University of California, Irvine logo
University of California, Irvine
Los Alamitos, California

Clinical Associate - Cardiothoracic Surgeon

SurgeryFull-Time

Listed compensation

$825k-$950k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 5m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Who We Are

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report.

The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs.

It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.

To learn more about UC Irvine, visit uci.edu.

UCI Health seeks to deliver the highest quality and most advanced comprehensive care to Orange County. Our dedicated team includes nationally recognized physicians and surgeons, who are committed to providing a comprehensive and multidisciplinary patient focused approach to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease.

Your Role on the Team

The University of California, Irvine is seeking qualified candidates for a Clinical Associate Cardiothoracic Surgeon position within the Department of Specialty Care Associates. The successful candidate will provide comprehensive adult cardiac and thoracic surgical services, including evaluation, operative treatment, perioperative management, and emergency surgical consultation. Clinical assignments will be based on community hospital program needs and approved privileges.

What It Takes to be Successful

Required

  • Demonstrated experience in quality improvement to improve patient outcomes.
  • Adhere to departmental policies, procedures, and objectives while in compliance of all UC policies and procedures.
  • Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with all state and federal privacy laws.

Leadership skills; ability to motivate, inspire, communicate with faculty, staff, and peers to maintain a professional, team-based approach in the care of patients.

Candidates must possess an M.D. or D.O. degree.

  • Successful completion of fellowship.
  • Board-certified or board-eligible.
  • Eligible for a California medical license.
  • Active and current Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) certification.
  • Experienced in providing and/or oversight of care.

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

Base salary range and total compensation: $825,000 - $950,000.

In addition to base salary, the Cardiothoracic Surgeon will be eligible for a productivity-based incentive upon achieving the wRVU threshold required to offset their base salary. Once this break-even threshold is met, the physician will receive a percentage of the applicable dollar-per-wRVU rate for productivity exceeding the threshold, in accordance with the established compensation plan.

Conditions of Employment

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

  • Background Check and Live Scan
  • Employment Misconduct*
  • Legal Right to work in the United States
  • Vaccination Policies
  • Smoking and Tobacco Policy

Drug Free Environment

*Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

  • California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
  • E-Verify

Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page - hr.uci.edu

Closing Statement

The University of California 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, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact Human Resources at (949) 824-0500 or eec@uci.edu.

Consideration for Work Authorization Sponsorship

Must be able to provide proof of work authorization

Key Responsibilities

The Clinical Associate will provide comprehensive adult cardiac and thoracic surgical services, including evaluation, operative treatment, and perioperative management. They will also perform emergency surgical consultations and participate in quality improvement initiatives to enhance patient outcomes.

Requirements

Candidates must possess an M.D. or D.O. degree, have completed a fellowship, and be board-certified or board-eligible. Additionally, they must be eligible for a California medical license and hold an active DEA certification.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
10+ years of experience

Certifications

DEA LicenseBoard Certification

Key Skills

Cardiothoracic surgeryAdult cardiac surgeryThoracic surgeryPatient careCommunicationClinical evaluation

Surgery — Physician Career Context

Surgery pay on WeekdayDoc is down 11.1% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$888k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $802k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Surgery by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$802k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Surgery listings in California153 active1,271 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Surgery pay trend−11.1% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
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 Surgeon Jobs

21 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

20 jobs · 14 employers
10
<$565k
0
$565k-630k
6
$630k-695k
3
$750k
1
$773k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

15 jobs · 14 employers
Sign-on bonus
80%
Relocation assistance
53%
401k / retirement match
33% this job
Loan repayment
13%
CME allowance
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.0
Better work-life than 30% of Surgery listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,260 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

University of California, Irvine logo

About University of California, Irvine

Hospitals and Health Care
Orange, California
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical insurance
Sick and vacation time
Retirement savings plans
Productivity-based incentive

Living in Los Alamitos

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.49M≈ 1.8× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,143/mo≈ 5% of gross pay
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.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.