Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Cardiac Surgery Step-down un

Nurse PractitionerIncludes weekendsNo nightsFull-Time Physician-Supervised State

Listed compensation

$66-$86.2/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

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 Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant to work in our inpatient Cardiac Surgery Step-down unit. The APP will be providing inpatient management of post-surgical cardiac patients on the cardiac surgery step-down unit (no OR responsibilities or ICU rounds).

  • Schedule: 13-hour shifts, rotating, 8-10 weekends per year, and holidays are required
  • Weekends and holidays required

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

Preferred

1-2 years in cardiac surgery (ICU or floor)

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. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): 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 at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.

  • Job Shift: Day Job (1st)
  • Salary Range Minimum: $66.00
  • Salary Range Maximum: $86.20
  • Compensation: USD 66 - USD 86.2 - hourly

Qualifications

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

Certifications

BLSDEA License

Key Skills

Health history takingMedication prescriptionPatient educationMentoringDocumentationPatient advocacy

Surgery — Nurse Practitioner Career Context

Of the 50 active Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 30% are remote, 58% have no call, 56% require no weekends.

Surgery pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Surgery by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score5.1 / 10 · above average in surgery (np)ranked against 304 Surgery (NP) listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$137k–$179kSurgery median $151k (middle half $146k–$156k)25 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$158k in purchasing powerIllinois index 100.0 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Surgery listings in Illinois19 active309 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 30% remote · 58% no call · 56% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentsign-on bonus · loan repaymentIllinois Nurse Practitioner listings: 23% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 19% offer loan repayment473 active listings, Nov 2026
Surgery hiring demand#6 of 19 specialtiespostings stay open a median 40 days · 6% state a sign-on bonusWeekdayDoc Hiring Index, October 2026 · 102 postings, 209 closed
New Surgery listings765 in the last 30 days466 the 30 days before (+64%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Surgery pay trend+3.2% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (304 Surgery (NP) listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024), WeekdayDoc Hiring Index; as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Nurse Practitioner Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

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12
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$170k-195k
3
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$220k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs
401k / retirement match
90% this job
CME allowance
62% this job
Sign-on bonus
38% this job
Relocation assistance
17%
Loan repayment
14% this job

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Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 5.1
Better work-life than 60% of Surgery (NP) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 304 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights
  • Includes weekends

Living in Chicago

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$354k
Typical market rent
$2,311/mo
Residents’ average commute
33 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

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