Nurse Practitioner / Physician Assistant, Cardiothoracic Surgery

Physician AssistantFull-Time

Listed compensation

$93.75-$114.84/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 21m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Company Description

We are proud to inform you that this position is eligible for our Student Loan Assistance Program. You may receive up to $9,600 which will be applied directly to your student loan account*.

*This benefit is for eligible positions as outlined in our program guidelines.

At Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, we know world-renowned care begins with world-class caring. That's why we combine advanced technologies and breakthrough discoveries with family-centered care.

It's why we provide our caregivers with continuing education and state-of-the-art facilities, like the newly remodeled Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. And it's why we need caring, committed people on our team - like you. Join us on our mission to heal humanity, one child and family at a time.

Job ID: LP_00027074-2661605

Job Description

Department Description

Position on a thriving Cardiothoracic Surgery program. Our Surgical APP team is made up of 9 PA’s. Our team is integral in the care of our complex cardiac patients.

Duties include pre-operative evaluation, intra-operative first and second assistance, and post-operative surgical rounding and management for our ACHD patients.

In addition to performing over 500 congenital cardiac surgeries each year, we have a very active heart transplant and VAD program averaging 20 heart transplants annually. Our Chief Pediatric Heart Surgeon Dr. Hanley is a world-renown surgeon specializing in Unifocalization and Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction surgeries.

We also care for children with all levels of cardiac defects, from ASD’s to complex single ventricle or biventricular heart reconstructions. This program draws families from all over the world to have their children cared for by our expert surgical team.

Job Summary

This paragraph summarizes the general nature, level and purpose of the job.

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) positions are part of a collaborative team consisting of Attending Physicians, Fellows, and a team of advanced practice providers both NPs and PAs. The APP team is highly respected, we are seen as the go to team for the attendings.

We actively participate in the education of fellows and visiting residents. Responsibilities for this role include: receiving sign-out from overnight team.

Pre-rounding on assigned patients, developing a plan of care for the day for that patient, present patients on rounds, write a daily note, you will be responsible for implementing the plan agreed upon on during rounds and responding to any issues raised by the nurses during the course of the day.

The advanced practice provider is credentialed to perform the following procedures: intubation, central line placement, arterial line placement, chest tube insertion, PD drain placement, chest tube removal, pacing wire removal.

Nurse Practitioner (NP): The Nurse Practitioner functions under the general Nurse Practitioner Standardized Process Protocol approved by the Interdisciplinary Practice Committee (IDPC).

The Nurse Practitioner provides routine care and management of the patient with acute and chronic complaints, in collaboration with the supervising physician and through implementation of standardized procedures.

Specific functions pertaining to the Service, Clinic or Department are established by the Nurse Practitioner and the supervising physician(s), and approved by the appropriate medical and nursing administrators, the IDPC, and the Stanford Hospital and Clinics (SHC) Medical Executive Board and Board of Directors.

Physician Assistant (PA): The Physician Assistant functions under the general Physician Assistant Role Description approved by the Interdisciplinary Practice Committee (IDPC). Specific functions pertaining to the Service, Clinic or Department are established by the Physician Assistant and his or her supervising physician(s), and approved by the appropriate medical and nursing administrators, the IDPC, and the Stanford Hospital and Clinics (SHC) Medical Board and Board of Directors.

Essential Functions

The essential functions listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Employees must abide by all Joint Commission Requirements including but not limited to sensitivity to cultural diversity, patient care, patient rights and ethical treatment, safety and security of physical environments, emergency management, teamwork, respect for others, participation in ongoing education and training, communication and adherence to safety and quality programs, sustaining compliance with National Patient Safety Goals, and licensure and health screenings.

Must perform all duties and responsibilities in accordance with the hospital's policies and procedures, including its Service Standards and its Code of Conduct.

A. An NP/PA may provide only those medical services which he/she is competent to perform, which are consistent with the NP/PA's education, training and experience, and which are performed in collaboration with a physician.

B. An NP/PA shall consult with a physician regarding any task, procedure or diagnostic problem which the NP/PA determines exceeds his/her level of competence or shall refer such cases to a collaborating physician.

C. Scope of Practice of the NP/PA:

Evaluates and treats patients with acute, chronic complaints and health maintenance concerns related to specialty, according to written standardized procedures.

Obtains complete histories and performs pertinent physical exams with assessment of normal and abnormal findings on new and return patients.

Performs or requests and evaluates diagnostic studies as indicated upon evaluation of the patient.

Administers, orders, furnishes and prescribes medications.

Orders and collects specimens for routine laboratory tests, screening procedures and therapeutic procedures, including blood and blood products.

Orders physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology examinations and nursing services.

Performs designated procedures after demonstrated competency, according to written standardized procedures where applicable.

Obtains informed consent, as indicated.

Initiates arrangements for hospital admissions and discharges and completes appropriate paperwork.

As directed by the supervising physician, enrolls patients in investigational studies approved by the Investigational Review Board (IRB), and orders the necessary tests and medications.

After appropriate training, assists the supervising physician in the operating room. The RN First Assistant directly assists the surgeon and practices under the supervision of the surgeon during the intraoperative phase. The RN First Assistant must adhere to standardized procedures and not concurrently function as a scrub nurse.

Recognizes and considers age-specific needs of patients.

Effectively communicates and interacts with patients, families, staff and members of the community from diverse backgrounds.

Recognizes situations which require the immediate attention of a physician, and initiates life-saving procedures when necessary.

  • Facilitates the coordination of inpatient and outpatient care and services as needed.
  • Facilitates collaboration between providers and coordination of community resources.
  • Ensures compliance with legal, regulatory and clinical policies and procedures.
  • Participates in quality improvement initiatives.
  • Provides and coordinates patient teaching and counseling.
  • Other duties as assigned.
  • D. Supervision:

Supervision is provided by the supervising/sponsoring physician with clinical privileges at LPCH, or designated attending physicians in the Clinic, Service or Department. Standardized procedures, approved by the supervising physician(s) and the IDPC, are a mandatory mechanism of supervision. Other mechanisms of supervision used may be:

Direct on-site, electronic or phone supervision by a supervising physician. A physician cannot supervise more than four (4) NP/PAs at one time.

  • Chart screens on random charts by the supervising physician or designee.
  • Chart audits on random charts as an integral part of selected quality improvement programs.
  • Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) through tracking of performance indicators.

The NP/PA will receive a formal annual performance evaluation by the Lead Advanced Practice Provider (Lead APP), Director of Advanced Practice or supervising manager/director with input from the Lead APP, supervising physician(s) and/or physician delegates, APP peers and the supervising manager/director. Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) also occurs through tracking of performance indicators.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities as well as possession of any required licenses or certifications is qualifying.

Education:

Physician Assistant (PA)

Bachelor's degree or above from an accredited college or university.

Graduate of a PA program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Master's or doctoral degree in nursing from an accredited college or university.

Graduate of an NP program accredited by the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Licensure/Certification

Physician Assistant (PA)

  • Licensure as a Physician Assistant (PA) in the State of California.
  • Certification as a Physician Assistant (PA) by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
  • Certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association (AHA)

An individual Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) license issued by the United States DEA for Schedule II-V controlled substances, required only if prescribing

Key Responsibilities

The Advanced Practice Provider will perform pre-operative evaluations, assist in complex cardiothoracic surgeries, and manage post-operative care for pediatric cardiac patients. They are responsible for rounding, developing care plans, and performing various clinical procedures under the supervision of attending physicians.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Intra-operative assistancePost-operative managementPatient roundingCongenital cardiac surgeryHeart transplant supportVAD program managementClinical documentationPatient education

Surgery — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 14% are remote, 44% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

Surgery pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.6% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Surgery PA by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$196k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Surgery PA listings in California36 active392 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 14% remote · 44% no call · 64% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$10k loan repaymentCalifornia physician assistant listings (all specialties): 26% state a sign-on bonus · 12% offer loan repayment430 active listings, Nov 2026
Surgery PA hiring demand#6 of 6 specialtiespostings stay open a median 41 days · 6% state a sign-on bonusWeekdayDoc Hiring Index, October 2026 · 107 postings, 230 closed
New Surgery PA listings137 in the last 30 days84 the 30 days before (+63%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Surgery PA pay trend+1.6% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, 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 Physician Assistant Jobs

41 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

41 jobs · 34 employers
7
<$150k
14
$150k-175k
12
$175k-200k
5
$200k-225k
3
$225k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

35 jobs · 34 employers
401k / retirement match
83%
CME allowance
63%
Sign-on bonus
49%
Relocation assistance
14%
Loan repayment
11% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 2.4this job 1.5
Better work-life than 10% of Surgery (PA) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 383 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
Stanford Medicine Children's Health logo

About Stanford Medicine Children's Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Palo Alto, CA
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Student Loan Assistance Program up to $9,600
Collaborative Practice Agreement Required

Living in Palo Alto

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$3.28M
Typical market rent
$4,558/mo
Residents’ average commute
21 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
110.4
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 · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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