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UCSF
San Francisco, California

Physician Assistant, Sr.

Physician AssistantIncludes callIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$204K - $275K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting and time off.

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

The Critical Care Physician Assistant is a licensed physician assistant who possesses the advanced education, knowledge, clinical skills and experience necessary to provide expert advanced practice in critical care.

The primary responsibility of the Critical Care Physician Assistant (CCPA) is providing and directing care for patients in the adult ICUs at the UCSF Medical Center. The CCPA is responsible for maintaining quality of care standards for all procedures and clinical care provided in the ICUs.

The CCPA provides self-direction and accountability in the development of this role within the medical center.

The CCPA shall provide medical care under the supervision of the Physician Director of Adult Critical Care Medicine and their individual collaborating physicians. The CCPA shall provide care in accordance with standardized procedures.

The CCPA shall be proficient in the areas of arterial catheter insertion, central venous catheter insertion, ventilator management, sedation, and pain control. The Medical Staff Office on a biannual basis grants privileges to practice at UCSF Medical Center.

The CCPA may rotate through all of the focused care ICUs at the medical center including: cardiothoracic, neurologic, neurosurgical, medical, general surgical, and transplant. The CCPA shall work collaboratively with physician students, residents, fellows, and attending physicians. The CCPA will participate in the precepting of APP students and post graduate fellows. This position is scheduled for 12 hour rotating shifts from days to nights including holidays and weekends.

About UCSF

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. We bring together the world’s leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging and stem cells.

Pride Values

UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence – also known as our PRIDE values.

In addition to our PRIDE values, UCSF is committed to equity – both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available here.

Join us to find a rewarding career contributing to improving healthcare worldwide.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

Salary Information

The final salary and offer components are subject to additional approvals based on UC policy.

Your placement within the salary range is dependent on a number of factors including your work experience and internal equity within this position classification at UCSF. For positions that are represented by a labor union, placement within the salary range will be guided by the rules in the collective bargaining agreement.

To learn more about the benefits of working at UCSF, including total

Compensation, Please Visit

ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu

The Critical Care Advanced Practice Provider (CC APP) team at UCSF provides expert care in the adult intensive care units at UCSF Health.

The CC APPs are an element of the interdisciplinary critical care team that includes attending physicians, physicians in training, pharmacists, registered nurses, rehabilitation therapists, and UCSF students.

The CC APPs provide care in all of the adult intensive care units including Cardiac, Neurologic, Medical, and Surgical intensive care units.

These units provide care for patients undergoing cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, thoracic surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgical surgery, general surgery, or patients requiring complex medical management.

The CC APP team collaborates with the UCSF School of Nursing and supports the UCSF Surgical and Critical Care Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship. The CC APP group is active in various quality improvement, cost reduction, and professional development projects.

Key Responsibilities

Provide and direct expert advanced practice care for patients in adult intensive care units. Maintain quality of care standards and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and students.

Requirements

Requires graduation from an ARC-PA accredited PA program and a valid California PA license. Must have at least one year of adult critical care experience or completion of an accredited APP fellowship.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Clinical Care StandardsInterdisciplinary Collaboration

Critical Care Medicine — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Critical Care Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 6% are remote, 58% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$240k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $217k in an average-cost state. 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

12
<$165k
19
$165k-190k
12
$190k-215k
3
$215k-240k
4
$240k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks44 jobs · 37 employers

401k / retirement match
91% this job
CME allowance
70%
Sign-on bonus
57%
Loan repayment
18% this job
Relocation assistance
16%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 1.5
Better work-life than 50% of Critical Care Medicine (PA) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 38 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends

Living in San Francisco

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.74M≈ 8.5× annual pay
Typical market rent
$4,682/mo≈ 27% of gross pay
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.

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