Northwestern Memorial Healthcare logo
Northwestern Memorial Healthcare
Palos Heights, Illinois

Physician: Cardiac Surgeon - Palos Heights, IL

SurgeryNo callNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$765k-$1M

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Company Description

Northwestern Medicine is the premier provider of healthcare services in Chicago’s metro area, with more than 700 primary care physicians and specialists. Our team works together to provide excellent patient care and exceptional patient experiences, using models that follow best practices in outpatient and inpatient settings.

Northwestern Medicine is a growing, nationally recognized health system that provides world-class care at 11 hospitals and more than 200 locations in communities throughout Chicago, the suburbs and northern Illinois.

Together with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, we are pushing boundaries in our research labs, training the next generation of physicians and scientists, and pursuing excellence in patient care. Our vision and values are deeply rooted in the idea that patients come first in all we do.

We value building relationships with our patients and their families, listening to their unique needs while providing individualized primary, specialty and hospital-based care. Our recent affiliations and ongoing growth make it possible for us to serve more patients, closer to where they live and work.

While each of our locations has a unique story, Northwestern Medicine is unified under one mission – Patients First.

Job Description

Northwestern Medicine is seeking an ACGME fellowship trained, board-certified/board-eligible Cardiac Surgeon to join the growing Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute (BCVI) South Region team at Palos Hospital in Palos Heights, IL located in the south suburbs. This role offers the opportunity to deliver exceptional surgical care in a community hospital setting while benefiting from the clinical resources, reputation, and collaborative network of Northwestern Medicine.

Responsibilities of this position include performing a broad range of adult cardiac surgical procedures, including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve repair and replacement, aortic and structural heart procedures.

Partnering closely with community cardiologists, hospitalists, intensivists, and APPs to deliver coordinated care

  • Building and maintaining strong referral relationships within the local community
  • Participating in program growth, outreach initiatives, and quality improvement efforts
  • Supporting streamlined, efficient care delivery focused on access, outcomes, and patient experience

Collaborating with Tertiary/quaternary Academic Teams

The ideal candidate is a patient-focused surgeon who values strong relationships with referring providers, efficient clinical operations, and high-quality outcomes in a community environment.

Cardiothoracic surgeons in this position may participate in academic programs of the Feinberg School of Medicine, including educational programs (e. g., teaching service, training, preceptorship, mentoring, etc.) or research programs (e. g., participation in clinical trials, referring patients for clinical trials, etc.). Salary is commensurate with experience.

BCVI is a full service, fully integrated institute across the system. The six clinical centers comprising BCVI are the Center for Heart Rhythm Disorders, Center for Coronary Disease, Center for Vascular Disease, Center for Valve Disease, Center for Heart Failure and the Center for Preventive Cardiology.

Qualifications

  • ACGME fellowship trained
  • BE/BC

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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

In addition to competitive compensation, we offer an excellent benefits package. This includes a continuing medical education allowance, paid time off, well-being fund, 401k, paid parental leave, malpractice insurance and much more. Moreover, we will provide financial stability and administrative support so you can focus on your passion – practicing medicine. Please click here to learn more about benefits.

  • Job Shift: Day Job (1st)
  • Salary Range Minimum: $765,000.00
  • Salary Range Maximum: $1,000,000
  • Compensation: USD 765000 - USD 1000000 - yearly

Key Responsibilities

The cardiac surgeon will perform a broad range of adult cardiac surgical procedures and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to deliver coordinated patient care. Additionally, the role involves building referral relationships, participating in program growth, and contributing to quality improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

Experience
10+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Cardiac surgeryValve replacementAortic proceduresClinical collaboration

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Physician: Cardiac Surgeon - Palos Heights, IL at Northwestern Memorial Healthcare a 6.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Surgery — ranked against 1,267 active Surgery listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties, no night shifts.

Surgery — Physician Career Context

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 71/100, 5 active listings.

Surgery pay on WeekdayDoc is down 11.1% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Surgery by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.9 / 10 · above average in surgeryranked against 1,267 Surgery listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$765k–$1000kSurgery median $675k (middle half $488k–$725k)15 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$883k in purchasing powerIllinois index 100.0 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Surgery listings in Illinois37 active1,267 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedIllinois Physician listings: 24% state a sign-on bonus (median $100k) · 24% offer loan repayment992 active listings, Oct 2026
Surgery hiring demand#10 of 26 specialtiespostings stay open a median 42 days · 18% state a sign-on bonusWeekdayDoc Hiring Index, September 2026 · 329 postings, 188 closed
New Surgery listings820 in the last 30 days489 the 30 days before (+68%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Surgery pay trend−11.1% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Northwestern Memorial Healthcaresilver tier, 71/100Top Employers work-life index5 active listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (1,267 Surgery listings), Top Employers work-life index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024), WeekdayDoc Hiring Index; as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Surgeon Jobs

20 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

19 jobs · 13 employers
11
<$565k
0
$565k-630k
4
$630k-695k
3
$750k
1
$773k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

10 jobs
Sign-on bonus
80%
Relocation assistance
80%
401k / retirement match
40% this job
Loan repayment
10%
CME allowance
10% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Full Time General Surgeon

Olympic Medical Center · Port Angeles, Washington

$377k-$773k
#2

Mohs Surgeon - Kirkland, WA

North Pacific Dermatology · Kirkland, Washington

$750k-$750k
#3

Mohs Surgeon - Kirkland, WA

$750k-$750k
#4

Mohs Surgeon - Kirkland, WA

$750k-$750k
+ 18 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 6.9
Better work-life than 70% of Surgery listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,267 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • No nights
Northwestern Memorial Healthcare logo

About Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

Hospitals and Health Care
Chicago, Illinois
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Continuing medical education allowance
Paid time off
Well-being fund
401k
Paid parental leave
Malpractice insurance

Living in Palos Heights

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$383k≈ 0.5× annual pay
Median resident rent
$2,558/mo≈ 4% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
30 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.