Assistant/Associate/Full Professor and Program Director, MSPA

Job Description:

Overview:

The Program Director for the Master of Science in Physician Associate Studies (MSPA) Program provides leadership and oversight for the Physician Associate Program, ensuring it meets accreditation standards, delivers a high-quality education, and supports student success. The position blends academic, administrative, and clinical responsibilities, including managing MSPA faculty and staff, guiding curriculum implementation, and maintaining strong partnerships with clinical sites. The ideal candidate will bring a combination of clinical experience, teaching expertise, and program management skills, along with a commitment to collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the healthcare education landscape.

The Program Director is a full-time core faculty member, responsible for the management and administration of the program, including planning, evaluation, budgeting, selection of faculty and staff, maintenance of accreditation, and commitment to strategies for professional development.

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) was founded in 1997 as the first higher education institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to education and research related to the applied life sciences. KGI offers innovative postgraduate degrees and certificates that integrate life and health sciences, business, pharmacy, engineering, and genetics, focusing on industry projects, hands-on industry experiences, and team collaborations. KGI employs an entrepreneurial approach and industry connections that allow students to become leaders in healthcare and the applied life sciences.

Located in beautiful Claremont, California, KGI is a member of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate liberal arts colleges, two graduate institutions, and The Claremont Colleges Services, which provides shared institutional support services. Each nationally recognized college has its own campus, students and faculty, and distinctive mission, and each offers top-notch curricula, small classes, distinguished professors, and personalized instruction. The Claremont Colleges consistently place at the top of national college rankings, including Forbes, Money and U.S.  News and World Report, and the Princeton Review.

Education and Experience:

The successful candidate will have a Master's Degree from an ARC-PA accredited program or equivalent post PA-C Master’s degree; three years of full-time academic experience in a Physician Assistant/Associate Program; current NCCPA certification and PA licensure or eligibility for a PA licensure in California; relevant clinical experience; demonstrated leadership and management experience; knowledge of and experience with ARC-PA Standards; strong commitment to student success and innovative education; excellent communication, time management, and organizational skills; demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team of highly motivated and experienced individuals; honesty, integrity, and commitment to maintaining high professional standards.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:  Individuals must possess knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the essential functions of the position, or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions may be performed, with or without reasonable accommodations, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

• Knowledgeable about and responsible for:
• Program organization,
• Program administration,
• Fiscal management of the program,
• Continuous programmatic review and analysis,
• Program planning,
• Program development,
• Completion of ARC-PA required documents, and
• Adherence to ARC-PA Standards and policies.
• Enforce program policies and procedures.
• Recruit and retain qualified faculty, staff and support personnel.
• Provide effective leadership by exhibiting responsiveness to issues related to personnel, strong communication skills, and proactive problem-solving.
• Support acquisition and maintenance of clinical sites.
• Implement continuous programmatic and curricular outcomes assessment.
• Lead annual review and revision of the program mission, vision, and goals as well as program competencies.
• Ensure high-quality didactic and clinical instruction.
• Support the Director of Didactic Education and the Director of Clinical Education with curriculum coordination and development.
• Provide didactic instruction as able.
• Participate in the academic advisement of students.
• Ensure the availability of remedial instruction for students in collaboration with the Director of Didactic Education and the Director of Clinical Education.
• Participate in student performance evaluation for didactic and clinical phase students in collaboration with the Director of Didactic Education and the Director of Clinical Education.
• Oversee and participate in the admissions process.
• Foster academic and clinical collaborations with other programs in the School of Health Sciences, the School of Pharmacy, and the Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences.
• Keep abreast of all issues impacting PA education and practice through ongoing clinical practice, maintenance of PA licensure and certification, and continuing medical education.
• Carry regular faculty responsibilities related to teaching, service, research, and administration.
• Engage in active scholarship.