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Kaiser Permanente
Oakland, California

Physician Assistant - General Surgery

Physician AssistantIncludes callIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Under the direction of a supervising physician, the Physician Assistant provides high quality, efficient, team based patient focused care. The Physician Assistants responsibilities may include managing patients in the office, hospital, ED and/or perioperative setting.

The Physician Assistant may be required to First Assist in the OR or perform other department specific procedures. The Physician Assistant may also facilitate on call responsibilities for his/her supervising physician.

The Physician Assistants daily responsibilities may vary based upon the department & supervising physician needs and may require evening or weekend work hours.

Essential Responsibilities

  • The Physician Assistant will practice as part of a team under the direction of their supervising physician.
  • Primary Duties will be inclusive of the following but not limited to:

Examines patient, performs comprehensive physical examination, and compiles patient medical data, including health history and results of physical examination.

Administers or orders diagnostic tests, such as imaging studies, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests, and interprets test results for deviations from normal.

Performs therapeutic procedures such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and managing infection.

Performs other department specific diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.

Develops and implements patient management plans, records progress notes, and assists in provision of continuity of care.

Instructs and counsels patients regarding compliance with prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance and other relevant patient education.

  • Based upon Specific Specialty, additional duties may include the following:
  • Facilitate admissions, transfers, discharges
  • First assist in surgeries or perform procedures as applicable

Round on Inpatients

Performs admission evaluation on patients to include: obtaining basic medical information and history, reviewing patients medical record, performing physical exam, documenting findings into patient medical record, and reporting deviations from normal findings to attending physician.

Provides patient and family with pre-operative/pre-procedure and other pertinent education.

Answers questions regarding surgery or procedures, recovery and risk factor modification; provides blood transfusion information as applicable; performs peri-operative procedures; locates and utilizes diagnostic images, instruments and pertinent patient information.

Reviews patient chart noting allergies, pertinent medical history, and abnormal physical findings.

Assists in performing surgical procedures and other procedures consistent with the standards of care and practice guidelines:

Depending on the specialty, may work as the First Assist during surgical procedures, start IVs, and/or perform suturing.

Performs post-operative procedures to include entering standard post-operative orders into patient medical records; assists physicians with evaluation and management of patients status during recovery; reviews vital signs, laboratory and diagnostic studies; assists with management of patients.

Facilitates patient discharge; dictates discharge and transfer summaries in a timely manner.

Basic Qualifications

  • Experience
  • N/A

Education

  • Graduate from an ARC-PA accredited physician assistant program by start date.
  • License, Certification, Registration
  • Physician Assistant License (California) required at hire
  • Physician Assistant National Certificate required at hire
  • Basic Life Support
  • National Provider Identifier required at hire

Additional Requirements

Fluoroscopy Permit required, or must be obtained within 18 months from the date of hire in Orthopedics, Interventional Radiology, and Radiation Oncology only.

  • May be required to have experience and competency in performing specific tasks required by department.
  • Must be able to work in a Labor/Management Partnership environment.

Preferred Qualifications

N/A

Key Responsibilities

The Physician Assistant provides team-based patient care under a supervising physician, managing patients across office, hospital, and perioperative settings. Key duties include performing physical exams, ordering diagnostic tests, and serving as a first assist during surgical procedures.

Requirements

Candidates must be graduates of an ARC-PA accredited program with a valid California Physician Assistant license and National Certification. Basic Life Support and a National Provider Identifier are also required at the time of hire.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Perioperative CareSurgical First AssistingDiagnostic InterpretationMedical DocumentationInpatient Rounding

Surgery — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 8% are remote, 64% have no call, 54% require no weekends.

Surgery pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Physician Assistant Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 37 employers

20
<$175k
17
$175k-190k
8
$190k-205k
2
$205k-220k
3
$220k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks38 jobs · 37 employers

401k / retirement match
82% this job
CME allowance
63% this job
Sign-on bonus
50%
Relocation assistance
16%
Loan repayment
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Stanford Health Care · Emeryville, California

$91.68-$121.48/hr
#2

APP (Nurse Practitioner/ Physician Assistant) - Cardiovascular Electrophysiology- FT (12 hours), Days

Stanford Health Care · Palo Alto, California

$91.68-$121.48/hr
#3

Clinic Director - Physician Assistant (PA-C) or Nurse Practitioner (NP)

$250k
#4

Physician Assistant- Dr. Fealy

$195k-$212k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 2.1this job 1.5
Better work-life than 20% of Surgery (PA) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 371 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends

Living in Oakland

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$853k
Typical market rent
$2,735/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

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About Kaiser Permanente

Medical Practices
Oakland, California
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
Malpractice Coverage
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
CME Allowance