How to hire a surgical physician assistant

How to hire a surgical physician assistant, step by step

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

What does a surgical physician assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the surgical physician assistant you need to hire. Certain surgical physician 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

   A surgical physician assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, surgical physician assistants 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 surgical physician assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Surgical Physician Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Surgical Physician Assistant	Physician assistants, also known as PAs, practice medicine on teams with physicians, surgeons, and other healthcare workers. They examine, diagnose, and treat patients.	$42-126
   Pain Management Physician	Pain management physicians are medical doctors who diagnose and coordinate treatment while providing care for patients who are experiencing pain. By understanding the physiology of pain, these physicians are required to conduct specialized tests to diagnose complex pain conditions as well as prescribe proper medications and therapies to treat them... Show more	$62-238
   Obstetrics Gynecology Physician	Obstetrics Gynecology Physician is a specialist doctor in childbirth, pregnancy, and female reproductive health. Their duties include conducting tests such as pelvic exams, breast exams, and pap smears, diagnosing diseases and disorders, carrying out a patient routine check-up, prescribing treatment plans, and monitoring expectant mothers during periods of postpartum, pregnancy, and childbirth... Show more	$61-238

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Physical Examinations
   • Surgical Procedures
   • CPR
   • Orthopedics
   • Thoracic
   • General Surgery
   • Urology
   • Patient Education
   • Pre-op
   • Discharge Summaries
   • Discharge Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage s/p cardiac bypass in recovery unit, ICU and step down units.
   • Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
   • Certify CPR and basic first aid instructor trainer.
   • Perform debridement, incision and drainage, wind VAC, ostomy care.
   • Perform resuscitative measures in a code setting using ACLS, ATLS protocols.
   • Perform minor procedures including but not limit to: Foley catheter placement, drain removal, dressing changes and removals

   More surgical physician assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the surgical physician assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A surgical physician 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 surgical physician assistant in Georgia may be lower than in Nebraska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level surgical physician assistant. Additionally, a surgical physician assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average surgical physician assistant salary

   $153,482yearly

   $73.79 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level surgical physician assistant salary

   $89,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average surgical physician assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$192,594	$93
   2	Massachusetts	$188,912	$91
   3	California	$187,399	$90
   4	Connecticut	$174,380	$84
   5	New Jersey	$166,739	$80
   6	North Carolina	$166,410	$80
   7	Michigan	$166,237	$80
   8	Arizona	$165,630	$80
   9	New York	$165,403	$80
   10	Maine	$164,586	$79
   11	Maryland	$161,713	$78
   12	Texas	$159,260	$77
   13	Colorado	$155,424	$75
   14	Oregon	$153,724	$74
   15	Pennsylvania	$150,973	$73
   16	Virginia	$149,650	$72
   17	Kansas	$148,840	$72
   18	Indiana	$147,923	$71
   19	Missouri	$133,394	$64
   20	Florida	$130,895	$63

   Average surgical physician assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$231,969	$111.52	238
   2	Billings Clinic	$218,800	$105.19	8
   3	Fairview Health Services	$201,809	$97.02	50
   4	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$198,645	$95.50	9
   5	Mercy Corps	$197,667	$95.03	15
   6	Emerson Hospital	$197,243	$94.83	5
   7	Kaleida Health	$195,464	$93.97	21
   8	Stamford Memorial Hospital Foundation	$194,302	$93.41	3
   9	SpecialtyCare	$193,012	$92.79	3
   10	Northwestern Medicine	$192,271	$92.44	146
   11	CHI Mercy Health	$190,673	$91.67	1
   12	Stanford Health Care	$189,862	$91.28	31
   13	Mainline Health Systems	$189,456	$91.08	16
   14	Northwell Health	$189,053	$90.89	132
   15	Cedars-Sinai	$188,910	$90.82	64
   16	Overlake Medical Center & Clinics	$188,708	$90.72	9
   17	Broward Health	$187,464	$90.13	12
   18	Atrium Health Floyd	$187,019	$89.91	220
   19	MercyOne	$186,225	$89.53	54
   20	Edwards	$185,559	$89.21

4. Writing a surgical physician assistant job description

   A job description for a surgical physician assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a surgical physician assistant job description:

   Surgical physician assistant job description example

   Penn Medicine is dedicated to our tripartite mission of providing the highest level of care to patients, conducting innovative research, and educating future leaders in the field of medicine. Working for this leading academic medical center means collaboration with top clinical, technical and business professionals across all disciplines.
   
   Today at Penn Medicine, someone will make a breakthrough. Someone will heal a heart, deliver hopeful news, and give comfort and reassurance. Our employees shape our future each day. Are you living your life's work?
   
   The Surgical Critical Care Service has an exciting opportunity for a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant to join the Advanced Practice team in their very busy practice at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsylvania Hospital. Our team consists of 40 NPs/PAs who provide highest quality care in collaboration with 25 surgical and anesthesia intensivists and other members of the health care team. The Surgical Critical Care Service consists of 4 Surgical ICUs spanning 3 hospitals with 4,000 patient admissions annually.
   
   Our Trauma Program is national recognized and is located in a new state of the art facility. The Trauma SICU received the ICU design citation award from the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
   
   Our Pennsylvania Hospital program focuses on the care of critically ill neurosurgical population associated with brain surgery and spine surgery.
   
   Our Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania program focuses on emergency surgery and abdominal transplant surgeries.
   
   Distinct functions of the position include: patient management, clinical decision making, bedside procedures (including central lines, dialysis catheters, arterial lines, bronchoscopy and bedside fluoroscopy), and teaching of patients, family and staff.
   
   In addition to clinical responsibilities, the role also involves participation in the Division's Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives and Unit-Based Clinical Leadership (UBCL). The APPs also attend weekly educational lectures focused on complex critical care management and the latest in evidence based medicine. Opportunities for professional growth and development are available through research, lecturing, publications and involvement in department and hospital projects and committees.
   Clinical work hours include 50/50 days/nights, weekends and holidays and 3 to 4 shifts per week.
   
   Minimum Requirements:
   
   • Master's prepared Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant
   • Pennsylvania licensure and certification as an ACNP or PA-C
   • Surgical Critical Care experience
   • BLS, ACLS required, ATLS preferred
   
   All nurse practitioners and physician Assistants function under the guidelines designed by the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center medical staff guidelines and are credentialed through that body. The CRNP or PA hired will be held accountable through a formal job description, the delineation of privileges, and their agreement with their collaborating/supervising physician who has initiated a Collaborative Practice Agreement.
   
   The Advanced Practitioner, while providing quality care across the continuum in collaboration with physicians, nursing staff and other members of the care team, performs histories, physicals, and procedures according to credentialing, and provide care and patient/family teaching following the nursing process. Also participates in research as appropriate, ensures regulatory compliance, documents care according to standards, and prescribes in accordance with the collaborative agreement and State regulations.
   
   We believe that the best care for our patients starts with the best care for our employees. Our employee benefits programs help our employees get healthy and stay healthy. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits program that includes one of the finest prepaid tuition assistance programs in the region. Penn Medicine employees are actively engaged and committed to our mission. Together we will continue to make medical advances that help people live longer, healthier lives.
   
   Live Your Life's Work
   
   We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status, citizenship status, military status, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find surgical physician assistants 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 surgical physician assistant job on Zippia to find and attract quality surgical physician assistant 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 surgical physician assistants, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   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 surgical physician assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect surgical physician 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.

   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 surgical physician assistant. 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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