Orthopedic Spine Surgeon (Joliet, IL)

Orthopedic SurgeryIncludes callFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

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Posted 52m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Spine surgery carries more weight than almost anything else in orthopedics. The patients who land in your clinic have often been through years of failed conservative care, multiple opinions, and a healthcare system that either rushed them to the OR or left them waiting indefinitely. They're in pain. They're scared. And the margin for error is about as thin as it gets.

You know this. It's why you chose the specialty.

What you may not have expected is how much of your career would be spent navigating systems that make it harder – not easier – to do the work well. Insurance fights. OR access. Referral pipelines built around the wrong incentives. A model that treats surgery as a first option instead of a last resort.

Genesis was built as the antidote to all of that. And we're looking for a spine surgeon who's ready to practice inside a system designed around the patient – not the payer.

The Opportunity

We're a full-spectrum MSK platform – 16 clinics across Chicagoland, surgery through physical therapy, Medicaid to private pay – with a spine patient population that is high-volume, underserved, and waiting for someone who will take the time to treat them correctly.

That last part matters here. Genesis was founded on the conviction that surgery is a last resort, not a revenue strategy. You'll have the clinical infrastructure to exhaust conservative care first –physical therapy, injections, imaging, pain management – and the surgical volume to back it up when the case actually calls for it.

Day one, you'll have a full case load. You'll have 1–3 APPs supporting your practice. And you'll have a partnership-track role with real equity potential for a surgeon who wants to build, not just practice.

What You'll Work On

The Full Spine Spectrum, Including

  • Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar degenerative disease
  • Disc herniation and radiculopathy
  • Spinal stenosis and decompression
  • Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS)
  • Cervical and lumbar fusion – anterior, posterior, and lateral approaches
  • Complex spinal reconstruction and revision surgery
  • Deformity correction – scoliosis, kyphosis, sagittal imbalance
  • Trauma – vertebral fractures, instability, cord injury
  • Tumor and infection – evaluation and surgical management

Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement

Beyond the OR: access to Genesis's clinical trial infrastructure, product development opportunities, and the chance to contribute to research that actually moves spine surgery forward.

Who We're Looking For

BC/BE in orthopedic surgery with fellowship training in spine. Licensed in Illinois or eligible. But past the credential, here's what actually matters:

You believe in conservative care first. Genesis was built around this. Patients with spine pathology deserve a thorough non-operative workup before anyone talks about surgery. You're the surgeon who agrees — and who operates with conviction when surgery is genuinely the answer.

You're technically broad. Cervical to lumbar, decompression to complex reconstruction, primary to revision. The patient population here doesn't self-select for simple cases. You should be comfortable with the full spectrum.

You think in systems. Spine patients require coordination — imaging, PT, pain management, surgical planning, post-op rehab. You understand that and you want to practice inside a platform built to support it.

You're mission-aligned. Our patients include some of the most underserved in Chicagoland. Spine pathology doesn't discriminate by income. Neither does our care.

You want equity, not just a salary. Partnership is the trajectory here for surgeons who invest in building something.

  • The Stack
  • Competitive base salary + performance-based incentives
  • Partnership and equity pathway
  • Full benefits – health, dental, vision, retirement
  • Malpractice coverage
  • CME allowance
  • 1–3 dedicated APPs per surgeon
  • Shared call

EPIC EMR

Clinical research, product development, and academic opportunities

About Genesis

Genesis Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is a full-spectrum MSK platform operating across 16 clinics throughout Chicagoland – surgery, physical therapy, and everything in between. We run clinical trials. We serve Medicaid patients at scale. We've built a care delivery model that proves accessible care and excellent care aren't in conflict – one standard, regardless of what's in a patient's wallet.

Spine is one of the highest-need, highest-impact specialties in our patient population. We're investing in it accordingly.

If you're a fellowship-trained spine surgeon who's ready to practice at full capacity – inside a system that was designed to support it – we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

The surgeon will perform a full spectrum of spine surgeries, including degenerative disease treatment, complex reconstruction, and trauma management. They will also lead patient care coordination, working alongside APPs to manage conservative care and surgical planning.

Requirements

Candidates must be BC/BE in orthopedic surgery with fellowship training in spine and hold or be eligible for an Illinois medical license. The role requires a commitment to a conservative-care-first approach and proficiency in the full spectrum of spinal procedures.

Qualifications

Experience
5+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Cervical surgeryLumbar surgeryPatient coordinationPost-op rehabilitationConservative care management

Orthopedic Surgery — Physician Career Context

Genesis Orthopedics & Sports Medicine holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 74/100, 14 active listings.

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Orthopedic Surgery by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedOrthopedic Surgery median $700k (middle half $650k–$725k)17 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost of livingIllinois index 100.0US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Orthopedic Surgery listings in Illinois26 active382 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Genesis Orthopedics & Sports Medicinesilver tier, 74/100Top Employers work-life index14 active listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, Top Employers work-life index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Orthopedic Surgeon Jobs

10 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

9 jobs · 7 employers
2
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1
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Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution

10 jobs · 7 employers
0
1-2
0
3-4
1
5-6
9
7-8
0
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

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+ 8 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 2.8this job 1.5
Better work-life than 20% of Orthopedic Surgery listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 371 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
Genesis Orthopedics & Sports Medicine logo

About Genesis Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Health, Wellness & Fitness
St. Charles, IL
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
Retirement Plan
Malpractice Coverage
CME Allowance
1-3 Dedicated APPs
EPIC EMR

Living in Joliet

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$286k
Typical market rent
$1,668/mo
Residents’ average commute
29 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
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.