How to hire a cardiothoracic surgeon

How to hire a cardiothoracic surgeon, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cardiothoracic 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 cardiothoracic surgeon job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new cardiothoracic surgeon
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a cardiothoracic surgeon do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your cardiothoracic 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 cardiothoracic 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 cardiothoracic surgeon's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, cardiothoracic 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.

   Here's a comparison of cardiothoracic surgeon salaries for various roles:

   Type of Cardiothoracic Surgeon	Description	Hourly rate
   Cardiothoracic 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	$98-390
   Doctor	A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary... Show more	$50-196
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Private Practice
   • Surgical Procedures
   • MRI
   • Post-Operative Care
   • Chest Tubes
   • Direct Care

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all incoming medical records requests (ensuring office is within HIPPA guidelines).
   • Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
   • Observe fracture plating, skin grafting, wind cleaning, amputation, and other Orthopaedic surgeries.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your cardiothoracic surgeon job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A cardiothoracic surgeon can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, cardiothoracic surgeons' average salary in hawaii is 34% less than in michigan.
   • Seniority. Entry-level cardiothoracic surgeons 75% less than senior-level cardiothoracic surgeons.
   • Certifications. A cardiothoracic surgeon with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a cardiothoracic surgeon's salary.

   Average cardiothoracic surgeon salary

   $409,035yearly

   $196.65 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level cardiothoracic surgeon salary

   $205,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average cardiothoracic surgeon salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$461,736	$222
   2	Michigan	$443,211	$213
   3	Illinois	$433,250	$208
   4	Pennsylvania	$399,268	$192
   5	Ohio	$398,568	$192
   6	Maine	$383,124	$184
   7	Indiana	$379,007	$182
   8	Oregon	$374,462	$180
   9	Idaho	$361,629	$174
   10	Wisconsin	$342,866	$165
   11	New Jersey	$341,667	$164
   12	Kansas	$333,144	$160
   13	Mississippi	$325,990	$157
   14	West Virginia	$324,944	$156
   15	Texas	$318,228	$153
   16	New York	$316,393	$152
   17	Louisiana	$309,926	$149
   18	Arizona	$309,725	$149
   19	Massachusetts	$298,190	$143
   20	Missouri	$293,556	$141

   Average cardiothoracic surgeon salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Allina Health	$548,540	$263.72	3
   2	OSF HealthCare	$546,895	$262.93	14
   3	University of Southern Indiana	$491,239	$236.17
   4	Houston Methodist	$479,828	$230.69	25
   5	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$477,464	$229.55	1
   6	ProMedica Toledo Hospital	$434,649	$208.97	1
   7	Ascension Michigan	$429,929	$206.70	11
   8	Green Janet Lynne	$421,203	$202.50
   9	UT Medicine	$420,377	$202.10
   10	Harrison Steve MD	$419,439	$201.65
   11	Catholic Health Initiatives - Colorado	$413,808	$198.95	19
   12	Beth Israel Lahey Health	$413,808	$198.95	6
   13	Integrity Locums	$409,538	$196.89
   14	CHRISTUS Health	$406,789	$195.57	30
   15	The Medicus Firm	$404,647	$194.54
   16	UnityPoint Health	$402,174	$193.35	3
   17	Ardent Health Services	$387,843	$186.46	7
   18	Reading Health System	$384,809	$185.00
   19	Barton Associates	$383,710	$184.48
   20	SoutheastHEALTH	$379,717	$182.56

4. Writing a cardiothoracic surgeon job description

   A good cardiothoracic surgeon job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a cardiothoracic surgeon job description:

   Cardiothoracic surgeon job description example

   An inpatient health center in New Mexico’s Greater Las Cruces Area is looking to add a Cardiovascular/Cardiothoracic Surgery PA to their team. Las Cruces is New Mexico’s second largest city and receives almost 300 days of sunshine a year. The area hosts multiple events, from wine festivals to a Day of the Dead celebration. The city is also less than an hour from White Sands National Park, a world-famous natural site with striking white sand dunes.
   Certification: PA Title: Cardiovascular/Cardiothoracic Surgery PA Board Status : Board Certified/Board Eligible Residency/Training: Internal Medicine Setting : Inpatient/Outpatient
   
   Compensation & Logistics
   Position Type : Locum Tenens 1099 Availability : Full-Time/Part-Time Scheduling : Monday – Friday Hospital: Monday, Wednesday, Friday Clinic: Tuesday, Thursday
   
   KPG Provider Services is a West Coast Focused Company with offices in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. We are focused on offering the best, most rewarding opportunities while providing excellent compensation and support.
   
   Outstanding service is at the core of our culture. Our Medical Professionals will experience a service relationship characterized by respect, a sense of urgency, and attention to detail.
   
   Our team offers benefits like geographic expertise, understanding commuting times, and top market compensation rates.
   
   In short, we focus intently on the things that matter to you with a commitment to achieve exceptional outcomes. Call us and experience the difference!
   
   For a complete listing of our current openings visit www.kpgproviders.com!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find cardiothoracic surgeons for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your cardiothoracic surgeon job on Zippia to find and recruit cardiothoracic surgeon candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting cardiothoracic surgeons requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 cardiothoracic surgeon

   Once you have selected a candidate for the cardiothoracic 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new cardiothoracic surgeon. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a cardiothoracic surgeon?