Academic Director, Physician Assistant Program

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Academic Director, Physician Assistant Program

DATE: Priority given to applicants who apply by July 1, 2023

DEPARTMENT: Academic Affairs, College of Health Sciences

REPORTS TO: PA Program Director

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

LOCATION: Campus with up to 20% remote

POSITIONS SUPERVISED: The Academic Director supervises all academic program faculty and staff

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS BRIEF SUMMARY OF OPERATIONALIZING THE MVV

The Division of Academic Affairs is responsible for operationalizing the MVV through the lens of student experience and success. The four key goals that align with the university strategic priorities and operationalize the MVV within academic affairs include:

1. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS
2. FACULTY AND STAFF ("WORKFORCE") ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION
3. EXCELLENCE THROUGH CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
4. SUSTAINABILITY

The division sees COMPLIANCE not as a goal, but as a way of doing business and ensures compliance is embedded in all we do.

Through the Division of Academic Affairs program philosophy and brand awareness, the curriculum is designed and developed to be in line with or at the forefront of current educational best practices, as such, the pedagogical practices within each program must consider the constructivist learning theory that is based in students constructing knowledge and meaning from experience. Constructivist classrooms are student-centered, interactive, and provide ample opportunity to apply new knowledge through building upon existing knowledge with hands-on and practical application. Activities to introduce and reinforce the defined learning outcomes, ensure relevant and meaningful learning goals; and are kept up to date based on the current state and anticipated needs of future professionals; our students. Experiential programs understand that early and immersive clinical education embedded into these programs in a meaningful way, is critical to developing the most confident and capable clinicians.

In a demanding environment, such as health professions and health science education, the Division of Academic Affairs ensures students are supported for success not only through its curriculum design and delivery philosophy and by knowledgeable, available, and engaged faculty; but also, through support and co-curricular experiences that provide students with the resources and well-rounded experience they need to meet their educational goals.

The Division of Academic Affairs assesses the effectiveness of its programs, key processes, and strategic priorities and uses the knowledge gained from the assessment process to continually learn, grow, and improve for the good of our current and future students.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Academic Director reports directly to the Program Director and is responsible for the ongoing development, management, coordination, and evaluation of the Physician Assistant Program curriculum. The Academic Director is a key member of the leadership team and in concert with the Program Director oversees the Physician Assistant Program didactic curriculum. Initial duties will include preparation of the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) Accreditation application. Other duties include teaching, scholarship, academic advising, service, and professional activities.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Lead the development, management, implementation, and evaluation of a transformative curriculum.
2. Assist with preparation of grants, reports, and self-studies related to ongoing funding and program accreditation.
3. Assist program director and/or their designee with budget planning, curriculum development, by tracking ongoing progress.
4. Participate in the ARC-PA application, self-study, and site visits activities necessary in acquiring provisional and continuing program accreditation.
5. Assist program director and/or their designee with accreditation documentation and problem-solving activities related to the didactic curriculum.
6. Oversee a comprehensive evaluation process for the physician assistant program, ensuring there are valid and reliable measures to assess student achievement of program objectives/competencies, course reviews, faculty teaching, and programmatic effectiveness.
7. Oversee the curriculum management process ensuring there is horizontal and vertical integration of objectives and competencies in the curriculum database.
8. Support the development and implementation of innovative and integrated teaching and learning strategies to include instructional technologies and simulation learning.
9. Support educational research and scholarship to foster a learning community of educator-scholars who will ensure educational excellence for all Physician Assistant students.
10. Assist in coordinating the delivery of the didactic courses including planning the sequencing of content.
11. Develop and maintain didactic year syllabi consistent with ARC-PA standards.
12. Develop and maintain a didactic course schedule regarding day-to-day didactic course activities.
13. Assist in the admission, remediation, and retention of physician assistant students during the didactic and clinical educational training.
14. Teach, evaluate, and advise didactic and clinical physician assistant students.
15. Serve on committees and subcommittees related to education and curriculum and serve as a resource to other committees as necessary.
16. Engage regularly with students/student representatives to provide a participatory forum for students to voice educational issues and provide ongoing feedback.
17. Monitor and report regional, national and international trends in physician assistant education.
18. Performs other duties as assigned by the program director and or his/her designee

EDUCATION

• A Doctorate in an appropriate field of health/medical education is preferred
• A master’s degree in Physician Assistant/Associate studies is required.
• Certificates & Licenses: Required as appropriate to degree possessed.

EXPERIENCE/EXPERIENCE

• Current NCCPA certification and eligible for state licensure
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively in complex interdisciplinary and interprofessional settings.
• Demonstrated ability to engage, support, and lead diverse groups.
• Minimum 2 years of experience providing full-time physician assistant/associate education.
• Minimum 3 years of experience as a physician assistant.
• Expertise in pedagogy, learning, and assessment,
• Demonstrated success in working with faculty, administrators, students, and staff within a higher education learning community.

ATTRIBUTES

1. Mission driven; and
2. values and promotes diversity; and
3. demonstrates empathy; and
4. puts students first; and
5. demonstrates a positive attitude; and
6. values evidence informed practices; and
7. demonstrates character; and
8. promotes teamwork.

COMPETENCIES

Key competencies include social and emotional intelligence, courage, conflict management skills, decision-making skills, influence skills, and content expertise consistent with the position description, responsibilities, and attributes. To perform the job successfully an individual must have a strong academic and Health Professions Education background, with demonstrated administrative and organizational ability. The individual must have successful teaching experience, strong interpersonal and written/oral communication skills, be a good listener, and be able to work with individuals and groups effectively. The individual must be able to set goals and objectives, prioritize and plan work activities, and meet deadlines. The individual must be an effective mentor and supervisor. The ability to handle pressures of balancing the time required dealing with individual problems of faculty, students, and staff while completing the necessary planning, executing programs, reports, meetings, and teaching responsibilities are expected.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Logan University strives to be an educational leader that is authentic, intentional, and strategic about diversity, fairness, and the development of an inclusive campus community. We acknowledge and respect the differences in human experience that shape and enrich education, healthcare, society, and our institution.

It is our expectation that all employees support the mission and vision of the university and carry out their professional duty aligned with Logan University Values: Diversity, Empathy, Student First, Positive Attitude, Evidence-Informed, Character, and Teamwork.

Logan University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. All Logan employees are expected to complete annual compliance training by assigned deadlines.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers, photocopiers, and smartphones.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. This would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand on a stool as necessary.