How to hire a cardiac surgeon

How to hire a cardiac surgeon, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cardiac surgeon hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a cardiac surgeon job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new cardiac surgeon
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your cardiac surgeon job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a cardiac surgeon for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A cardiac surgeon's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, cardiac surgeons from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of cardiac surgeons.

   Type of Cardiac Surgeon	Description	Hourly rate
   Cardiac Surgeon	Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests... Show more	$94-357
   Neurosurgeon	A Neurosurgeon is responsible for diagnosing conditions related to the nervous system, determining treatment plans, and administering medications. Neurosurgeons perform surgeries and conduct further laboratory tests to track their progress and adjust treatment plans as needed... Show more	$90-340
   General Surgeon	The General Surgeon's role is to perform operations to treat or prevent diseases, repair damage caused by injuries, and improve the functions of the human body through the use of different surgical instruments. They also assess patients and explain different diagnostic tests that are performed.	$58-197

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cardiovascular Surgery
   • Heart Procedures

   Responsibilities:

   • Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
   • Handle confidential and sensitive information with accuracy and according to HIPAA policies.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your cardiac surgeon job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A cardiac surgeon salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a cardiac surgeon in California may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level cardiac surgeon usually earns less than a senior-level cardiac surgeon. Additionally, a cardiac surgeon with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average cardiac surgeon salary

   $381,912yearly

   $183.61 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level cardiac surgeon salary

   $196,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average cardiac surgeon salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$442,887	$213
   2	Washington	$436,981	$210
   3	Ohio	$385,720	$185
   4	Indiana	$360,875	$174
   5	Wisconsin	$325,739	$157
   6	Maryland	$316,976	$152
   7	Delaware	$308,066	$148
   8	Connecticut	$302,696	$146
   9	Georgia	$286,011	$138
   10	Missouri	$278,400	$134
   11	Massachusetts	$269,666	$130
   12	Texas	$259,146	$125
   13	District of Columbia	$258,260	$124
   14	California	$242,826	$117
   15	North Carolina	$226,429	$109
   16	Florida	$206,594	$99

   Average cardiac surgeon salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Allina Health	$511,666	$245.99	13
   2	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$470,811	$226.35	1
   3	Dignity Health	$449,804	$216.25	23
   4	Danbury Hospital	$436,889	$210.04	3
   5	Houston Methodist	$433,714	$208.52	56
   6	Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.	$409,222	$196.74	2
   7	Ascension Michigan	$392,677	$188.79	11
   8	Swedish Hospital	$389,319	$187.17
   9	Catholic Health Initiatives - Colorado	$377,658	$181.57	23
   10	Integrity Locums	$373,755	$179.69
   11	Piedmont Healthcare	$370,686	$178.21	38
   12	The Medicus Firm	$368,807	$177.31
   13	Merritt Hawkins	$351,204	$168.85
   14	Medstar Health	$340,463	$163.68	1
   15	University Hospitals	$339,535	$163.24
   16	Cleveland Clinic	$338,922	$162.94	19
   17	Baylor Scott & White Health	$335,826	$161.45	79
   18	University of Maryland Faculty Physicians Incorporated	$333,662	$160.41	1
   19	Valley Health System	$331,269	$159.26	2
   20	Children's National Medical Center	$302,227	$145.30

4. Writing a cardiac surgeon job description

   A cardiac surgeon job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a cardiac surgeon job description:

   Cardiac surgeon job description example

   Cardiac Surgeon to Join Thriving Program in Minnesota
   
   Ideal Candidate would bring a full complement of adult cardiovascular surgery and thoracic surgery utilizing the newest technology & procedures
   

   • BC/BE cardiovascular/thoracic surgery
   • Join 3 Surgeons and 6 PAs
   • 20 Cardiologists/5 EPs in group
   • Surgical Suites with biplane angiography
   • 3 year training program is preferred
   • Experience is a plus
   • Minimally invasive skills
   • TAVR experience is a plus
   • Clinic employed position
   • Beckers Hospital Review for “ 100 hospitals and health systems with great heart programs” in 2016.

   
   Other Details:
   

   • 4.5 day work week for 3 surgeons.
   • 210 shifts/year
   • Call every third weekend, every third night, every third holiday
   • APP support for first call.
   • 15-20 pts followed by group on the inpt service
   • 15 new consults/week
   • Volumes for 3 surgeons
   • 197 valves
   • 288 CABG
   • 144 TAVR
   • 283 Other cardiovascular procedures that fall under the CV surgery line
   • 6-7 APP’ s support the surgeons in clinic, IP and surgery
   • Starting salary for new grad is $600, 000 range
   • Sign on bonus $50, 000
   • We arrange and pay for move
   • 3 EP labs, 4 cath labs

   
   We are committed to providing excellent patient care, attracting high-caliber staff. This group provides cardiology services to a 23 county area in Central Minnesota.
   
   We are the largest and most advanced heart and vascular center in Central Minnesota. We see more than 30, 000 patients in consult and follow-up each year
   
   Highlights
   

   • Heart & Vascular Center was named one of the nation’ s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals® for 2015 by Truven Health Analytics, a leading health care data company.
   • Consumer Reports has previously recognized our heart and vascular center, calling it an “’ all-star’ heart surgery group” for maintaining the top three-star score three years running
   • Consumer Reports magazine has again given us a top score for heart bypass surgery in its August 2014 issue. No other hospital in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or Iowa received this recognition.

   • Multi-specialty clinic of 250+ physicians
   • Tertiary care center
   • Referral base over 900, 000
   • Magnet Hospital since 2004
   • " Top 100” Hospital eleven times
   • Level II Trauma Center
   • Regional referral center with recent $225 million hospital expansion of surgical suites, ICU, CCU and private rooms

   • Five-star rated by HealthGrades for coronary bypass surgery for 10 consecutive years (2003-2012).
   • Five-star rated by HealthGrades for valve surgery in 2012.
   • Recipient of the HealthGrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award for two consecutive years (2011-2012).
   • Five-star rated by HealthGrades for coronary interventional procedures for three consecutive years (2010-2012)

   
   We are in a community that is wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. You can take advantage of the events in Minneapolis/St. Paul, but live in low stress and relaxing community
   

   • 60 minutes from Twin Cities
   • Mini-Metro of 130, 000 people
   • Four season recreation
   • Theatre and arts
   • Excellent School options
   • Family Friendly
   • Four colleges
   • Lakes area

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find cardiac surgeons for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any cardiac surgeons they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level cardiac surgeons with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your cardiac surgeon job on Zippia to find and attract quality cardiac surgeon candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit cardiac surgeons, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new cardiac surgeon

   Once you have selected a candidate for the cardiac surgeon position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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