Assistant Dean for Clinical Education

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences•Yakima, WA

About The Position

The Assistant Dean for Clinical Education and Faculty Development is a key leader in the Office of Clinical Education, collaborating with the Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Executive Director of Clinical Education to support the administration, strategic direction, and continuous quality improvement of the geographically distributed clinical education program. The role works with the Clinical Education team, clinical faculty, preceptors, students, and community partners across the university’s service region to ensure access to high-quality clinical training experiences. The position emphasizes clinical rotation availability, clinical faculty development, preceptor engagement, accreditation alignment, and operational excellence in clinical rotations. It supports faculty credentialing and promotion, rotation site evaluation and approval, regional site visits, and strategies for clinical placements. The Assistant Dean contributes to accreditation and institutional reporting, collaborates with university departments and external partners, and supports student success through specialty mentorship, limited teaching, and periodic coverage of student-facing responsibilities. In conjunction with the Associate Dean, the Assistant Dean represents the College in institutional and external forums and serves on committees advancing the mission of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Requirements

Doctoral degree (DO or MD) and 4–6 years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience demonstrating the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Strong organization, interpersonal, and planning skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to work in a team and adapt to working with others in varied circumstances.
Ability to analyze problems, identify issues, and create action plans.
Ability to manage projects and people, prioritize work, and self-direct workflow.
Ability to work with and manage different computer programs and databases.
Ability to schedule activities and meetings.

Responsibilities

Work with the Executive Director of Clinical Education on administrative oversight and regional site visit planning.
Assist in supervising personnel in the Department of Clinical Education and at regional sites.
Promote the interests and welfare of the Office, including faculty, staff, and students.
Provide faculty development to assistant deans and clinical faculty.
Assist with curriculum development and delivery for third- and fourth-year students.
Collaborate with affiliated regional hospitals, clinics, and AHEC partners on shared resources, faculty, and administrative expertise.
Serve as a point of contact for students, faculty, and administration regarding regional sites.
Help develop and maintain postgraduate career planning and advising for medical students with the Offices of Student Affairs and Graduate Medical Education.
Contribute to meeting agendas and oversee planning and execution of campus meetings for the COM clinical education team.
Advise on and monitor student rotation scheduling and assessment.
Monitor and address academic or disciplinary problems involving third- and fourth-year medical students.
Help address concerns related to clinical preceptors or rotation quality.
Help oversee evaluation of regional clinical sites, including student, faculty, and site evaluations.
Recommend clinical faculty for appointment and promotion.
Ensure clinical campus faculty development needs are met and participate in creating CME for COM clinical faculty development programs.
Promote clinical campus faculty participation in white coat, commencement, and hooding ceremonies.
Maintain academic standards and quality within educational programs.
Collaborate with preclinical and clinical education leaders to integrate curricula across all four years of medical school.
Assist with curricular content and integration of clinical competencies and Entrustable Professional Activities.
Ensure osteopathic curriculum is integrated into core and elective rotations.
Participate in weekly Clinical Didactics course sessions (CLIN 704) and the annual Clerkship Prep course (FM 603).
Promote research and scholarly activity in clinical education, seek external funding where feasible, and pursue research development and other scholarly activity for the Department and COM as feasible.
Serve as a faculty resource and serve on COM and University committees as requested by the Dean or President.
Participate in community affairs and uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion in osteopathic clinical medical education.
Serve as a consultant to the university and civic groups or individuals in areas of expertise.
Participate in regional or national professional organizations in the relevant specialty or discipline and encourage student participation where appropriate.
Perform other related duties as assigned based on departmental need.
Perform duties in accordance with safety, legal, regulatory, University policy, accreditation, and accepted business practice requirements, and uphold PNWU’s professional and ethical standards.