care activities which may include diagnosis and management of a wide range of health problems.
- Responsible for health outcome of an assigned patient population.
- Confers with collaborating physician and other health professionals in area of clinical expertise.
- Develops appropriate educational systems for patients, families and staff in areas of expertise.
- Mentors graduate students in aspects of advanced practice and patient care.
- Actively participates in quality improvement and/or research pertinent to area of expertise.
Responsibilities
Conducts comprehensive appraisals of patients' health status by taking health histories and performing physical examinations in clinical area.
- Provides direct clinical care to patients.
- Prescribes/orders medications, therapies; orders/interprets laboratory tests, x-rays and procedures according to clinical privileges.
- Evaluates patients to determine their need for further health care.
- Provides comprehensive teaching to patients and families.
- Documents in the medical record all care and education provided and/or procedures performed for which the Licensed Advanced Practice Provider is responsible.
- Refers to other disciplines as appropriate.
- Consultant to other disciplines in areas of expertise.
- Integrates research based knowledge and clinical expertise in decision making.
- Exemplifies a professional image in appearance, manner and presentation.
- Advocate for patients, families, coworkers, and the community.
- Maintains certifications and continuing education as required for licensure and privileging.
- Serves as a patient advocate and role model for "Patients First".
- Participates in unit/departmental/divisional or hospital committees/task forces as appropriate.
- Provides comprehensive teaching strategies for patients and their families.
- Develops and participates in programs to meet continuing education needs of staff.
- Serves as a role model and preceptor to students.
- Provides formal education to both internal and external groups pertinent to area of specialty.
Participates in quality improvement and/or research initiatives for specific patient population as appropriate.
Qualifications
- Required:
- Master’s degree from an accredited school/college of nursing OR master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program
Acute Care Certification Required for APRNs
Current license as a Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois. Current license as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois. Certification as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse by a national certifying body as approved by the Illinois Department of Regulation APRN Board. OR Master’s degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program/Current license as a Physician Assistant in the State of Illinois.
- Privileged and credentialed through the Medical Staff Office (MSO)
- Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (issued by the American Heart Association) certification
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification required as specified by department
- Controlled substance license and DEA registration required as specified by the department
- Experience in critical care or inpatient surgical management.
Preferred
Clinical experience in area of specialty
Additional Information
Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.
Background Check
Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers.
If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.
Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.
Artificial Intelligence Disclosure
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events.
Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information jobs.nm.org
Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings.
If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.
- Hours Per Week / FTE: 40 hrs/wk - 1.0 FTE
- Job Shift: Day Job (1st)
- Salary Range Minimum: $63.00
- Salary Range Maximum: $82.28
- Compensation: USD 63 - USD 82.28 - hourly
Qualifications
- Education
- Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Certifications
Key Skills
Critical Care — Physician Assistant Career Context
Of the 50 active Critical Care listings this role was benchmarked against, 10% are remote, 74% have no call, 68% require no weekends.
The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$151k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $151k in an average-cost state. 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Work-life score | 6.9 / 10 · top 25% in physician assistant roles | ranked against 4,556 Physician Assistant roles listingslisting-based score, 0–10 |
| Listed pay | $131k–$171k | Critical Care median $128k (middle half $110k–$155k)40 comparable listings, Oct 2026 |
| Cost-of-living adjusted pay | ~$151k in purchasing power | Illinois index 100.0 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| Critical Care listings in Illinois | 139 active | 4,641 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026 |
| Work setting | on-site | peers: 10% remote · 74% no call · 68% no weekends50 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | loan repayment | Illinois Physician Assistant listings: 18% state a sign-on bonus · 19% offer loan repayment139 active listings, Oct 2026 |
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Full-time, Days at Northwestern Memorial Healthcare a 6.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Physician Assistant roles — ranked against 4,556 active Physician Assistant roles listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties, no night shifts.
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