Surgical PA / Physician Associate Staffing Experts Since 2006. This guide is maintained by Blake Moser, founder of Advanced Practice Recruiters — a Tyler, Texas firm that has placed physician assistants exclusively since 2006. Below: the actual Surgical Physician Assistant subspecialty roles we work, what hiring managers and candidates need to know about credentials and compensation, and how the search runs in practice.
Surgical physician assistants — also known as physician associates in many institutions — are among the most sought-after and hardest to recruit advanced practice providers in healthcare. First-assist PAs with specialty surgical experience receive multiple concurrent offers and can command premium compensation packages.
Advanced Practice Recruiters has built specialized surgical PA recruiting pipelines across orthopedics, cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, general surgery, and plastic surgery. Our surgical PA recruiters understand the nuances of first-assist privileges, case volume expectations, call requirements, and CAQ certification in surgical specialties.
Whether your surgical practice needs a physician assistant with orthopedic joint replacement experience, a cardiovascular physician associate for open-heart cases, or a neurosurgery PA for a high-volume spine program, we have the candidates and the relationships to deliver.
The physician assistant role types we routinely fill in this subspecialty:
We recruit surgical PAs across orthopedics, cardiovascular, neurosurgery, general, plastics, urology, and trauma — with dedicated sourcing pipelines for each.
We understand first-assist privileges, case logs, surgical volume expectations, and OR protocol — and screen every surgical PA candidate for the specific procedural skills your program needs.
For surgical specialties with CAQ certifications (Orthopedic Surgery, Surgery), we identify candidates who hold or are pursuing these credentials.
From university hospital surgical programs to high-volume private orthopedic and ENT practices, we recruit across every surgical employer type.
Every Surgical Physician Assistant search opens with a 20-minute scoping call: clinical scope, certification and credentialing requirements, productivity expectation, supervision or collaboration framework, geography, and a realistic compensation envelope. From there we work our active and passive physician assistant pipeline, screen each candidate against the role's specific subspecialty fit (board certification, state licensure or licensure-eligibility, DEA where required, malpractice history, recent case mix), and present a credentialed shortlist within a few business days.
Engagement is contingent — no upfront fee, no exclusivity required. Permanent placements carry a written replacement guarantee covering the initial employment period; if the placed physician assistant leaves inside the guarantee window we re-run the search at no additional fee.
Compensation for physician assistants in this subspecialty has continued to climb through 2026 as demand outpaces supply. Below are typical base ranges we see across our placement activity. Total compensation often runs 10–25% higher with productivity incentives, signing bonuses, and benefits factored in.
Factors that move compensation within these ranges:
Reference data: U.S. BLS — Physician Assistants (OOH), NCCPA Statistical Profile, and AAPA Compensation Resources.
Every candidate we present is verified for the PA-C with optional CAQ (Certificate of Added Qualifications) credential issued by the NCCPA — CAQ available in Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery, plus active state licensure, DEA registration where required, malpractice history, and recent clinical practice. We do not paper-blast resumes — every shortlist is screened against the role's specific credential and scope requirements.
Standard credential requirements:
Surgical PA demand growing as surgical volumes expand and physician workforce gaps widen.
Surgical physician assistant demand is intensifying entering 2026 as health systems expand surgical capacity to address growing procedure backlogs and aging population needs. Cardiovascular, orthopedic, and neurosurgery PAs with first-assist experience are among the most recruited professionals in all of healthcare. The transition of surgical programs toward PA-supported models — particularly in orthopedic joint replacement and spine surgery — is creating sustained, multi-year demand for experienced surgical PAs.
Hottest markets we are placing in right now: Major surgical program hubs nationwide, Orthopedic and spine program growth markets (Southeast, Southwest), Cardiovascular centers at regional health systems.
Experienced surgical PAs are in extreme demand and receive multiple offers simultaneously. They are rarely searching job boards — most are placed through direct outreach and professional networks. Generalist recruiters simply don't have the relationships or urgency to compete.
Yes. Orthopedic surgery is our highest-volume surgical PA specialty. We recruit for joint replacement, spine surgery, sports medicine, arthroscopy, and trauma orthopedics practices and programs.
We screen for surgical case volume and variety, specific procedural competencies (e.g., total joint replacement, open spinal fusion, bypass grafting), first-assist privileges, call availability, and willingness to relocate if required.
Surgical PA compensation ranges from $135,000 to $185,000+, with cardiovascular and neurosurgery PAs at the high end. Call pay, case bonuses, and wRVU productivity incentives can add significantly to base salary. We provide current benchmarks for your specialty.
Yes. Physician assistant and physician associate refer to the same PA-C credential — the terms are interchangeable. The American Academy of Physician Associates adopted 'physician associate' as an alternative title in 2021, and both terms appear in surgical job postings. We recruit PA-C certified candidates regardless of which title an employer or candidate prefers.
Extremely important. A cardiovascular surgery program cannot easily onboard a general surgery PA — the procedural skills, equipment familiarity, and care protocols are too different. We screen every surgical PA candidate for specific subspecialty case experience before presenting them to ensure true clinical fit.
In most surgical practices, yes. Call coverage is a standard expectation for first-assist surgical PAs, particularly in orthopedics, cardiovascular surgery, and trauma. We benchmark call compensation separately from base salary and help employers structure competitive total compensation packages that reflect call burdens.
A Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) is a voluntary specialty certification from NCCPA available in areas including Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery. Some surgical employers require or prefer CAQ-certified PAs. CAQ holders demonstrate advanced knowledge in their specialty and often command premium compensation.
Reach Blake Moser at Advanced Practice Recruiters: 469-457-4570 or blake@advancedpracticerecruiters.com. Most inquiries get a same-business-day reply.