Sr Physician Assistant, Trauma (Swing Shift)

UC Irvine; California (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Irvine Health seeks a Senior Physician Assistant - Trauma Service (Swing Shift) to manage inpatient trauma care in the SICU and trauma service. You will assess patients, coordinate care, assist with procedures, and support discharge planning under supervision of Trauma surgeons.

Ideal candidates hold CA PA licensure, NCCPA certification, DEA, and current BLS/ACLS with ATLS within six months, plus 2+ years in inpatient trauma or acute care surgery.

Qualifications

• Active NCCPA board certification.
• Current California PA license.
• Current DEA registration.
• BLS and ACLS certification.
• ATLS certification within six months of hire.
• Two+ years of inpatient trauma/acute care surgery experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage inpatient trauma care on the trauma service and SICU.
• Coordinate care, discharge planning, and DME/home health services.
• Perform bedside procedures within privileges and scope of practice.
• Respond to rapid responses and trauma resuscitations.
• Collaborate with trauma surgeons, nurses, case management, and ancillary staff.

Skills

NCCPA board certification

California PA license

DEA registration

BLS/ACLS certification

ATLS within 6 months

Inpatient trauma/acute care experience

Education

Licensed PA in CA

Tools

Epic EMR

MS Office

Job description

Your Role on the Team

The position of Sr Physician Assistant - Trauma Service (Swing Shift) in the Department of Surgery requires a highly competent, independent yet team-oriented individual who will be immersed in the management and coordination of inpatient trauma care across the continuum. This position supports the Trauma Service during swing shift hours and focuses on clinical management, care coordination, discharge facilitation, procedural support, and acute clinical response. Duties include, but are not limited to, performing comprehensive assessments, planning and evaluating care of trauma patients on the inpatient trauma service and in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). The Physician Assistant will participate in structured inpatient sign-out at the beginning and end of shift to ensure continuity of care and will collaborate closely with Trauma surgeons, residents, nursing staff, case management, social work, and ancillary services. The Sr Physician Assistant will respond to Rapid Response activations involving Trauma patients, participate in trauma resuscitations as assigned, perform surgical consultations on potential trauma or acute care surgery patients, and assist with bedside procedures within approved privileges and scope of practice (including chest tube removal, wound VAC changes, complex dressing changes, drain removal, laceration repairs, and tracheostomy downsizing or removal). This role includes responsibility for discharge planning and throughput management, including coordination of Durable Medical Equipment (DME), home health services, discharge medications, and removal of barriers to safe discharge. The Physician Assistant collaborates with the Trauma Nurse Navigator to ensure appropriate follow-up care and supports departmental patient flow initiatives consistent with operational goals. The Sr Physician Assistant is responsible for reviewing critical labs and results, performing tertiary examinations and/or preparing progress notes for SICU downgrades, ensuring documentation meets regulatory, compliance, and billing standards, and maintaining accurate and timely charting in the electronic medical record. Under the joint supervision of the Chief of Trauma, Burns, and Critical Care Services and the Trauma Medical Director, and guided by applicable policies, procedures, credentialing standards, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the Physician Assistant participates in comprehensive inpatient trauma care and provides multidisciplinary coordination, education, monitoring, and communication with patients and families. The Senior Physician Assistant (Sr. PA) practices both independently and collaboratively within the scope of licensure, the supervising physician Practice Agreement, and applicable medical staff credentialing guidelines. Scheduling, weekend assignments, holiday coverage, and service assignments may vary based on patient census, acuity, and operational needs, consistent with applicable institutional policies and the relevant Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Required

What It Takes to be Successful

• Ability to obtain UCIMC Allied Health Professional Privileges prior to hire.
• HIPPA and other training completion as required by Medical Center Annual TB screening and any applicable test to meet JCAHO requirements. Demonstrates an understanding of and adheres to privacy, confidentiality, and security policies and procedures related to Protected Health Information (PHI) or other sensitive and personal information.
• Must possess the skill, knowledge, and ability essential to the successful performance of assigned duties. Must demonstrate customer service skills appropriate to the job.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across the program and UCI Health System. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across the organization.
• Must demonstrate customer service skills appropriate to the job.
• Ability to exercise diplomacy and flexibility in interacting with physicians, nurses, other paramedical personnel, administrators, emergency and law enforcement officers.
• Skill to clearly communicate medical information to a broad variety of people, both in person and over the telephone.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Writing skills to prepare clear medical reports, laboratory data and progress notes. Ability to maintain a work pace appropriate to the workload.
• Ability to be trained in the use of specialized medical equipment and procedures.
• Active Board Certification from NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) Active National Provider Identifier (NPI) number
• Must be a current, active, and unrestricted licensed Physician Assistant in the State of California.
• Practice agreements completed and on file in Department
• The PA must have a current DEA number from the US Drug Enforcement Administration
• Current BLS and ACLS certification.
• Within six months of hire, ATLS certification.
• Two or more years of clinical experience managing adult or adolescent patients in an inpatient trauma, acute care surgery, or surgical critical care setting.

Preferred

• Proficiency in electronic medical record systems, preferably Epic. Familiarity with UC policies, procedures, and documentation standards. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish and/or Vietnamese preferred.
• Experience in Trauma, Acute Care Surgery, Critical Care, or Emergency Medicine, preferably in a high-acuity inpatient setting.
• Experience with inpatient discharge planning, care coordination, and patient throughput initiatives.

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

Conditions Of Employment

• Background Check and Live Scan
• Employment Misconduct*
• Legal Right to work in the United States
• Vaccination Policies
• Smoking and Tobacco Policy
• Drug Free Environment
• Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.
• California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
• E-Verify
• Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page - https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Closing Statement

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy. We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming. UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact Human Resources at [phone] or [e-mail].

Consideration for Work Authorization Sponsorship

Must be able to provide proof of work authorization.