The Advanced Practice Provider will act as the primary surgical first assistant during complex microsurgical cases, including suturing microscopic vessels and managing specialized equipment. Responsibilities also include conducting preoperative patient evaluations and closely monitoring reconstructed tissues postoperatively for viability.
Requirements summary
Candidates must be a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant capable of performing high-precision procedures involving microscopic tissue, requiring extreme manual dexterity and stamina for long surgeries. Essential skills include strong communication for multidisciplinary collaboration and explaining complex recovery protocols.
Benefis is one of Montana’s largest and premier health systems, and we are committed to providing excellent care for all, healing body, mind, and spirit.
At Benefis, we work hard to support our employees in every aspect of their careers by offering outstanding benefits and compensation, state-of-the-art facilities, and multiple growth opportunities.
The only thing missing is you!
Advanced Practice Provider – Plastic, Reconstruction and Microsurgery Benefis Health System, in Great Falls, Montana, is seeking a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant to join our Plastic Surgery team, working under the supervision of a surgeon specializing in Plastics, Reconstruction, and Microsurgery performing high-precision procedures involving microscopic tissue, small blood vessels, and nerves.
Core Responsibilities Partner to a triple board-certified surgeon providing expert surgical care for a wide variety of patient populations with a special focus in breast flaps and microsurgical services for women’s health Intraoperative Assistance: Acts as the primary surgical first assistant during complex microsurgical cases, such as free tissue transfers (flaps), limb replantation, and nerve grafting.
This includes: Suturing microscopic vessels and nerves under a high-power microscope.
Ensuring meticulous hemostasis and handling delicate tissues.
Setting up and managing specialized microsurgical equipment and instruments.
Preoperative Care: Conducts comprehensive patient evaluations, reviews medical histories, and orders/interprets diagnostic imaging (e.g., CT angiograms) to plan for complex reconstructions.
Postoperative Management: Closely monitors the viability of reconstructed tissues, often requiring hourly flap checks to ensure adequate blood flow and detect early signs of vessel failure.
Clinical Duties: Performs minor procedures in clinic settings, such as wound debridement, punch biopsies, or drain removals.
Essential Skills Manual Dexterity: Extreme precision and steady hands are critical for working with sutures thinner than a human hair.
Stamina
Must be able to remain focused during lengthy, multi-hour surgeries (often 8–12+ hours for complex reconstructions).
Communication
Strong collaboration with a multidisciplinary surgical team and the ability to explain complex recovery protocols to patients and families. This surgeon is willing to provide training required skill sets if the applicant is determined to be a strong fit for the team. Why we stand out Epic electronic medical record and good clinical support staffing structures Stand alone, financially stable, not-for-profit health system led by a CEO with a 20+ year tenure Over 460 employed physicians and advanced practice providers on medical staff Regional tertiary center with robust specialty support including neurosurgery, pulmonology, neurology, endocrinology, rheumatology, advanced gastroenterology, cardiothoracic, and more! Patient focused, quality community and regional medical care Native American programs designed to ensure patients and their families receive care that is culturally sensitive, respectful, and supportive of their unique needs and traditions.
Benefits
Paid time off
Relocation assistance
Retirement match
Paid malpractice
CME
Tail coverage
International airport with direct flights to: DEN, SLC, SEA, ORD, LAS and PHX How we support you Nationally competitive compensation structures with guaranteed salaries and performance bonuses 33 days paid time off (28 days PTO, 5 days CME) Relocation assistance Annual $5,000 CME + $1,000 license/dues 5-7% retirement match Paid malpractice + tail Provider wellness programs focused on personal and professional development Monthly meetings with highest-level physician and administrative leadership to bring ideas forward and solve issues
Community
Information: Great Falls is known as Montana’s base camp for art and adventure with a city population of 70,000, and a draw of over 275,000 people in north central Montana. We have four genuine seasons, experience mild winters and enjoy blue skies over 300 days per year. Great Falls is a wonderful and safe place to raise a family, with nationally ranked public schools, endless activities, two accredited colleges, a brand-new nursing school, a biomedical rural health research institute, and a new not-for-profit medical school, TouroCOM Montana. Additionally, the Missouri River, a blue-ribbon fly-fishing destination, runs through the middle of our community with over 60 miles of paved recreational trails. Our local outdoor activities include camping, backpacking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, water and snow skiing, rock and ice climbing, boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, off-road motor sports, and hunting making our quality of life unrivaled in the Rocky Mountain West. Additionally, in 2023, Montana was named #1 state in the nation to practice medicine by WalletHub and in 2020, Great Falls ranked #10 for best cities to practice in after the pandemic by Business Insider. Benefis Health System is one of Montana’s largest tertiary centers holding a level II trauma designation. We are proud to be a standalone, financially stable community health system with strong, dedicated leadership focused on providing the best patient care in Montana, in addition to being awarded Becker’s “Best Places To Work in Healthcare” for 7 years. Benefis covers ¼ of the state’s land mass, an area comparable in size to Kansas and can provide advanced care for everything except for burns and organ transplants. We offer great specialty support including neurosurgery, cardiothoracic and vascular, advanced gastroenterology, a regional cancer institute and a state-of-the-art emergency trauma department with a dedicated air ambulance program, including fixed and rotor wing. Visit our website www.benefis.org for more information Submit your CV today to learn more, EricaMartin@benefis.org or ProviderCareers@benefis.org The professional team members at Benefis bring their passion and skills to work every day, providing exceptional care for each patient. Joining the Benefis community gives you the chance to build a rewarding career as part of Montana’s premier health system. This is your opportunity to be part of an exceptional health system in a state that is well known for its beautiful four seasons and outdoor lifestyle. While enjoying the last best place, you’ll have the added benefit of having access to Benefis Health System, one of the state’s most modern and progressive healthcare facilities with 500+ beds and over 308 employed medical staff members representing more than 40 specialties. Our state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technologies make Benefis an exceptional working environment.
