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UnitedHealth Group
Galveston, Texas

Physician Assistant, Orthopaedic Surgery

Physician AssistantFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

Education & Experience

  • Minimum Qualifications:
  • Completion of a physician assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)

No Experience Required

Graduation from an Accredited Physician Assistant Program and licensure eligible with the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners. No experience required.

Job Summary

To provide patient care assistance in a clinic setting in one or more specialized areas, under the supervision of a primary care physician.

Job Duties

  • Provides patient services under direct supervision and responsibility of a physician.
  • Elicits detailed patient histories and does complete physical examinations.
  • Determines tentative diagnosis and orders appropriate laboratory tests.
  • Counsels patient and family on health and disease.
  • Sutures minor wounds, assists in surgery, apply and remove casts and traction apparatus, and perform other therapeutic procedures under supervision of a physician.
  • May supervise other Physician's Assistants.
  • Adheres to internal controls established for department..
  • Performs related duties as required.

Licenses, Registrations or Certifications

Required

  • Certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
  • Licensed Physician Assistant by the Texas Physician Assistant Board/Texas Medical Board (TPAB/TMB)

Current students who have not yet completed their physician assistant program or recent graduates who have not yet obtained their NCCPA certification or TPAB/TMB physician assistant license are eligible to apply for this position. However, official employment is contingent upon the successful completion of an accredited physician assistant program, NCCPA certification and TPAB/TMB physician assistant licensure.

Salary Range

Commensurate with experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity

UTMB Health strives to provide equal opportunity employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. As a Federal Contractor, UTMB Health takes affirmative action to hire and advance protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Provide patient care assistance in a specialized clinic setting under the supervision of a primary care physician. Duties include performing physical exams, determining diagnoses, suturing wounds, and assisting in surgeries.

Requirements

Must complete an ARC-PA accredited physician assistant program and obtain NCCPA certification. Licensure with the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners is required for official employment.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Surgical AssistanceCast ApplicationPatient CounselingMedical History Taking

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Physician Assistant, Orthopaedic Surgery at UnitedHealth Group a 6.6 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Orthopedic Surgery (PA) — ranked against 315 active Orthopedic Surgery (PA) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Orthopedic Surgery — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Orthopedic Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 6% are remote, 70% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Texas is 97.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 57.7% of Texas clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Texas has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Physician Assistant Jobs

39 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution37 jobs · 32 employers

10
<$150k
12
$150k-170k
9
$170k-190k
4
$190k-210k
2
$210k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs

401k / retirement match
80%
Sign-on bonus
57%
CME allowance
57%
Loan repayment
13%
Relocation assistance
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Family Nurse Practitioner - NP/PA

CVS Health · Gaithersburg, Maryland

$50.22-$108.15/hr
#2

Physician Assistant- Dr. Fealy

Hospital for Special Surgery · New York, New York

$195k-$212k
#3

Urgent Care Advanced Practice Clinician (PA-C or ARNP)

$92-$96/hr
#4

Pain Management Physician Assistant

$171k-$198k
+ 37 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 6.6
Better work-life than 80% of Orthopedic Surgery (PA) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 315 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Galveston

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$395k
Typical market rent
$1,405/mo
Residents’ average commute
20 min
State income tax
None
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.