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UCSF
San Francisco, California

Physician Assistant - Cardiothoracic Surgery

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 6mo ago

Job Description

Join our dynamic, highly skilled Cardiothoracic (CT) Surgery inpatient APP team.

The CT surgery service provides advanced surgical treatments, including coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic and mitral valve replacement, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and heart transplantation.

We value individuals who are professional with strong interpersonal and communication skills and able to prioritize and adapt to changing situations.

Our CT surgery APPs manage patients collaboratively across the inpatient continuum of care (in the ICU setting as well as the floor) with CT Surgery Fellows, Cardiac Surgeons, and Intensivists, perform bedside procedures, and may assist in the operating room.

Our APP team is expanding as we recruit highly skilled surgeons from across the country, strengthening both our expertise and our commitment to exceptional patient care.

With this exciting growth comes new opportunities. Now is the ideal time to become part of a collaborative, forward-thinking team that is evolving, innovating, and setting a higher standard in surgical care.

If you are looking to contribute your skills in a dynamic environment where your experience is valued and your impact is meaningful, we invite you to explore joining us. We look forward to connecting with you and sharing more about what makes our team unique.

Key Responsibilities

The Physician Assistant will manage cardiothoracic surgery patients collaboratively across the inpatient continuum, including the ICU and floor settings. Responsibilities include performing bedside procedures, assisting in the operating room, and managing complex cardiac cases such as ECMO and heart transplants.

Requirements

Candidates must be graduates of an ARC-PA accredited program and hold a valid California Physician Assistant license. Required certifications include NCCPA board certification, BLS, and ACLS, along with specific experience in inpatient cardiac surgery and OR assistance.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

ICU managementOperating room assistanceEndoscopic vein harvestingRadial artery harvestECMO managementHeart transplant managementAortic surgeryCABGValvular surgeryChest tube placementCentral line placementInterpersonal skills

Surgery — Physician Assistant Career Context

Of the 50 active Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 8% are remote, 66% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

Surgery pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.4% 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)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Physician Assistant Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 37 employers

14
<$165k
17
$165k-185k
14
$185k-205k
2
$205k-225k
3
$225k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks40 jobs · 37 employers

401k / retirement match
83%
CME allowance
63%
Sign-on bonus
50%
Loan repayment
15%
Relocation assistance
15%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physician Assistant II - Digestive Health EHC - Full Time-(Day - 08 hrs)

Stanford Health Care · Emeryville, California

$91.68-$121.48/hr
#2

APP (Nurse Practitioner/ Physician Assistant) - Cardiovascular Electrophysiology- FT (12 hours), Days

Stanford Health Care · Palo Alto, California

$91.68-$121.48/hr
#3

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

$250k
#4

Physician Assistant- Dr. Fealy

$195k-$212k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 2.1this job 1.5
Better work-life than 20% of Surgery (PA) listings

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

  • Includes call

Living in San Francisco

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.74M
Typical market rent
$4,682/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
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.