Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Orthopedic Surgery (Spine)
About the role
The Orthopedic Spine Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA) at WashU Orthopedics is an integral clinical leader and valued member of the interdisciplinary Spine team. This position practices primarily in the outpatient setting across our Sunset Hills and Missouri Baptist locations in St. Louis. There is a potential for this position to include 1st assisting in the operating room depending on the needs of the division and skills of the applicant. This role requires strong leadership skills to inspire and support staff, along with the adaptability to navigate changing priorities, workflows, and clinical protocols while maintaining exceptional patient care. Spine Surgery Clinical Care operates Monday through Friday. The NP or PA will facilitate multidisciplinary care for spine patients from adolescence through adulthood—with a focus on outstanding clinical outcomes, patient experience, and compassionate care. Success in this role requires collaboration, excellent communication, and the ability to build strong relationships with patients, families, physicians, and care teams. At Washington University Orthopedics, we are committed to treating every patient like family while delivering world-class orthopedic care to our community each day.
Responsibilities
- Delivers comprehensive outpatient spine care across multiple practice locations.
- Supports Spine Surgeons and Division needs.
- Supports and guides orthopedic clinical staff across sites.
- Partners with hospital teams, physicians, and Spine leadership to improve patient access and operational throughput.
- Prepares patients for treatment through education, care coordination, and review of clinical needs.
- Facilitates communication between patients, referring providers, and the physician team.
- Promotes an exceptional patient and family experience through compassionate, patient-centered care.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Working conditions
Job location / working conditions
- Normal office environment
- Exposure to blood-borne pathogens
- Exposure to chemicals
- Requires protective devices
- Dust, dirt, grease or other disagreeable elements
- Patient care setting
- Direct patient care setting
Physical effort
- Typically sitting at desk or table
- Typically standing or walking
- Typically bending, crouching, stooping
- Using tools requiring high dexterity
- Occasional lifting (25 lbs or less)
Equipment
- Office equipment
- Lab/research equipment
- Clinical/diagnostic equipment
Qualifications
Required qualifications — Nurse Practitioner
- Master of Science in Nursing with emphasis in the Nurse Practitioner program.
- Advanced Practical Nurse licensure (or ability to successfully obtain licensure within three months of date of hire).
- Certain/additional certifications may be necessary based on area of specialty.
- Basic Life Support certification (Online Basic Life Support certifications, those without a skills assessment component, are not sufficient to meet the Basic Life Support requirements).
Required qualifications — Physician Assistant
- Graduate of PA program.
- Current PA licensure to practice in the state of Missouri and/or Illinois, depending on location, or ability to obtain within three months of date of hire.
- Certain/additional certifications may be necessary based on area of specialty.
- Basic Life Support certification (Online BLS certifications, those without a skills assessment component, are not sufficient to meet the BLS requirements).
Education
- Master's degree (required)
Certifications / professional licenses
- Basic Life Support — American Heart Association
- Basic Life Support — American Red Cross
Work experience
No specific work experience is required for this position.
Driver's license
A driver's license is not required for this position.
Preferred qualifications
Education
- Master's degree — Nurse Practitioner
- Master's degree — Physician Assistant Studies
Certifications / professional licenses
- Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
- Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) — Missouri Division of Professional Registration
- Certified Nurse Practitioner — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
- Certified Nurse Practitioner — Missouri Division of Professional Registration
- Physician Assistant — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
- Physician Assistant — Missouri Division of Professional Registration
Work experience
Prior Orthopedic/Spine experience.
Skills
- Adaptability
- Clinical Decision Making
- Clinical Diagnostics
- Communication
- Customer Empathy
- Detail-Oriented
- Disease Management
- Epic EHR
- Family Support
- HIPAA Compliance
- Interpersonal Communication
- Interpersonal Relationships
- Multitasking
- Organizing
- Patient Care
- Patient Education
- Patient Evaluations
- Patient Management
- Pharmacology
- Preventive Care
- Teamwork
- Time Management
Pay
Grade S31. Salary range: $97,000.00 – $174,600.00 annually. The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one's qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.
Schedule
Full-time, 40 scheduled hours per week. Spine Surgery Clinical Care operates Monday through Friday.
Benefits
Personal
- Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.
- Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.
- Free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.
- Defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan combining employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.
Wellness
- Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more.
Family
- 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child.