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CHOC Specialists
Orange County, California

Pediatric Surgery - Physician Trauma Medical Director

SurgeryIncludes callFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

CHOC Specialists is a private pediatric subspecialty group with 26 pediatric subspecialties. The group practices at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) which is a premier healthcare system based in Orange County, Calif. CHOC is exclusively committed to the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients.

Pediatric Surgeon-

Trauma Medical Director

CHOC Specialists, now part of Rady Children’s Health, is seeking a board-certified pediatric surgeon to join the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Rady Children’s Health Orange County and the Department of Surgery at the University of California Irvine, as our Trauma Medical Director. The division is seeking an applicant with experience and/or leadership in pediatric trauma/critical care.

CHOC Specialists Division of Pediatric Surgery currently has 11 surgeons and 7 nurse practitioners. Our practice is growing rapidly and serves a large patient population and sees 800 trauma cases annually in our Pediatric Level I Trauma department.

The call schedule and working environment are well balanced. We are looking for individuals with strong clinical and leadership skills who have demonstrated the ability to connect with others in a meaningful way at all levels of the organization, particularly hospital administration, university leadership, and local trauma partners.

Academic and research interest in pediatric trauma and critical care is required. The trauma research program is supported by CHOC, with a full-time clinical research coordinator and a PhD level biostatistician.

Additional support for research can be offered and is negotiable depending on the candidate level of experience and need. There are numerous opportunities to teach, including our ACGME-accredited pediatric surgery fellows, general surgery and pediatric residents, medical students, and NP/PA students.

Applicants must be eligible for an unrestricted CA medical license and have a special interest in trauma.

Salary, benefits, and academic range are competitive and commensurate with experience.

Although the primary purpose for this hire is to lead our trauma program, this surgeon will also share the general pediatric surgery patient care responsibilities.

This includes the full scope of pediatric surgical services, including special expertise in minimally invasive surgery, cancer surgery and neonatal surgery, as well as general pediatric surgery, non-cardiac thoracic surgery, GI surgery, and oncology surgery.

Successful candidates will be committed to scholarly activity that advances surgical research in either a basic or clinical/translational research track by the University of California Irvine Department of Surgery.

Allocation of protected research time will be based on the candidate’s research activities and record of academic accomplishment.

CHOC Specialists, a private pediatric subspecialty group, is composed of more than 450 physicians and advanced practice providers with 29 pediatric subspecialties.

The group practices at CHOC, a premier healthcare system based in Orange County, CA and now part of Rady Children’s Health in partnership with children’s hospitals in Mission Viejo and San Diego.

Already the regional leader in pediatric care, with four centers of excellence, The CHOC Heart, Neuroscience, Orthopaedic, and Hyundai Cancer Institute, Rady Children’s Health Orange County has built one of the most advanced, safest children’s hospitals in the world.

Rady’s Orange County is affiliated with the University of California, Irvine. Consistently named one of the best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and recognized by the American College of Surgeons with Level 1 Children’s Surgical Verification, Rady’s OC is exclusively committed to the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients.

Orange County, California, is famous for its warm climate, unbeatable entertainment, shopping and attractions and with the beach, mountains and desert all within short driving distances.

Rate of pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to knowledge, skills, competencies, experience, education, as well as position requirements.

Rate of pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to knowledge, skills, competencies, experience, education, as well as position requirements.

CHOC Specialists is an equal opportunity at will employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, citizenship, national origin, ancestry (including language use restrictions), race, color, religion, religious creed, religious dress or grooming, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, military and veteran status.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the pediatric trauma program and manage trauma cases while sharing general pediatric surgery patient care responsibilities. Engage in scholarly activity, clinical research, and the teaching of fellows, residents, and medical students.

Requirements

Must be a board-certified pediatric surgeon eligible for an unrestricted California medical license with leadership experience in pediatric trauma or critical care. A strong commitment to academic research and scholarly activity is required.

Qualifications

Experience
10+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Trauma Medical DirectionClinical LeadershipMedical Research

Surgery — Physician Career Context

Of the 40 active Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 3% are remote, 93% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

Surgery pay on WeekdayDoc is down 11.1% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

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).

Top Surgeon Jobs

32 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution32 jobs · 11 employers

18
$300k
8
$350k-540k
6
$540k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs · 11 employers

401k / retirement match
70%
Sign-on bonus
33%
Relocation assistance
17%
CME allowance
10%
Loan repayment
3%

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Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 1.5
Below most Surgery listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,116 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
CHOC Specialists logo

About CHOC Specialists

Hospitals and Health Care
Orange, California
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Competitive salary and benefits
Academic appointment at UC Irvine
Protected research time
Full-time research coordinator and biostatistician
Teaching opportunities with fellows, residents, students