How to hire a surgeon's assistant

How to hire a surgeon's assistant, step by step

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

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the surgeon's assistant you need to hire. Certain surgeon's assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect surgeon's assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

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

   Type of Surgeon's Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Surgeon's Assistant	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	$90-343
   Orthopaedic Surgeon	Orthopaedic surgeons are healthcare professionals who are responsible for treating pain related to the musculoskeletal system of the body. These licensed medical experts are required to examine, diagnose, and treat diseases and injuries related to the musculoskeletal system such as dislocated joints, back pain, and arthritis... Show more	$60-208
   Orthopedic Surgeon	An orthopedic surgeon specializes in performing surgeries to treat different issues concerning a patient's musculoskeletal system. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around conducting extensive examinations on a patient to determine their condition, analyzing their medical records, coordinating with nurses and other specialists to ensure the accuracy of treatments, and maintaining a thorough record of information... Show more	$35-123

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Ortho
   • EMR
   • General Surgery
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Assist Surgeon
   • Vital Signs
   • Sterile Technique
   • DR
   • Surgical Instruments
   • Procedure Rooms
   • Medical History
   • Sponges

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
   • Perform in-office suturing and skin closures in the operating room.
   • Perform vital sign checks, glucose level assessments and EKG's.
   • Provide education to patients anticipating surgery, to reduce patient anxiety, and enhance surgical outcome.
   • Gather outpatients' background and provide companionship and emotional support for thoracic cancer patients and families.
   • Board-Certify dermatologist performing Mohs surgery, advance reconstruction, blepharoplasty, liposuction, cosmetic & medical dermatology.

   More surgeon's assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the surgeon's assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A surgeon's assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a surgeon's assistant in Texas may be lower than in Maine, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level surgeon's assistant. Additionally, a surgeon's assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average surgeon's assistant salary

   $367,957yearly

   $176.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level surgeon's assistant salary

   $189,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average surgeon's assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$368,021	$177
   2	West Virginia	$347,126	$167
   3	New York	$322,564	$155
   4	Massachusetts	$314,952	$151
   5	Illinois	$307,659	$148
   6	New Jersey	$306,577	$147
   7	Ohio	$301,861	$145
   8	Virginia	$243,086	$117

   Average surgeon's assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bassett Healthcare Network	$353,715	$170.06
   2	Marshall University	$296,985	$142.78
   3	Mayo Clinic	$282,825	$135.97	32
   4	Cleveland Clinic	$264,567	$127.20	12
   5	New York University	$259,706	$124.86
   6	Cooper University Health Care	$209,758	$100.85	2
   7	University Of Minnesota Physicians	$169,559	$81.52	2
   8	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$158,986	$76.44	2
   9	Dartmouth-Hitchcock	$150,527	$72.37
   10	Staten Island Academy	$76,997	$37.02

4. Writing a surgeon's assistant job description

   A surgeon's assistant 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 surgeon's assistant job description:

   Surgeon's assistant job description example

   University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians) is a non-profit organization seeking driven individuals in both clinical and non-clinical areas to help transform health and medicine. Headquartered in Minneapolis, our organization employs more than 1,200 physicians, 300 advanced practice providers and 2,200 health professionals and staff throughout Minnesota and beyond.
   Join us on a mission to advance medicine.
   
   The Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota is seeking a full-time orthopedic surgeon with a subspecialty interest and expertise in both clinical practice and hand surgery.
   
   Practice Highlights:
   Our faculty and physicians are passionate about providing excellent patient care. From the reconstruction of joints to treating sports injuries, the experts within our department cover the gamut of focus areas. We're also preparing the next generation of orthopedic surgeons through world-class education and training programs.
   Responsibilities include patient care at M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center and community sites in Blaine and Maple Grove, MN.Additional responsibilities will include participation in the instructing of medical students, residents, and fellows, clinical practice through MPhysicians, and participation in service activities on behalf of the department, the medical school, and your profession.
   
   This year, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's 2020 “Top Doctors: Rising Stars” included 94 University of Minnesota Physicians doctors across 35 specialties.
   
   Qualifications:
   Graduate of an accredited ACGME Orthopedic Surgery residency and hand fellowship-training program.Board eligible/certified Licensed or ability to acquire medical license and DEA in the State of Minnesota, and meet threshold criteria/qualifications for credentialing and privileges.Ability to receive work authorization in the United States from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and maintain legal status according to the requirements of VISA category while in the United States.Excellent written and verbal communication skills Exceptional collaboration abilities with partners and staff.Understands and places importance on patient care/service.Detail oriented and self-motivated Education focused and a creative problem-solver
   
   Benefits Highlights:
   We're proud to offer our employees a robust benefits package. Our benefits package was recently recognized for its appealing and inclusive nature. Some highlights include:
   Comprehensive medical and dental insurance plans Best in industry 401K employer contribution As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we are a qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness ProgramConcierge services and a well-being allowance
   
   Additional information on our benefits can be found here.
   
   M Health and Clinical Partnerships
   Providers practice at affiliated locations under the M Health Fairview shared care delivery system. This partnership represents a collaboration between University of Minnesota Physicians, University of Minnesota Medical Center and Fairview Health to build a nationally known academic health system that combines academic and community resources to provide the very best clinical care to patients and communities, while also supporting research and education across the joint healthcare delivery system.
   
   Community Information
   We are based in Minneapolis and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in America by U.S. News & World Report. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area offers a high quality of life and a low cost of living. You'll find excellent school systems, a robust economy, an award-winning culinary scene, museums of all types, outstanding theaters, and a reliable international airport. If you love the outdoors, you can enjoy all four seasons with the plethora of lakes, parks, and some of the country's best bike trails!
   Explore MinnesotaGreater Minneapolis - St. Paul Metropolitan Area
   
   M Physicians offers competitive salary and excellent benefits and provides you with the opportunity to enhance your career in the exciting field of health care through rewarding and challenging assignments and the opportunities for advancement.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right surgeon's assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with surgeon's assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit surgeon's assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your surgeon's assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit surgeon's assistant 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 surgeon's assistants 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 surgeon's assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect surgeon's assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 surgeon's assistant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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