Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Physician Assistant

Open-heart and complex vascular care succeeds or fails in the hours around the incision. This role puts a physician assistant at the center of that window—first assist in the operating room, decisive perioperative management, and clear handoffs that keep high-risk patients moving safely from consult to recovery. Success is measured in operative readiness, fewer preventable complications, and a surgical team that can take the next case without gaps.

Performance Objectives

• Prepare and first-assist on coronary, valve, aortic, and peripheral vascular cases so the attending can operate without delay or missing critical steps.
• Own preoperative workups—history, exam, risk review, consent support, and order sets—so scheduled patients arrive optimized and cancellations for incomplete preparation fall.
• Manage postoperative courses in ICU and step-down: hemodynamics, drains, anticoagulation, and early complications, escalating before deterioration becomes a return to the OR.
• Close the loop on discharge and clinic follow-up so graft surveillance, wound checks, and medication plans are completed on time.
• Cover call with timely bedside assessment and operative support that keeps emergency and add-on cases moving.
• Document and communicate plans that other clinicians can act on without rework, supporting throughput and clean handoffs.

Environment & Resources

You practice inside a high-acuity cardiothoracic and vascular service alongside attending surgeons, cardiac anesthesia, perfusion, ICU nursing, and advanced practice colleagues. The mix is OR, ICU, ward, and clinic, with on-call responsibility. You use the service’s EHR, order sets, and imaging systems, and you report to the surgical leadership of the service with day-to-day partnership from the operating surgeons.

Essential Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited PA program and current NCCPA certification.
• Active state PA license and DEA registration, or eligibility to obtain both before start.
• ACLS; ATLS or equivalent acute-care credential preferred.
• Demonstrated first-assist and perioperative management in cardiothoracic, vascular, or closely related high-acuity surgery.
• Sound judgment on anticoagulation, hemodynamics, and when to escalate.
• Clear written and verbal communication with surgeons, ICU teams, and patients’ families.

Role Selling Points

• Full-scope surgical practice: assist, manage, and follow—not clinic-only or scribe work.
• Direct partnership with operating surgeons on complex open and endovascular cases.
• Visible impact on operative flow, length of stay, and complication recovery.
• A team built for high-acuity cardiac and vascular patients, not general floor coverage.

Call to Action

If you want your days measured by cases assisted, patients stabilized, and plans that hold, apply with a CV that shows your operative and perioperative record.