Clinical Director; Physician Assistant Studies

Title: Clinical Director; Physician Assistant Studies Program

Date: August 11, 2022 Supersedes: n/a

FLSA: Exempt Hours: 32/week clinical release day 

(40/week w/o clinical release day)

1. Reporting Relationships

Position Reports to: Director, Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Program

Direct Responsibilities: Development, Oversight, Implementation, and Assessment of PA Studies Program Clinical Curriculum; Recruiting, Educating, and Maintaining Clinical Preceptors Sufficient in Number to Support All Enrolled Students Throughout All Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPEs.) 

Indirect Supervisory Responsibility: None

Position Backup is: Academic Director, PA Studies Program

2. Foundational Responsibilities

This is a full-time (32 hours 1 clinical release day per week), exempt faculty rank position, which possesses responsibility for administrative and accreditation related oversight of the SCPEs portion of the PA Studies Program curriculum. (If the Clinical Director chooses not to participate in clinical practice (direct patient care activities), then the full-time commitment will equate to 40 hours per week.

The Clinical Director for the PA Studies Program, in collaboration with the Director of Physician Assistant Studies, is responsible for: participating in the development of the program’s mission, goals, and competencies; screening and selecting student applicants; providing academic counselling to PA studies student advisees; assessment and quality assurance; preceptor and SCPE site recruitment and development, experiential curricular development, and administration for the Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPEs) portion of the Notre Dame of Maryland University PA Studies Program.  

This position will be responsible for: 

1) The recruitment and maintenance of sufficient SCPE (clinical practice) sites to meet all current and future PA cohort (35 or more students) needs for clinical experiences.

2) Ensuring that all Accreditation Review Commission for Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) standards pertaining to clinical experiences are met. 

3) In collaboration with the PA Program Director, Medical Director, and Academic Director, develop and implement curriculum, policies, procedures, processes, and documents that satisfy all of the following current and future ARC-PA Standards (5^th Edition, latest Clarifications) and Terms:

• A1.01; A1.10
• A2.16; A2/17
• A3.01; A3.03; A3.5; A3.06
• B1.01; B1.03
• B2.02; B2.03; B2.05; B2.09; B2.11
• B3.01; B3.02; B3.03; B3.04; B3.05; B3.06; B3.07
• B4.01; B4.03
• C1.01; C2.01
• D1.03; D1.05
• Terms per ARC-PA Glossary: Clinical Affiliates; Competencies; Distant Education; Elective Rotation; Health Records; Instructional Faculty; Instructional Objectives; Learning Outcomes; Medical Director; Preceptor; Rotation; Student Services; Summative Evaluation; Technical Standards; Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences; United States.   

3. Ongoing, Essential Functions

Assessment and Quality Assurance

1. Conduct and record periodic, on-site visits to SCPE sites, thereby evaluating preceptor(s) effectiveness and student experiences, to ensure supervised clinical experiences are meeting students’ needs for guidance and instruction, to facilitate each student’s successful achievement of expected learning outcomes and program defined competencies.
2. Ensure that all SCPEs are effective in leading students to successfully achieve expected learning outcomes and program defined competencies. 
3. Evaluate and ensure that consistency and equity in assessment of student(s) performance occurs with each preceptor and throughout each clinical experience.
4. Develop, implement, and oversee a policy and associated procedure(s) to ensure that all students participating in SCPEs adhere to “then current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for health professionals and state specific mandates”, as they pertain to vaccinations and infectious disease prevention.  

Recruitment, Development, and Retention of Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences and Preceptors

1. Participate in ongoing collaboration and communication with the Program Director, Medical Director, and Academic Director, to ensure that the clinical curriculum aligns with and delivers results that align with the NDMU PA Studies Program’s mission and program defined competencies.
2. Practice ongoing recruitment of new SCPE sites and preceptors that meet and exceed student’s needs for successful program completion and preparation for entry into professional clinical practice.
3. Develop, align, and deliver instructional development activities for preceptors, to facilitate advancement in the experiential learning outcomes for NDMU and non-NDMU students.

Responsibilities for the Experiential Curriculum

1. Oversight of and responsible for the development of expected learning outcomes, and the appropriate alignment with assessment tools and techniques for each required SCPE, including elective SCPEs. 
2. Development of all clinical course syllabi, clinical year student handbook(s), preceptor handbook(s), student assessment tools that are aligned with the NDMU PA Program’s learning outcomes and competencies, and other instructional and assessment tools, as necessary, for PA students who are participating in SCPEs.
3. Development, implementation, and delivery of student and preceptor SCPE orientation materials/programs.

Program Administration

1. Utilize appropriate, widely understood, adaptive technology to facilitate effective management and communication with clinical year students, preceptors, SCPE sites, the Program Director, Medical Director, PA faculty, and the PA Administrative Coordinator(s) regarding all aspects of the clinical phase of the PA Program, including but not limited to: rotation descriptions and materials, site selection and rotation schedules, program and student assessment tools, documentation of preceptor development, documentation of student safety and security, evaluation of student performance and successful completion of each/all SCPE(s), and student compliance with CDC guidelines for all vaccinations required for healthcare providers.  
2. Active participation in the PA Programs’ self-assessment/self-study activities by routinely and consistently gathering, organizing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from clinical experience performance data.
3. Perform other, agreed upon duties, as assigned by the PA Program Director and/or Provost. 

4. Qualifications

Educational Credentials: Graduation from an ARC-PA accredited Physician Assistant educational program or LCME or AOA accredited medical school. For PAs: Possession of Master’s degree is a minimum requirement; Doctorate Degree is preferred.

Certification & Licensure: For PAs: Current NCCPA Certification is required. Maryland licensure, or eligibility for licensure, is highly desired for PAs. For Physicians: Current and valid Maryland licensure is required for Physicians. In addition, board certification by an ABMS- or AOA-approved specialty board is also required.

Experience: A minimum of three years of clinical practice experience as a PA or Physician is required. Experience in provding instruction within a PA education program or medical school, and/or precepting PA or medical students is highly desirable.

Skills/Aptitude: The position requires excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to balance multiple deadlines and needs simultaneously; demonstrated respect for diversity/equity/inclusion.  Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs will be essential for success in the Clinical Director role.

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Some overtime may be required. As the Clinical Director will participate in site visits to a variety of organizations that provide direct patient care, this position has been identified as having a potential risk for occupational exposure to potentially infectious material; as such, this position is required to be offered the Hepatitis B Vaccine at no cost to the employee, and annual training on Preventing Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens must be completed.

The University offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to all employees who work at least 30 hours per week:

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision
• Flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care expenses
• Retirement Plan through TIAA
• University paid Life & Accidental Death & Dismemberment policy, and Short and Long Term Disability
• Tuition Remission and Tuition Exchange
• Generous Paid Time Off
• 14-16 Paid Holidays each year

Additional Information:

Notre Dame of Maryland University does not discriminate in offering equal access to its educational programs and activities or with respect to employment terms and conditions on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or protected veteran's status. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policy: Greg FitzGerald, Chief of Staff, Notre Dame of Maryland University, 4701 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210, 410-532-5109.

For all other employment inquiries, please contact Human Resources at 410-532-5898 or human_resources@ndm.edu. Notre Dame of Maryland University is an EEO employer.