APP - Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant | Cardiothoracic Surgery
Compensation
Pay not listed
The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed
Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting and time off.
Job Description
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland.
Work Shift
8 Hours - Day Shifts (United States of America)
Scheduled Weekly Hours
40
Compensation
Union Position
- No
- Department Details
- The 4th APP will be utilized to provide practice wide support in the following ways:
First Assist to all three surgeons in a variety of surgical cases including coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG), valve repair and replacements, aneurysm repairs, thoracic surgery, and more.
Learning the necessary skills for endoscopic vein and endoscopic radial artery harvesting for use in CABG.
In addition to the OR, APPs in the practice provide care for operative patients preoperatively and postoperatively including ICU and inpatient management.
Clinic responsibilities to include post-operative appointments as well as new patient consults.
Consult responsibilities include outpatient and inpatient surgical consults in conjunction with the surgeon.
Provide clerical support for the practice in the office (e. g.: in basket messages, phone calls, scheduling, medical leave paperwork)
After completion of orientation, APP on call days include one to two days per week, one in four weekends per month and possible holiday coverage. Hours are 6:00-4:30 pm but will vary on clinical responsibilities assigned day to day.
This position offers the opportunity to work with a tight knit group of APPs and surgeons, learn a skillset that is unique to cardiothoracic surgery and rare among practicing APPs. Additionally, this career offers excellent work life balance unique to other areas.
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Will Be Required
Summary
The Physician Assistant (PA) is a licensed medical professional who practices medicine in collaboration with physicians and other care team members. The PA evaluates, diagnoses, and manages patient health concerns across the lifespan, provides preventive services, and coordinates care to promote optimal health outcomes. This position also provides on-call coverage outside of regularly scheduled hours.
Job Description
Completion of a Physician Assistant program accredited by the ARC-PA or equivalent accrediting program accepted by the state licensing board.
Clinical experience in specialty area is preferred but not required.
- Current licensure as a Physician Assistant in each state of practice.
- Current Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) permit to prescribe controlled substances in each state of practice.
- State Controlled Substance License (if required by State)
Current certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).
Privileging documents and related credentialing requirements will supersede this job description in defining minimum qualifications, criteria, and scope of practice, if variation between documents exists
Qualifications
Sanford is an EEO/AA Employer M/F/Disability/Vet.
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-877-949-5678 or send an email to talent@sanfordhealth.org.
Key Responsibilities
The APP will serve as a first assistant in cardiothoracic surgical procedures and manage operative patients in both ICU and inpatient settings. Additionally, the role involves conducting new patient consults and providing post-operative follow-up care in a clinic environment.
Qualifications
- Education
- Professional certificate or licensure
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Certifications
Key Skills
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates APP - Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant | Cardiothoracic Surgery at Sanford Health a 6.1 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Surgery (NP) — ranked against 329 active Surgery (NP) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no night shifts.
Surgery — Nurse Practitioner Career Context
Of the 50 active Nurse Practitioner listings this role was benchmarked against, 22% are remote, 48% have no call, 68% require no weekends.
Nurse Practitioner pay on WeekdayDoc is up 2.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Work-life score | 6.1 / 10 · above average in surgery (np) | ranked against 329 Surgery (NP) listingslisting-based score, 0–10 |
| Listed pay | not listed | Nurse Practitioner median $140k (middle half $130k–$162k)282 comparable listings, Nov 2026 |
| Cost of living | South Dakota index 88.6 | US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| Surgery listings in South Dakota | 6 active | —live on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| All nurse practitioner listings in South Dakota | 66 active | 15,420 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Work setting | on-site | peers: 22% remote · 48% no call · 68% no weekends50 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | not stated | US nurse practitioner listings (all specialties): 24% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 8% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026 |
| Surgery NP hiring demand | #6 of 19 specialties | postings stay open a median 40 daysWeekdayDoc Hiring Index, October 2026 · 102 postings, 209 closed |
| New Surgery NP listings | 93 in the last 30 days | 104 the 30 days before (−11%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Nurse Practitioner pay trend (all specialties) | +2.0% vs prior quarter | —through Oct 2026 |
Location & Logistics
South Dakota has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.
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