Director of Didactic Education, Physician Assistant

Full Job Description

South University provides a warm, supportive learning environment that will encourage you to join a community of faculty, staff and students eager to play a role in helping you achieve your professional goals, on campus and online. The South University 125-year story—past, present, and future—is a history formed by the many individuals who have developed the education and spirit of community that have become our pledge to students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters of South University. Whether you have been part of the University family for many years, have recently come our way, or are thinking about joining us, you will find South University to be a place you can call home. What’s next for you is the first priority for us! Visit www.southuniversity.edu today to learn more about what makes us stand apart as a place where you can make a difference in the lives of students eager to learn and grow. South University, the right direction for a brighter future. Benefits:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision

FSA/HSA Tuition Assistant Program Long/Short Term Disability Life Insurance Employee Assistance Program 401K Match Paid Time Off 12 Paid Holidays

• includes domestic partner coverage

POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Clinical Education is responsible for oversight of all aspects of the clinical phase of the Physician Assistant Program. It is expected that the Director of Clinical Education will provide effective leadership toward meeting program and student learning outcomes related to the clinical phase of the program. The Director of Clinical Education will work with the Program Director and other members of the PA faculty to ensure that the program‘s clinical phase is in compliance with all ARC‐PA Accreditation Standards pertaining to supervised clinical practice experiences. The Director of Clinical Education should work in synergy with their counterpart at PA programs on other South University campuses. The Director of Clinical Education is a member of the faculty (rank commensurate with experience) with the Physician Assistant Program. Incumbent must assure that the South University philosophy is considered in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of this position: quality services to clients; development, growth, involvement, and recognition of employees; sound economic principles; and maintenance of an environment which is conducive to innovation, positive thinking and expansion. KEY JOB ELEMENTS:

• Oversees clinical curriculum development, which includes the design and implementation of the clinical phase of the program.
• Supervises all members of the program’s Clinical Education Team (CET).
• Oversees ongoing assessment and improvement of the clinical phase of the program to include evaluation of student performance, preceptor performance, clinical site quality, and clinical curriculum.
• Collaborates with the Program Director and site development coordinator to design and implement an ongoing clinical site monitoring plan to ensure the program has adequate SCPE sites.
• Manages faculty coordination by assigning clinical coursework to instructional faculty and preceptors.
• Provides teaching and instruction in the PA program including:
• Overseeing coordination of instruction for all clinical courses and rotations annually.
• Lecturing in areas of clinical and/or professional expertise.
• Providing academic advising as a small group facilitator and student advisor.
• Provides input to assist with accreditation activities, as well as ongoing program evaluation and mission statement review.
• Participates in the program’s admissions process to include student recruitment, student evaluation (through application review and candidate interviews), and student selection meetings.
• Collaborates with the Director of Didactic Education on ongoing assessment of student performance toward attaining the program’s student learning outcomes.
• Engages in service, community and campus relations, and scholarly activities appropriate to the role of Director of Clinical Education and PA faculty.
• Participates in faculty development opportunities each year as required in the areas of teaching and academic administration.
• Provides remedial instruction as needed.
• Adheres to university policies as described in the Employee Handbook, the Faculty Supplement to the Employee Handbook, job description, or other separate guidelines.
• Remains in compliance with South University’s academic policies and procedures, educational policies, both SACSCOC and programmatic accreditation standards, and state agency regulations.
• Assists with the investigation of student problems requiring academic actions according to South University policies and procedures.
• Upholds Program/Department/College initiatives designed to achieve student outcomes, and Campus/community relations.
• Performs instructional duties as assigned and as outlined in the job description and in accordance with the provisions of the Faculty Supplement to the South University Employee Handbook.
• Assists with other responsibilities as determined by the Program Director and/or the Campus Dean of Academic Affairs.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:Knowledge:

• Graduation from an accredited PA program.
• Terminal degree as a Physician Assistant.
• Current or emeritus NCCPA certification.
• PAs with active certification must be eligible for licensure or hold an active, valid, and unencumbered stat license in the state where they are assigned.
• 1-2 years academic experience preferred.
• 2 years clinical experience required.
• Experience in PA/medical classroom teaching and PA education administration highly preferred.

Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to build successful relationships with students and faculty.
• Strong interpersonal skills with student, faculty, and staff populations.
• Excellent critical thinking, conflict resolution, and decision‐making skills.
• Superior organization, prioritization, and self-motivation skills.
• Strong computer skills, including MS Office Suite, ExamSoft, and WebAdMIT.

Abilities:

• Ability to interact effectively with clinical health care providers and administrators to establish and maintain strong relationships with clinical affiliates/sites.
• Ability to interact effectively as both a leader and as a member of a team and work collaboratively with other departments.
• Ability to read, understand, interpret, and implement accreditation criteria and state agency regulations.
• Ability to effectively present information to faculty, academic and campus leaders, corporate leaders, and public groups.
• Ability to resolve inquiries and complaints from employees, students, regulatory agencies, or members of the academic or business community.
• Ability to listen to staff, students, clinical preceptors, and members of the medical community in order to understand and respond appropriately to their needs and requests.
• Ability to adapt to changing assignments and multiple priorities.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and successfully meet deadlines.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The term “qualified individual with a disability” means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the position. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate professionally in person, over the telephone, video conference, through email and other electronic means, move about the office or school, handle various types of media and equipment, and visually or otherwise identify, observe and assess. The employee is occasionally required to lift up to 10 pounds unless otherwise specified in the job description. South University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity as a critical step in ensuring employee, student and graduate success. We are committed to building and developing a diverse environment where a variety of ideas, cultures and perspectives can thrive.