APP Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship - Utah

The cardiothoracic surgery APP fellowship at Intermountain Medical Center, located in Utah, is a twelve-month program designed to prepare NPs and PAs for a career in cardiothoracic surgery. The fellows' time will primarily be split rotating between cardiac and thoracic surgery, with elective opportunities in critical care and vascular surgery. The opportunity is for one APP to join our team full-time, for a benefits eligible learning position, with potential for continued employment after.

Our team of APPs supports both the thoracic and cardiac surgery services utilizing their full scope of practice, with first assistance in the operating room, post operative acute care, critical care, and outpatient management of patients. Our team takes great pride in being able to practice alongside our surgeons with great autonomy. This is truly a great chance for an applicant to learn how to practice at the top of their license, sharpen their critical thinking skills, and gain confidence in their decision making.

This position is accountable for the provision of patient care and other duties as permitted by licensure and defined within Credentialing and Privileging documentation at Intermountain Medical Center, Credentialing and Scope of Practice within Intermountain Medical Center and Intermountain Medical Group, Consultation and Referral Plan (NP), Delegation of Services Agreement (PA) (DOPL) or other similar documentation as appropriate.

Launch your career in adult cardiothoracic surgery with a 12-month Advanced Practice Fellowship at Intermountain Medical Center (IMED) in Salt Lake City, Utah. You’ll train side-by-side with an experienced, supportive team while caring for adult cardiac and thoracic surgery patients across the full continuum; OR, ICU/acute care, and clinic. From day one, you’ll build true top-of-license skills with progressive responsibility, including first assisting in the operating room, managing complex post-operative patients, and providing longitudinal outpatient follow-up. We value efficiency, compassion, and precision, and we foster a collegial, high-accountability culture that rewards curiosity, initiative, and growth.

While your primary focus is adult cardiac and thoracic surgery, you’ll also have elective opportunities in critical care and vascular surgery to broaden your skillset and strengthen perioperative decision-making. You’ll complete a clinical research project or case study to submit, an excellent opportunity to contribute to cardiothoracic surgery quality improvement and outcomes-focused work, with support to present at national conferences and publish. For the right candidate, this fellowship is a pathway to confident independent practice and a strong foundation for continued employment on our cardiothoracic surgery team. 

About us

Cardiac Surgery: The Cardiac Surgery service includes 5 cardiac surgeons, 7 hospitals, OR APPs, and 3 dedicated clinic APPs. APPs play an integral role across the care continuum; leading floor and ICU rounds, coordinating perioperative care, and providing first assistance in the operating room. Our case mix includes coronary bypass, valvular surgery, heart transplant, and ECMO/mechanical circulatory support implantation. With strong surgeon partnership and a team-based model, APPs practice with a high degree of autonomy in clinical decision-making. In clinic, APPs manage post-operative follow-up and also support new patient evaluations.

Thoracic Surgery: The Thoracic Surgery service includes 3 thoracic surgeons and 6 APPs. APPs rotate through the operating room, inpatient rounds/consults, and outpatient clinic, gaining broad exposure while building procedural and clinical expertise. Our surgeons care for a wide range of thoracic conditions, including lung cancer and other chest malignancies, benign foregut disease, and esophageal cancer. Minimally invasive approaches, including thoracoscopic, laparoscopic, and robotic techniques, are routinely used alongside open surgery, providing a diverse and high-impact surgical experience.

Fellowship goals and mission statement

Aligned with the Intermountain Health mission, the Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery APP Fellowship prepares NPs and PAs for safe, high-quality, patient-centered practice in adult cardiac and thoracic surgery through competency-based clinical training, structured didactics, mentorship, and scholarly activity with progressive autonomy.

Fellowship goals are to develop perioperative cardiothoracic competence across the OR, ICU/acute care, and clinic; build progressive clinical reasoning and procedural skills through observation, feedback, and competency-based assessment; apply evidence-based practice through didactics and journal club; collaborate effectively across the interprofessional team to ensure safe transitions and an excellent patient experience; complete a QI and/or research project with dissemination; strengthen professional identity, resilience, and leadership through mentorship; and graduate practice-ready APPs prepared for a supported transition to independent cardiothoracic surgery practice.

Responsibilities

The fellow is primarily responsible for learning first and foremost. To facilitate this process, maximum time spent in clinical practice is the goal. This will include significant time spent in the operating room, critical care management, and outpatient clinical management. The amount of autonomy will progress throughout the program. This will include on-call responsibilities with more and more independence as the fellow progresses. 

Schedule

Five days a week, with call duties incorporated once the provider is established. One weekend a month of rounding; nights and holidays could be included. Fellows will receive up to 10 days of PTO, with 3-5 CME days, and a CME stipend.