Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (with RNFA) - Neurosurge

Nurse PractitionerIncludes callNo weekendsFull-Time Physician-Supervised State

Listed compensation

$61-$79.67/hr

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

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

Posted 2h ago · Verified live

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 a motivated Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner to work with our Neurosurgery team. This is a hybrid role with time divided between Ambulatory, inpatient rounding, and OR first assist.

  • Mix of inpatient and outpatient responsibilities, including weekly hospital census of ~10–20 patients
  • Shared outpatient clinic coverage with attending and APPs during weekdays
  • Surgical volume includes minimum 4 elective cases/week plus add-ons and emergent cases (~6–10 OR cases/week total)
  • Schedule: Monday-Friday
  • Full-time: 5x8-hour shifts (Monday–Friday) with rotating night, weekend, and holiday call
  • On-call rotation: 1:5 weekends (in-person rounding, ~2–4 hours onsite) and 1:5 overnight call (5pm–7am); stipend provided
  • Locations: McHenry, Huntley, Woodstock, Lake Forest

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.

AA/EOE Minorities/Women/Disabled/Veterans. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

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 (inpatient experience as an NP will be considered in lieu of acute care certification)

First Assist Certification for All 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.

Once licensed may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number OR Master’s degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program/Current license as a Physician Assistant in the State of Illinois. Once licensed may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number

  • Privileged and credentialed through the Northwestern Medicine Medical Staff Office (MSO)
  • Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation – BLS, issued by the American Heart Association

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
  • NorthwesternMedicine Career Page

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.

  • Job Shift: Day Job (1st)
  • Salary Range Minimum: $61.00
  • Salary Range Maximum: $79.67
  • Compensation: USD 61 - USD 79.67 - hourly

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

DEA License

Key Skills

Patient assessmentSurgical first assistClinical diagnosisMedication prescriptionPatient educationElectronic medical recordsPhysical examinationClinical researchMentoringCollaborationPatient advocacy

Neurosurgery — Nurse Practitioner Career Context

Of the 50 active Nurse Practitioner listings this role was benchmarked against, 44% are remote, 58% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

Nurse Practitioner pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.8% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$146k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $146k in an average-cost state. 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Nurse Practitioner Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution35 jobs · 24 employers

5
<$130k
8
$130k
14
$135k-160k
8
$160k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks34 jobs · 24 employers

401k / retirement match
94% this job
CME allowance
71% this job
Sign-on bonus
38% this job
Relocation assistance
9%
Loan repayment
6% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 5.1
Better work-life than 40% of Nurse Practitioner roles listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 13,622 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • Includes call

Living in McHenry

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$324k
Typical market rent
$1,904/mo
Residents’ average commute
29 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
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.

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare logo

About Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

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

Benefits & Perks

Tuition Reimbursement
Loan Forgiveness
401(k) Matching
Lifecycle Benefits
On-Call Stipend