Description

Physician Assistant – Otology/Neurotology & Hearing Care
Phoenix & Surprise, Arizona
Full-Time | Monday–Friday | Outpatient
No OR / No Surgical First Assist
Base Salary: $115,000–$130,000, Depending on Experience
Signing Bonus + Future Performance/Productivity Opportunity
New Graduates Encouraged to Apply
Prior ENT Experience Not Required

Develop a Specialty. Work Directly With a Neurotologist. Become an Expert in Hearing Care.

We are seeking an exceptional Physician Assistant to join a busy otology/neurotology practice in the Phoenix area.

This is a unique opportunity for a PA who wants to develop genuine expertise, work closely with a subspecialty physician, build meaningful relationships with patients, and progressively develop significant clinical independence.

You do not need previous ENT or otology experience.

For the right candidate, we will provide direct physician mentorship and structured training in otology, hearing loss, cochlear implant care, patient counseling, and clinical decision-making.

New graduates and early-career PAs are strongly encouraged to apply.

Our goal is to develop a PA who ultimately becomes a trusted clinical partner and a true extension of the physician in caring for patients with hearing loss and other ear disorders.

Why This Position Is Different
This position offers:

Direct mentorship and training from an experienced otologist/neurotologist.
A completely outpatient clinical role with no OR or surgical first-assist responsibilities.
The opportunity to develop specialized expertise in hearing loss and ear disorders.
Progressive clinical independence as your knowledge and confidence develop.
Meaningful patient relationships and longitudinal care.
A Monday–Friday schedule with no inpatient rounding.
Structured professional development during your first year.
Competitive salary, signing bonus, benefits, CME support, and future productivity incentives.
The opportunity to participate in a comprehensive cochlear implant program.
A career path in a specialty that many PA graduates have never had the opportunity to experience.
We are not looking for someone who simply wants to move patients through a clinic.

We are looking for someone who wants to become exceptionally good at a specialty.

The Person We Are Looking For
Clinical knowledge can be taught.

We place tremendous importance on qualities that are much harder to teach.

The ideal candidate is:

Warm, personable, and excellent with patients.
An exceptional listener and communicator.
Intelligent, intellectually curious, and eager to learn.
Highly coachable and receptive to mentorship.
Comfortable working with older adults and their families.
Interested in understanding not simply what we recommend, but why we recommend it.
Able to develop the confidence to say, “Here is what I recommend and why.”
Compassionate while still being comfortable having difficult or sensitive conversations.
Organized, dependable, and willing to take ownership of patient care.
A thoughtful problem-solver who comes to the physician with an assessment and proposed plan.
Mature enough to recognize when physician involvement is appropriate.
Someone who follows important issues through to completion.
We are particularly interested in candidates who enjoy talking with patients and helping them make good healthcare decisions.

What You Will Learn
During your first year, you will receive structured training in areas including:

Audiogram interpretation and hearing-loss evaluation.
Patient counseling and communication about hearing loss.
Medical and rehabilitative treatment options for hearing loss.
Otologic history and examination.
Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
Asymmetric hearing loss and appropriate diagnostic evaluation.
Hearing-aid candidacy and counseling.
Cochlear implant candidacy and patient pathways.
Tinnitus.
Common ear disorders.
Imaging and diagnostic testing.
Postoperative otologic care.
Clinical decision-making and appropriate escalation.
Office procedures within appropriate scope and training.
Our goal is not merely to give you protocols to follow.

We want you to understand the clinical reasoning behind our approach so that you can develop excellent judgment of your own.

Hearing Loss and Patient Counseling
A major focus of this position is helping patients understand and appropriately treat their hearing loss.

Excellent hearing care involves much more than looking at an audiogram.

You will learn how to:

Understand how hearing loss affects a patient's everyday life.
Identify the patient's goals, concerns, and barriers to treatment.
Explain hearing loss in understandable terms.
Help patients and families understand why treatment may be beneficial.
Discuss appropriate treatment options.
Address hesitation or resistance thoughtfully.
Make a clear clinical recommendation when appropriate.
Help patients make informed decisions without pressure or salesmanship.
We want a provider who can eventually sit across from a patient, understand the problem, explain it clearly, and confidently say:

“Based on what you have told me and what we are seeing, this is what I think you should do.”

Increasing Independence Over Time
We do not expect a new PA to function like an experienced otology PA on the first day.

Initially
You will spend significant time:

Working directly with the physician.
Observing patient encounters.
Learning our approach to hearing loss and otologic disease.
Reviewing audiograms, imaging, and other testing.
Discussing cases and clinical reasoning.
Learning how we communicate recommendations to patients and families.
As Your Knowledge Develops
You will progressively:

Conduct more of the patient encounter independently.
Develop an assessment and proposed treatment plan.
Present your clinical reasoning.
Counsel patients and families.
Manage defined categories of patients.
Perform appropriate office procedures after training.
Ultimately
The goal is for you to manage an appropriate patient panel with substantial independence while maintaining ready access to the physician whenever necessary.

Patient volume will increase progressively as your training, confidence, and clinical independence develop.

We do not expect a new graduate to begin with a mature high-volume schedule.

Clinical Responsibilities
As your training progresses, responsibilities will include:

Counseling patients regarding hearing loss and treatment options.
Evaluating new, follow-up, urgent, and postoperative patients.
Performing focused otologic histories and examinations.
Reviewing audiograms, imaging, laboratory results, and other diagnostic information.
Developing an assessment and proposed treatment plan.
Communicating results and recommendations clearly to patients and families.
Managing appropriate conditions independently within your training and scope.
Coordinating care with audiology and other members of the clinical team.
Providing postoperative follow-up.
Identifying possible complications and escalating appropriately.
Performing appropriate office procedures after training.
Maintaining accurate and timely documentation.
Ensuring important patient-care issues are followed through to completion.
Cochlear Implant Care
The PA will have an important role in our cochlear implant program.

With training, you will develop an understanding of the entire patient journey from initial evaluation through surgery and long-term follow-up.

Responsibilities may include:

Educating patients and families about cochlear implantation.
Reviewing hearing testing and clinical requirements.
Coordinating medical and audiologic evaluations.
Identifying outstanding testing, imaging, or clearances.
Helping guide patients through the evaluation process.
Coordinating with audiology, surgical scheduling, imaging facilities, and outside providers.
Following up proactively on incomplete requirements.
Reviewing cases for clinical readiness before physician review.
Participating in postoperative and longitudinal cochlear implant care.
The long-term goal is for the PA to develop substantial expertise in cochlear implant patient management.

Practice Leadership
As you become established in the practice, we expect you to take an active role in helping the clinical environment function well.

This includes:

Helping improve clinical workflow and patient experience.
Identifying problems and helping develop solutions.
Working collaboratively with audiologists, medical assistants, and administrative staff.
Helping clinical staff understand proper instrument handling and clinical processes.
Ensuring necessary otologic and procedural equipment is available and functioning.
Recognizing equipment or supply problems before they interfere with patient care.
This does not mean functioning as an inventory clerk.

It means taking professional ownership of the environment in which you care for patients.

Schedule and Lifestyle
This is primarily an outpatient clinical position.

Monday–Friday
Approximately 7:30 AM–5:00 PM
No operating-room responsibilities
No surgical first assisting
No inpatient rounding
No routine hospital-based responsibilities
There may be limited responsibility for occasional patient questions outside normal clinic hours.

This is not traditional hospital or surgical call. The PA's role is primarily appropriate telephone triage, guidance within scope, recognition of issues that require escalation, and appropriate documentation.

The specific coverage schedule will be discussed clearly during the interview process.

Compensation and Benefits
We want the compensation structure to reward both professional development and long-term clinical contribution.

The anticipated package includes:

Base salary of approximately $115,000–$130,000 depending on experience.
Signing bonus.
Performance/productivity bonus opportunity as clinical independence develops.
Formal compensation review as skills and responsibilities increase.
Employer-sponsored health benefits.
Retirement plan.
Paid time off.
Dedicated CME time.
Annual CME allowance.
Professional liability coverage.
Arizona licensing and required credentialing expenses.
NCCPA-related professional expenses.
Support for appropriate professional society membership.

For a new graduate, the first several months are intentionally focused on training rather than maximizing productivity.

As clinical independence and productivity increase, compensation can increase accordingly.

Professional Development
We view the first year as an investment in developing a highly skilled otology PA.

You will have the opportunity to build expertise that is difficult to acquire in a typical general PA position.

At the end of that period, our objective is that you will not simply have completed another year of clinical employment.

You will have developed substantial expertise in:

otology, audiology interpretation, hearing-loss management, cochlear implant care, patient counseling, and clinical decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications
Graduate of an ARC-PA-accredited Physician Assistant program.
NCCPA certification or eligibility.
Active Arizona PA license or ability to obtain one.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Strong work ethic and organizational ability.
Desire to learn and develop professionally.
Commitment to excellent patient care.
ENT, otology, neurotology, cochlear implant, surgical, or postoperative experience is welcome but not required.

Who Should Apply
We particularly encourage applications from:

Graduating PAs looking for a specialty in which they can build a career.
Newer PAs who want close physician mentorship and professional development.
PAs who enjoy patient education, counseling, and clinical decision-making.
PAs who enjoy working with older adults.
Experienced outpatient PAs interested in transitioning into a specialty.
ENT PAs who prefer a predominantly office-based role rather than the operating room.
PAs looking for progressively greater clinical responsibility and independence.

If you want to work closely with a subspecialist, become an expert in hearing and ear disorders, build meaningful relationships with patients, and progressively develop significant clinical independence, we would like to meet you.

Requirements

Graduate of an ARC-PA-accredited Physician Assistant program.
NCCPA certification or eligibility.
Active Arizona PA license or ability to obtain one.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Strong work ethic and organizational ability.
Desire to learn and develop professionally.
Commitment to excellent patient care.