Sutter Health - Bay Area logo
Sutter Health - Bay Area
Santa Cruz, California

Physician, Urgent Care (Santa Cruz, CA)

Urgent CareNo nightsPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Opportunity Information

Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group is seeking a per diem, board-certified, or board-eligible Urgent Care physician

  • Supported by multi-specialty physicians
  • Onsite digital imaging, full laboratory, mammography, ultrasound and CT scan
  • Flexible scheduling and variety of shifts Day and swing shifts, no overnight shifts
  • Assigned to three (3) clinics all in proximity in the Santa Cruz area

Qualifications

Board-certified or board-eligible in related specialty

Organization Details

We are one of the largest multi-specialty medical groups in the country, made up of over 2,100 clinicians in 40+ specialties, in practices throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our organization is nationally recognized for our excellence with multiple awards for quality of care, innovation, and leadership.

Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group is affiliated with Palo Alto Medical Foundation, a not-for-profit health care organization, providing operational and administrative support, including the latest technology, allowing physicians to focus on delivering exceptional patient care.

Community Information

Situated on the northern edge of the Monterey Bay about 70 miles south of San Francisco, Santa Cruz offers a moderate climate and the best of many worlds. For outdoor enthusiasts, Santa Cruz is a wonderful combination of beach, ocean and mountains.

Well known as a Mecca for surfers, Santa Cruz also offers magnificent redwoods for hiking and mountain-biking and the San Lorenzo River for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Long stretches of tree-lined and coastal roads offer the perfect venues for road cyclists.

Fisherman and sailors will appreciate convenient access to the ocean from the Santa Cruz Harbor and the Municipal Wharf, which also features a variety of shops and restaurants.

Santa Cruz's downtown center, the Pacific Garden Mall, is home to the Museum of Art and History and features outstanding restaurants, unique shops, wine tasting rooms, sidewalk cafes, and an abundance of coffee shops.

Santa Cruz is also a cultural hub, featuring several live performance venues, the annual Open Studios tour, boutique art stores and the Tannery Arts Center.

Adding to the character of the community, the University of California is nestled in foothills above Santa Cruz, and the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk was named Best Boardwalk in the country by USA Today.

Equal Opportunity Statement

It is the policy of Sutter Health and its partners to provide equal employment for all qualified individuals; to prohibit discrimination in employment because of basis of race, color, creed, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, registered domestic partner status, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, national origin (including possession of a driver's license issued to individuals who did not present proof of authorized presence in the U.S.), age, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military or protected veteran status, political affiliation, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition, genetic information or any other characteristic made unlawful by local, state or federal law, ordinance or regulation.

We promote the full realization of equal employment opportunities through a positive continuing program within each medical group, company, hospital, department, and service area. Equal employment opportunities apply to every aspect of Sutter's employment policies and practices.

Key Responsibilities

The physician will provide urgent care services across three designated clinics in the Santa Cruz area. They will collaborate with multi-specialty teams and utilize onsite diagnostic tools to deliver high-quality patient care.

Qualifications

Experience
5+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Clinical AssessmentDiagnostic ImagingLaboratory TestingMulti-specialty CollaborationMedical DocumentationTreatment Planning

Urgent Care — Physician Career Context

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).

Of the 34 active Urgent Care listings this role was benchmarked against, 3% are remote, 94% have no call, 47% require no weekends.

What does the Urgent Care market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.2 / 10 · above average in urgent careranked against 327 Urgent Care listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedUrgent Care median $400k (middle half $300k–$588k)185 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Urgent Care listings in California86 active329 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 3% remote · 94% no call · 47% no weekends34 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia physician listings (all specialties): 31% state a sign-on bonus (median $83k) · 28% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
Urgent Care hiring demand#13 of 28 specialtiespostings stay open a median 47 daysWeekdayDoc Hiring Index, October 2026 · 94 postings, 148 closed
New Urgent Care listings446 in the last 30 days303 the 30 days before (+47%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (327 Urgent Care 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.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Physician, Urgent Care (Santa Cruz, CA) at Sutter Health - Bay Area a 6.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Urgent Care — ranked against 327 active Urgent Care listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no night shifts.

Top contract/1099 Urgent Care Jobs

24 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

24 jobs · 11 employers
5
<$345k
14
$345k-400k
1
$416k
2
$455k-510k
2
$510k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

22 jobs · 11 employers
401k / retirement match
86%
Sign-on bonus
32%
CME allowance
32%
Relocation assistance
18%
Loan repayment
9%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Remote Emergency Medicine Radiologist

Radiology Partners · Chicago, IL, United States

$550k-$650k
#2

SENTARA NORTHERN VIRGINIA MEDICAL CENTER - EM - STAFF PHYSICIANContract

Team Health · Woodbridge, Virginia

$238-$278/hr
#3

Emergency Medicine Physician

$250k-$500k
#4

Emergency Medicine Physician | $460K + $75K Sign-On | Charleston, Illinois

$460K
+ 22 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 6.2
Better work-life than 50% of Urgent Care listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 327 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights
Sutter Health - Bay Area logo

About Sutter Health - Bay Area

Hospitals and Health Care
Palo Alto, CA
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Flexible Scheduling
Variety of Shifts
Onsite Digital Imaging
Full Laboratory
Mammography
Ultrasound
CT Scan
Multi-Specialty Physician Support

Living in Santa Cruz

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.43M
Typical market rent
$3,418/mo
Residents’ average commute
23 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
109.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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