Founding Principal Faculty - Physician Associate Program

Join the Founding Team — Help Build the Future of Physician Associate Education at Southwestern College!

Southwestern College invites applications for a Founding Principal Faculty (1.0 FTE, tenure-track, in-person) position in its developing Master of Science in Physician Associate Studies program. This is a unique opportunity to shape a new PA program from the ground up within a mission-driven, student-centered academic community preparing students to serve as compassionate, competent healthcare providers across Kansas and beyond.

Primary Responsibilities

• Participate in the development, review, and revision of the PA program's mission, goals, competencies, and learning outcomes.
• Participate in the selection of applicants for admission to the PA program, including recruitment, application review, interviewing, and admissions activities.
• Serve as a course director and provide student instruction within the didactic and/or clinical curriculum consistent with areas of expertise and program needs.
• Develop and maintain course syllabi, instructional objectives, learning activities, and student assessments consistent with program curricular goals and ARC-PA Standards.
• Evaluate student academic, clinical, and professional performance.
• Provide academic advising and counseling to students throughout the program.
• Identify student learning deficiencies and participate in assuring the availability and implementation of appropriate remedial instruction.
• Participate in the design, implementation, coordination, evaluation, and ongoing revision of the PA program curriculum.
• Participate in ongoing program evaluation, assessment, and continuous quality improvement.
• Participate in accreditation activities and the preparation and maintenance of required program documentation.
• Assist, as appropriate, in the development and maintenance of clinical partnerships and Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE) sites.
• Participate in faculty meetings, committees, student progression activities, and other service responsibilities of the program and college.
• Engage in professional development and scholarly activity consistent with institutional expectations and the faculty role.
• Maintain clinical competence and professional engagement appropriate to assigned teaching responsibilities.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate of an ARC-PA accredited Physician Assistant/Associate program.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher; master’s degree or higher preferred. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree and substantial relevant clinical and/or educational experience will be considered.
• Current NCCPA certification and eligibility for licensure as a physician assistant in Kansas.
• Minimum of three years of full-time clinical experience.
• Demonstrated professional competence and ability to provide instruction appropriate to assigned areas of responsibility.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience in PA education, including didactic instruction, clinical education, and/or coordination of supervised clinical practice experiences.
• Experience serving as a clinical preceptor.
• Experience with curriculum development, student assessment, academic advising, and remediation.
• Familiarity with ARC-PA Standards and accreditation processes.
• Experience with program evaluation and continuous quality improvement.

Why Join Us

We recognize that great faculty are the heart of every PA program — and we invest in their success. Southwestern College offers an environment where academic excellence, flexibility, and professional growth thrive.

• Supportive and Flexible Academic Environment: Join a collaborative faculty team with flexibility that recognizes the varied responsibilities of teaching, scholarship, service, and professional practice including protected clinical release time.
• Generous Faculty Development Support: Access funding and opportunities for conferences, CME, scholarship, leadership development, and maintenance of professional certification and licensure.
• Collaborative Start-Up Culture: Help shape curriculum, assessment, student support systems, clinical partnerships, and program processes as a member of the founding faculty team.
• Mission-Driven Impact: Contribute to the development of a PA program committed to addressing healthcare workforce needs across rural Kansas and the region.

About Southwestern College

Located in Winfield, Kansas, Southwestern College is developing the PA program as part of its bold strategic plan, SC 2028: Building Our Future, focused on:

• Preparing students to lead and serve their communities.
• Strengthening healthcare and education partnerships across Kansas and beyond.
• Ensuring institutional vitality through innovation and strategic growth.
• At Southwestern, you’ll find a vibrant academic community committed to excellence, collaboration, and student success — a place where you can make a lasting difference in healthcare education.

To Apply

Submit a letter of application, detailed resume and complete contact information for three (3) professional references to: Human Resources, 100 College St., Winfield, KS, 67156 or email HumanResources@sckans.edu (submissions may be either electronic or on paper). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until positions are filled. The successful candidate will be subject to a criminal background check. Southwestern College is an AA/EOE employer.

Southwestern College has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Southwestern College anticipates matriculating its first class in February 2028, pending achieving Accreditation - Provisional status at the October 2027 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. The program will not matriculate students unless Accreditation-Provisional status is granted by ARC-PA.