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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Physician Assistant II - Critical Care - Full Time 12 Hour Rotating Shift (Non-Exempt) (Non-Union)

Physician AssistantFull-Time

Listed compensation

$79.04-$130.42/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

The Physician Assistant (PA) II is a licensed health professional who practices medicine with the supervision of a physician. The PA II has greater than three years of experience as a PA.

The PA II is involved in coordination of care, participates in education, and is closely engaged in clinical practice and patient care management.

The PA II will function as a leader of our professional team by communicating, planning, and implementing care directly and with other healthcare professionals, including but not limited to physicians, pharmacists, office support staff, and other advanced practice providers.

Duties may include obtaining patient health histories and complete physical examinations, documenting findings noting pertinent normal and abnormal findings, ordering and interpreting appropriate diagnostic and laboratory tests, counseling patients on preventative care, and ordering medications.

The PA II may also be required to perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures based upon patient's clinical status and document patient preparation and response to procedure(s). The Physician Assistant Practice Agreement will govern PA practice.

The PA role includes abiding by rules and regulations of medical staff and PA certifying and regulatory bodies.

Essential Duties

Is an expert in obtaining detailed and accurate medical histories from patients; Performs appropriate physical examinations, delineates problems, and records the information.

Develops and implements patient management plans, including the coordination of referrals to specialty and social services, the recording of progress notes and the provision of continuity of care.

Orders appropriate laboratory, diagnostic and radiographic studies along with indicated procedures. Orders therapies to include PT, OT, ST and Respiratory. Orders consultations with other services and medications.

Performs and / or interprets common laboratory, radiological, cardio graphic and other routine diagnostic procedures used to identify pathophysiological processes.

  • May perform(s) procedures based off privileges approved by medical staff
  • Helps with care coordination of the patient with the rest of the team.

Provides continuity of care in the management of complex illnesses and injuries under the supervision of a physician.

Instructs and counsels patients regarding compliance with prescribed therapeutic regimens, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance, especially in the postoperative period; this might also include members of the patient’s family in certain circumstances.

  • Facilitates the referral of patients to other health and social service agencies when appropriate.
  • Ensures billing for services rendered is completed and accurate.
  • Acts as a mentor and/or preceptor to new/student physician assistants within the department or clinic
  • Help participate or lead quality initiatives, process improvement projects, or research within the department or clinic
  • Performs other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

  • Req Specialized/technical training Graduate from an accredited Physician Assistant Program.
  • Req 3 years 3+ Years Experience Required
  • Req Committed to excellence in patient care and customer service.
  • Req Demonstrates ability to effectively work with physicians, staff, and patients.
  • Req Organization/time management skills.
  • Req Excellent analytical, problem-solving, planning and evaluation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Required Licenses/Certifications

  • Req Physician Assistant - PA (CA DCA)
  • Req Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association
  • Req Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only)
  • Req National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

Req Drug Enforcement Administration Current Controlled Substance Course Certificate or obtain within 3 months of hire Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Certificate issued by the US Department of Justice for Schedule II-V controlled substances.

Keck Hospital of USC, a 343-bed acute care hospital, provides exceptional and innovative care for complex medical and surgical conditions across a wide range of specialties.

The hospital’s world-renowned physicians deliver compassionate, customized, patient-centered care and treat the most acutely ill patients with highly innovative techniques and treatment plans.

As a leading academic medical center, hundreds of clinical trials are currently taking place at Keck Hospital and its affiliated research institutions, giving patients access to novel and promising therapies that are generally not available elsewhere.

Every day at Keck Hospital, physicians, nurses and staff go beyond the science of exceptional medicine to bring patients breakthroughs in the art of caring. Join this world-class team providing highly specialized care, up-to-the-minute research, and innovative clinical trials.

The hourly rate range for this position is $79.04 - $130.42. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy.

USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law.

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety.

Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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  • Employment Equity
  • Read USC’s Clery Act Annual Security Report
  • USC is a smoke-free environment

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Key Responsibilities

Provide supervised clinical care for complex illnesses and injuries, including taking histories, conducting examinations, ordering and interpreting tests, developing management plans, and coordinating referrals and services. Counsel patients and families, document care, support quality improvement or research initiatives, and mentor physician assistant trainees.

Requirements

Requires graduation from an accredited Physician Assistant program, at least three years of PA experience, and a California Physician Assistant license. Required credentials include BLS, NCCPA certification, LA City Fire Life Safety Training where applicable, and a DEA controlled-substance certificate; candidates must also demonstrate strong patient-care, collaboration, organization, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

DEA License

Key Skills

Medical History TakingPhysical ExaminationDiagnostic Test Ordering and InterpretationMedication OrderingPatient CounselingClinical ProceduresAnalytical SkillsOrganization and Time ManagementMentoring and Precepting

Critical Care Medicine — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Critical Care Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 10% are remote, 52% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$218k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $197k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Critical Care Medicine by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$164k–$271kCritical Care Medicine median $126k (middle half $110k–$155k)37 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$197k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Work settingon-sitepeers: 10% remote · 52% no call · 74% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Physician Assistant Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

50 jobs · 38 employers
22
<$180k
19
$180k-200k
4
$200k-220k
1
$222k
4
$240k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

41 jobs · 38 employers
401k / retirement match
85%
CME allowance
59%
Sign-on bonus
49%
Loan repayment
15%
Relocation assistance
15%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Advanced Practice Provider - Behavioral Health

Sentara Health · Newport News, Virginia

$101k-$312k
#2

Primary Care Functional Medicine - Physician Assistant

OnePeak Medical · The Dalles, Oregon

$300K+
#3

Physiatry (PM&R) Nurse Practitioner / Physician Assistant

$175k-$260k
#4

Clinic Director - Physician Assistant (PA-C) or Nurse Practitioner (NP)

$250k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

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

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 40 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Los Angeles

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$922k
Typical market rent
$2,772/mo
Residents’ average commute
31 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
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 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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