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University Hospitals
Cleveland, Ohio

Cardiac First Assist Physician Assistant -OR

Physician AssistantFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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Posted 53m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Serving at our health system’s most advanced and complex cardiac surgery center, the UH Cleveland Medical First Assistant team performs a variety of state of the art surgeries and procedures giving our team a well-rounded experience in coronary, valve, transplant, robotic, and structural heart disease including hybrid structural and aortic interventions.

Cardiac First Assistants support every cardiac surgery case across our system in and out of the operating room, including emergencies within the hospital and procedures in the cardiac cath lab. RNFA, Physician Assistant or Surgical Assist will be considered. Cardiac OR experience strongly preferred.

When you join UH, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, which includes, but is not limited to:

Competitive Salary

  • Competitive hourly rate + $5.25 additional hourly incentive pay
  • $8,000 sign on bonus
  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Paid time off
  • Retirement and pension plans
  • Free parking for regular-status employees

A Brief Overview

The Cardiac Physician Assistant II works under the direction and supervision of the attending physician to provides aid in exposure, hemostasis, closure and other intraoperative technical functions that help the surgeon carry out a safe operation with optimal results for the patient.

Performs preoperative and postoperative duties to better facilitate the needs of the surgical patient during the perioperative period. Cardiac PA II will 1st and/or 2nd assist on highly complex cardiac cases including Aortic Dissections, Redo Surgeries, Endocarditis cases, LVAD and Transplant Surgery.

The PA II will cover regional call to support the Cardiac Surgery program across the system as well as covering call for Transplant, both donor and recipient, which requires the ability to travel in cars, ambulances, planes and helicopters

What You Will Do

Displays knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human body while delivering safe patient care

Establishes and Maintains a Safe Peri-operative Environment

Offers education development opportunities to nursing staff, students and any other appropriate persons in the specific surgery and patient management

Utilizes ongoing data collection per-operatively, and follow-up information to aid in research care studies that promote effectiveness and quality of patient care.

  • Provides intraoperative technical functions in all facets of the first assistant role
  • Additional Responsibilities
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
  • Complies with all policies and standards.

For specific duties and responsibilities, refer to documentation provided by the department during orientation.

Must abide by all requirements to safely and securely maintain Protected Health Information (PHI) for our patients. Annual training, the UH Code of Conduct and UH policies and procedures are in place to address appropriate use of PHI in the workplace.

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree in healthcare related field with emphasis on clinical practice (Required) and
  • Master's Degree in healthcare related field with emphasis on clinical practice. (Required)
  • Work Experience
  • 2+ years of Cardiac Surgery experience as a Level 1 (Required)
  • Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
  • Must demonstrate proficiency in taking First Call (Required proficiency)
  • Competent in providing leadership. (Required proficiency)
  • Must demonstrate proficiency in taking First Call (Required proficiency)
  • Proficient in open and endoscopic vein harvesting (Preferred proficiency)
  • Advanced Life Support Equipment knowledge (Required proficiency)

Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, proper use of all instruments and equipment used during CT Surgery procedures (Required proficiency)

Demonstrated ability to manage patient care from quality and cost effective stand point. (Required proficiency)

  • High degree of hand/eye coordination and uniform mental attention (Required proficiency)
  • Demonstrated professionalism. (Required proficiency)
  • Effective oral and written communication skills. (Required proficiency)
  • Licenses and Certifications
  • Physician Assistant (PA) State of Ohio (Required)
  • Current license to practice in Ohio (Required) and
  • Professional Certifications as required by OSMB- additional certifications (Preferred)
  • Physical Demands
  • Standing Frequently
  • Walking Frequently
  • Sitting Rarely
  • Lifting Frequently up to 50 lbs
  • Carrying Frequently up to 50 lbs
  • Pushing Frequently up to 50 lbs
  • Pulling Frequently up to 50 lbs
  • Climbing Occasionally up to 50 lbs
  • Balancing Occasionally
  • Stooping Frequently
  • Kneeling Frequently
  • Crouching Frequently
  • Crawling Occasionally
  • Reaching Frequently
  • Handling Frequently
  • Grasping Frequently
  • Feeling Constantly
  • Talking Constantly
  • Hearing Constantly
  • Repetitive Motions Constantly
  • Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination Constantly
  • Travel Requirements
  • 30%25 Travel to and from community hospitals to perform cardiac surgery cases

Key Responsibilities

Assist with complex cardiac surgeries by supporting exposure, hemostasis, closure, and other intraoperative technical functions, while also performing preoperative and postoperative duties. Provide regional and transplant call coverage across the health system, including travel to community hospitals and support for donor and recipient procedures.

Requirements

Requires a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in a healthcare-related field emphasizing clinical practice, at least two years of cardiac surgery experience as a Level 1, and an Ohio Physician Assistant license. Candidates must be proficient in first-call coverage and demonstrate leadership, advanced life support equipment knowledge, strong communication, and surgical instrument skills; open and endoscopic vein harvesting proficiency is preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Cardiac Surgery First AssistancePerioperative CareOpen Vein HarvestingSurgical InstrumentationSurgical ClosurePatient Care Quality ManagementOral Communication

Cardiac Surgery — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Physician Assistant listings this role was benchmarked against, 6% are remote, 74% have no call, 80% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Ohio is 92.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.3% of Ohio clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Physician Assistant Jobs

33 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution31 jobs · 25 employers

7
<$155k
8
$155k-170k
7
$170k-185k
7
$185k-200k
2
$200k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks29 jobs · 25 employers

401k / retirement match
79% this job
CME allowance
55%
Sign-on bonus
52% this job
Loan repayment
14%
Relocation assistance
14%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 1.5
Below most Physician Assistant roles listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 4,565 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Cleveland

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$128k
Typical market rent
$1,391/mo
Residents’ average commute
23 min
State income tax
Up to 4%
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.

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About University Hospitals

Hospitals and Health Care
Cleveland, Ohio
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Competitive salary
Competitive hourly rate + $5.25 additional hourly incentive pay
$8,000 sign on bonus
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Paid time off
Retirement and pension plans
Free parking for regular-status employees