Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Orthopedic Surgery (Spine)

About the role

• Location
• TOWN AND COUNTRY, MO 63131
• Scheduled Hours
• 40

Position Summary

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. If you are a dedicated Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant with a passion for teamwork, leadership, and quality care, we invite you to join our team.

Primary Duties & 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.

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

Additional information

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education: Master's degree

Certifications/Professional Licenses

• The list below may include all acceptable certifications, professional licenses and issuers. More than one credential, certification or professional license may be required depending on the role.
• Basic Life Support - American Heart Association, Basic Life Support - American Red Cross
• Work Experience: No specific work experience is required for this position.

Skills: Not Applicable

Driver's License: A driver's license is not required for this position.

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).

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.
• Basic Life Support certification (Online BLS certifications, those without a skills assessment component, are not sufficient to meet the BLS requirements).

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior Orthopedic/Spine experience.

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

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

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

• 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.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.
• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.
• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.
• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines 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

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.
• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.