Description

Position Summary:  
The Director of Clinical Education plays a pivotal role in our Physician Assistant Program, providing oversight and guidance for the clinical education component. This individual collaborates closely with the clinical coordinators to ensure effective management of clinical rotations, compliance with accreditation standards, and high-quality clinical experiences. The Director of Clinical Education partners with faculty, staff, preceptors, and healthcare institutions to foster strong relationships and provide a comprehensive and enriching clinical education program for our students.

Key Responsibilities:
1. Clinical Rotations Management:

• Collaborate with the clinical coordinators on the placement of students in clinical rotations; provide final review and approval regarding the appropriateness of sites and experiences.
• Jointly monitor and evaluate the quality of clinical experiences with the clinical coordinators, seeking feedback from students, preceptors, and clinical sites.
• Support efforts to ensure students have access to a diverse range of rotations across medical specialties.

2. Compliance and Accreditation:

• Ensure compliance with accreditation standards related to clinical education, including those set forth by ARC-PA.
• Verify maintenance of documentation and records related to clinical placements, preceptor qualifications, and student evaluations.
• Collaborate with the accreditation team to prepare reports and documentation for accreditation reviews.

3. Student Support and Guidance:

• Provide guidance and support to students throughout their clinical rotations, addressing any concerns or challenges that arise.
• Work collaboratively with the clinical coordinators to facilitate orientation sessions and ongoing communication to prepare students for clinical experiences and expectations.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to identify students who may require remediation based on academic or clinical performance evaluations.
• Review student performance data, including grades, assessments, and feedback from faculty and preceptors, to assess areas of deficiency.
• Develop individualized remediation plans for students, outlining specific goals, objectives, and interventions to address identified deficiencies.
• Consult with faculty, clinical preceptors, and other stakeholders to tailor remediation plans to the unique needs and learning styles of each student.
• Coordinate remediation activities, including additional coursework, clinical experiences, tutoring, or other educational interventions.
• Monitor student progress throughout the remediation process, providing ongoing support, guidance, and feedback.
• Adjust remediation plans as needed based on student progress and feedback from faculty and preceptors.

4. Preceptor Development:

• Foster relationships with preceptors and provide ongoing support, recognition, and appreciation for their contributions to the program.
• Collaborate with faculty to develop and disseminate educational materials and resources for preceptors.

5. Curriculum Integration:

• Collaborate with faculty to integrate clinical experiences with didactic curriculum components, ensuring alignment with program goals and objectives.
• Participate in curriculum development and revision processes to incorporate feedback and updates from clinical experiences.
• Identify opportunities to enhance the integration of clinical education with other programmatic elements.

Administrative Responsibilities:
1. Work collaboratively with the clinical team to ensure duties and responsibilities to the Program and Institution are met and all elements related to student placement are fully executed.
2. Review and alert the Program Director of any negative preceptor evaluation of student or student evaluation of preceptor.
3. Review and update the Handbook, Clinical Manual, and Preceptor Handbook annually and make recommendations for updates and obtain prior approval from the Program Director before instituting changes.
4. Collaborate with all MC PA program clinical year course coordinators to ensure updated syllabi, grades, and clinical tracking items are complete and properly recorded. 
5. Maintain clinical phase education file including lecture topics, schedule, and guest lecturers
6. Keep Program Director informed of clinical meeting outcomes and general effectiveness of the integration of lecture and course content focusing on course analysis of potential problem areas and resolutions.
7. Attend PAEA at least every two years. Professional development activities are required by Marietta College each year to be current with new medical knowledge required by the Program.
8. Adhere to all college and program policies as described in the job description, employee/faculty handbooks, and other separate guidelines and memos.
9. Attend all Faculty and Staff, associated Committee meetings and faculty and student interview sessions.

Teaching Responsibilities:
1. Oversee the clinical phase lecture series, all clinical year assessments and OSCEs, board review week, call back day activities, EOR review sessions, student remediations, and Professional Issues II course. 
2. Provide individualized student coaching for specific organ systems and task content areas as it relates to EOR exam performance, PACKRAT, and End of Curriculum exams for at risk students or those seeking additional help. 
3. Develop and deliver instructional sessions focused on improving students' test-taking strategies, including analysis of question stems, identification of common distractors, time management during exams, and application of critical thinking to multiple-choice and performance-based assessments.
4. Minimal didactic lecture or grading as designated by PD
5. Proctor clinical educational activities throughout clinical year and provide continuous student evaluation.
6. Keep the Program Director informed of student or program issues.

Committee Services Responsibilities:
1. Assist with the clinical assessment component during the curriculum and ARC committee meetings.
2. Direct and/or participate in college and program committees as assigned by the Program Director.
3. Plan and participate in an annual program retreat that may include but not limited to the Program Director, clinical faculty and staff, preceptors and clinical students. The annual clinical review consists of course evaluations and data analysis for the entire clinical phase, including strategic planning for the following year.
4. Assist the Admissions Committee by reviewing prospective student applications, interviewing, and selecting candidates for the program.
5. Participate in all candidate interview sessions as assigned
6. Assist with new student orientation.
7. Attend weekly or biweekly scheduled faculty, student, and staff meetings prepared to discuss academic/clinical student progress and program updates.
8. Attend student, faculty, and College quarterly meetings as assigned.
9. Attend community services opportunities to support students

Curriculum Evaluation:
1. Provide ongoing assessment of curriculum. Collect and analyze data over time providing data analysis for program improvement.
2. Review course evaluations making recommended changes as instructed. Update curriculum yearly.
3. Assist in the designing, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating the clinical curriculum as assigned.
4. Advise students about job opportunities and legal and professional issues.
5. Attend local and regional social and professional meetings to recruit preceptors and provide information about program.
6. Broaden didactic/clinical educational baseline by attending PAEA and other medical educator courses focusing on professional faculty development.

Publications:
1. As directed, write, edit, and review program information materials, newsletters, reports, grants, and articles regarding the clinical learning year for publication.
2. Write letters of recommendation for students and graduates upon request.
3. Oversee capstone advisees as it relates to program master's level research project. 

Professional Activities:
1. As a healthcare provider, maintain national professional accreditation (NCCPA).
2. As a healthcare provider, maintain professional state licensure.
3. As a healthcare provider, maintain membership in appropriate professional organizations such as AAPA, OAPA, and PAEA. Attend appropriate continuing medical education courses to improve medical education knowledge and didactic assessment skills.
4. Participate in one departmental or MCPASS community event yearly.

Professional Expectations:
1. Understand and fulfill job duties within the scope of the mission statement.
2. Adhere to the policies and procedures of the College.
3. Maintains professionalism in actions, communication, and behavior in every aspect of the position.
4. Attends and completes any required training, certifications, or other professional development.

Requirements

Required Skills and Abilities: 

1. Able to function independently while operating effectively within a team environment.
2. Excellent oral and written skills and ability to communicate comfortably with students, colleagues, and external constituents.
3. Ability to prioritize and exercise independent judgement in high pressure situations while maintaining composure and a professional demeanor.
4. Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
5. Maintain knowledge of current ARC-PA Standard and implement into curriculum
6. Ability to Participate in faculty development with other faculty members

Required Experience & Education:

1. Master's degree in physician assistant studies, education, or a related field required
2. Current certification as a Physician Assistant (PA-C) and eligibility for licensure in the state of practice.
3. Minimum of 3 years of experience in PA education, clinical practice, or healthcare administration.
4. Strong understanding of accreditation standards and regulations governing clinical education in healthcare programs.
5. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
6. Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including students, faculty, preceptors, and healthcare professionals.
7. Demonstrated leadership abilities and a commitment to fostering a supportive learning environment for students.
8. Experience with curriculum development, evaluation, and assessment preferred.

Physical Requirements:

1. Primarily sedentary work in an office setting with occasional standing and walking.
2. Use of office equipment including computers, printers, copiers with lifting of less than 20lb occasionally to fill machines or move files.