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Avera Health
Wessington Springs, South Dakota

Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant | Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine

Physician AssistantIncludes 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 52m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Location: Avera Weskota Memorial Hospital

Worker Type

Regular

Work Shift

On Call (United States of America)

Position Highlights

Physician Assistant

Required Education/License/Certification or Work Experience

Physician Assistant (PA)- Must be licensed and qualified to practice in the state based off job assignment - Upon Hire and

Federal Drug Enforcement Admin - US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Admin State and Federal based on state of practice - Upon Hire and

Certified Physician Assistant - National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) - Upon Hire

This role will be part of a team covering the hospital and Emergency Department Call. Typical shifts will be 24 hours and all shifts are on call shifts at a lower volume hospital.

You Belong at Avera

Be part of a multidisciplinary team built with compassion and the goal of Moving Health Forward for you and our patients. Work where you matter.

A Brief Overview

Provides appropriate medical care to all patients by assessing physical, psychological and social dimensions of patients to develop a plan of care.

What You Will Do

Assesses, diagnoses, and treats patients according to medical staff approved protocol and acceptable standards of practice.

Provides medical services and health education to patients and family members. Effectively contributes to the health education of individuals and groups and applies appropriate methods designed to increase each person’s motivation to assume responsibility for their own health care.

Consults and collaborates with physician as assessing, diagnosing and treating patients.

Performs necessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures according to written, approved protocols and appropriate licensing and administrative authorities.

Interprets information gathered during the diagnostic process and consults with the physician as appropriate regarding abnormal health assessment findings to establish appropriate plan of care.

Assures that appropriate referrals are made for patients.

Provides quality care for patient, demonstrates appropriate health, safety, and aseptic practices. Recognizes and reacts appropriately to environmental safety factors related to patient care. Effectively provides patient instruction related to environment of care and safety standards.

Effectively contributes to the development and attainment of physician practice goals.

Practices according to written, approved protocols and appropriate licensing and administrative authorities. Understands, applies, and supports practice policies, procedures, goals and standards.

Maintains patient records and accurate information.

Essential Qualifications

The individual must be able to work the hours specified.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily including having visual acuity adequate to perform position duties and the ability to communicate effectively with others, hear, understand and distinguish speech and other sounds.

These requirements and those listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions, as long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.

Required Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) - Board of Nursing Must be licensed and qualified to practice in the state based off job assignment. Upon Hire and

Federal Drug Enforcement Admin - US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Admin State and federal based on state of practice Upon Hire and

Registered Nurse (RN) - Board of Nursing An active license in the state of practice Upon Hire

Expectations and Standards

Commitment to the daily application of Avera’s mission, vision, core values, and social principles to serve patients, their families, and our community.

  • Promote Avera’s values of compassion, hospitality, and stewardship.
  • Uphold Avera’s standards of Communication, Attitude, Responsiveness, and Engagement (CARE) with enthusiasm and sincerity.
  • Maintain confidentiality.

Work effectively in a team environment, coordinating work flow with other team members and ensuring a productive and efficient environment.

Comply with safety principles, laws, regulations, and standards associated with, but not limited to, CMS, The Joint Commission, DHHS, and OSHA if applicable.

Benefits You Need & Then Some

Avera is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to qualifying part-time and full-time employees. We support you with opportunities to help live balanced, healthy lives. Benefits are designed to meet needs of today and into the future.

  • PTO available day 1 for eligible hires.
  • Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
  • Career development guided by hands-on training and mentorship

Avera is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran Status, or other categories protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-605-504-4444 or send an email to talent@avera.org.

Online Privacy Policy

At Avera, we are committed to protecting your online privacy. For more information, please visit avera.org

Key Responsibilities

Provides comprehensive medical care by assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients within the emergency and hospital settings. Collaborates with physicians to develop and implement effective care plans while maintaining accurate patient records.

Requirements

Requires current licensure as a Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner in the state of practice, along with NCCPA certification for PAs. Candidates must be able to work 24-hour on-call shifts and demonstrate strong clinical and communication skills.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Emergency medicineHospital medicinePatient assessmentDiagnosisTreatment planningPatient educationDiagnostic proceduresPatient safetyMedical documentationCollaborationClinical protocols

Emergency Medicine — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Physician Assistant listings this role was benchmarked against, 6% are remote, 62% have no call, 62% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for South Dakota is 88.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.2% of South Dakota clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Physician Assistant market look like in South Dakota?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedPhysician Assistant median $126k (middle half $110k–$155k)42 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingSouth Dakota index 88.6US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
All physician assistant listings in South Dakota21 active4,906 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 6% remote · 62% no call · 62% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedUS physician assistant listings (all specialties): 23% state a sign-on bonus (median $15k) · 7% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
Emergency Medicine PA hiring demandnot ranked this monthpostings stay open a median 35 daysWeekdayDoc Hiring Index, October 2026 · 46 postings, 65 closed
New Emergency Medicine PA listings67 in the last 30 days35 the 30 days before (+91%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Physician Assistant pay trend (all specialties)+3.2% 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. South Dakota figures use all physician assistants: too few South Dakota Emergency Medicine postings state pay.

Location & Logistics

South Dakota has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Physician Assistant Jobs

37 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

33 jobs · 25 employers
8
<$150k
9
$150k-175k
9
$175k-200k
4
$200k-225k
3
$225k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

30 jobs · 25 employers
401k / retirement match
77% this job
CME allowance
57%
Sign-on bonus
53%
Loan repayment
20%
Relocation assistance
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physician AssistantContract

Akicita Federal · Rosebud, South Dakota

$229k-$239k
#2

Outpatient Advanced Practice Provider (APP), Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant/Associates

Oregon Health & Science University · Portland, Oregon

$172k-$229k
#3

Advanced Practice Provider (APP), Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant/Associate

$172k-$229k
#4

Family Nurse Practitioner - NP/PA

$50.22-$108.15/hr
+ 35 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 1.5
Better work-life than 50% of Emergency Medicine (PA) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 122 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
Avera Health logo

About Avera Health

Non-profit Organizations
South Dakota

Benefits & Perks

PTO available day 1
Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
Career development and mentorship

Living in Wessington Springs

Median resident rent
$560/mo
Residents’ average commute
16 min
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

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