Title: Chief Physician Assistant
Location: Upper East Side; Brooklyn; Lower East Side; Midtown; Queens; West Side
Org Unit: Clinical Operations
Work Days:
Weekly Hours: 35.00
Exemption Status: Exempt
Salary Range: $167,900.00 - $176,800.00
- As required under NYC Human Rights Law Int 1208-2018 - Salary range for this role when Hired for NYC Offices
Position Summary
The Chief Physician Assistant (PA) is responsible for leading the clinical Advanced Practice Provider (APP) team and serves as a clinical, educational, and administrative resource across the department. This role ensures alignment of APP practice with institutional standards, regulatory requirements, and patient care goals. With a minimum of six years of clinical experience, the Chief PA functions as an expert-level practitioner, demonstrating advanced clinical knowledge and the ability to manage complex patient care scenarios. The Chief PA collaborates with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to enhance performance, foster team motivation, and promote a culture of excellence and accountability. This leadership role also includes oversight of APP performance, mentorship, onboarding, continuing education initiatives, and ensuring compliance with policies, procedures, and professional standards of care.
Job Responsibilities
- Encourages performance through clear expectations, motivation, feedback and accountability.
- Establishes both short- and long-term development and operational goals. Monitors outcomes and adjusts plans as needed, effectively achieving departmental and institutional objectives.
- Recognizes the connection between individual goals, departmental goals, and the overall organizational mission.
- Recruits and facilitates the orientation of new APP staff in collaboration with the medical team. Provides ongoing support and mentorship to APP staff. Completes annual performance evaluations for APP staff.
- Implements and supports patient-care models that ensure that staff is working at their highest licensure. Maintains a team-oriented approach and cultivates a positive workplace environment.
- Responsible for managing APP practice, performance, and productivity, focusing on improving operational effectiveness and optimizing revenue.
- Stay current on hospital bylaws, rules, regulations, DoP forms, and staff privileges, and give recommendations on DoP requests that comply with state requirements and the Scope of Practice at Weill Cornell Medicine.
- Leads clinical decision-making in high-pressure situations to facilitate resolution of challenging patient care scenarios.
- Applies advanced clinical science knowledge to deliver safe, effective, and evidence-based patient care.
- Communicates effectively with patients, families, and healthcare team members to ensure clear exchange of information and collaborative care planning.
- Provides patient-centered care that reflects compassion, respect, and responsiveness to individual needs and preferences.
- Collaborates constructively with healthcare professionals to optimize patient safety, care quality, and interdisciplinary teamwork.
- Upholds ethical, culturally sensitive, and legally compliant medical practices in all aspects of patient care and professional conduct.
- Responsible for direct patient care and coordination within specialty areas.
- Evaluates new and/or established patients by obtaining comprehensive and focused health histories and performs both limited and complete physical examinations as appropriate.
- Orders labs, imaging, diagnostic testing, and consultations. Reviews and interprets results to develop patient care plan. Prescribes medications and therapeutic interventions as appropriate, following accepted standard of care and practice guidelines.
- Enters the above in patients' medical records in accordance with documentation best practice standards.
- Counsels and educates patients and caregivers on acute and chronic disease management, prevention, and health promotion, adapting guidance to age, education, psychosocial needs, and cultural background to ensure safe, complete, culturally competent care.
- Confers with specialists, attending physicians, residents, APPs, nursing staff, and/or other health care providers to promote continuity of care and optimize patient outcomes.
- Assists in the preparation, implementation, and evaluation of research protocols when applicable.
- When applicable, performs diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and interventional as determined by the delineation of privileges.
- Educates and councils patients as per specialty practice standards.
- Performs related duties & responsibilities as determined by patient or practice needs and as required by delineation of privileges, in accordance with legal scope of practice and departmental protocols.
- Obtain informed consent, as indicated.
Education
- Graduate from ARC-PA accredited program
- Masters Degree
Experience
A minimum of 6 years' experience in specialty or similar specialty as a Physician Assistant.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrates strong leadership skills including facilitation managements, conflict resolutions, critical thinking and analytical skills.
- Demonstrates the ability to lead a team through emotional intelligence, adaptability, and motivational leadership, supporting employee engagement, relationship building, and a shared commitment to patient-centered care.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Ability to manage difficult and stressful situations with professional composure.
- Ability to adjust management styles to meet the needs of individuals.
- Ability to manage training requirements and resources.
- Team oriented individual able to work collaboratively to achieve team goals.
- Ability to lead by example and create a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion.
Licenses and Certifications
- Current New York State Physician Assistant License & Registration
- Certification from the National Commission of Physician Assistants, Inc (NCCPA)
- BLS Certification (issued by the American Heart Association)
- Current ACLS or PALS (if applicable)
Working Conditions/Physical Demands
Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of "any person, any study." No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRRA). We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.