AA - Assistant Program Director of Clinical Affairs - (MHSA)

Burrell College of Health Sciences•Melbourne, FL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Assistant Program Director of Clinical Affairs (APD-CA) of the Master of Health Science in Anesthesia (MHSA) program at Burrell College of Health Sciences is responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and quality-managing clinical practicum experiences that form the backbone of the MHSA curriculum. This is a 0.4 FTE appointment with a faculty designation, reporting directly to the Program Director. Clinical practicum experiences constitute approximately 73% of the overall MHSA curriculum, spanning Semesters 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. During these rotations, students work one-on-one with qualified anesthesia clinical preceptors in active operating room and procedural environments, translating their didactic knowledge and simulation-based skills into direct patient care under supervision. The clinical practicum is where students become anesthesiologist assistants, and the APD-CA is the person responsible for the integrity, structure, and quality of that experience. The APD-CA works in close collaboration with the APD for Academic Affairs and the APD for Simulation to ensure continuity across the student’s educational journey. Didactic and simulation-based learning are the primary focus of Semesters 1 and 3, with clinical practicum taking priority across the remaining semesters. Didactic learning continues throughout the full curricular continuum, transitioning from in-person to virtual delivery during clinical rotations, and the APD-CA coordinates with academic leadership to ensure that the clinical experience remains coherent with and reinforced by concurrent didactic content. At steady state, the MHSA program will support a clinical site network capable of hosting 85–90 student learners simultaneously. Managing a network of that scale, across geographically distributed sites, with diverse preceptor relationships and variable site characteristics, requires the sustained relationship management, organizational discipline, and clinical judgment that this role demands. The remaining 0.6 FTE is available for the individual’s independent professional use. The College expects that when the APD-CA engages in clinical anesthesia practice during this time, they do so in a preceptor capacity, actively supervising MHSA students in the operating room or an approved clinical setting. This position is Exempt. This position reports to the Program Director - MHSA. The start date for this position is Monday June 7th, 2027. The selected candidate will support Burrell College’s organizational health initiatives, focusing on enhancing leadership, promoting clarity of purpose, improving communication, and reinforcing a respectful, purpose-driven culture. This role is key to fostering a healthy, high-performing organization that values integrity, transparency, and collaboration.

Requirements

Graduate of a CAAHEP-accredited Anesthesiologist Assistant program.
Current and active certification as a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA) in good standing with the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA).
Current and unencumbered Florida state licensure as an Anesthesiologist Assistant, or eligibility to obtain Florida licensure prior to the start date.
Master’s degree from a CAAHEP-accredited Anesthesiologist Assistant program required at the time of appointment.
Eligibility for faculty appointment in accordance with Burrell College of Health Sciences policy; final rank will be determined based on credentials, experience, and institutional appointment criteria.
Minimum of five (5) years of clinical experience as a practicing Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant.
Demonstrated experience in academic program coordination, curriculum development, or a related administrative role within a health professions graduate program.
Demonstrated experience or familiarity with CAAHEP accreditation standards and processes.
Demonstrated ability to evaluate instructional effectiveness and contribute to program quality improvement.
Exceptional relationship management and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to build and sustain productive partnerships with clinical site leadership, anesthesia department personnel, and individual preceptors across a geographically distributed network.
Strong organizational and administrative skills, with the ability to manage complex scheduling, multi-site coordination, credentialing records, and evaluation systems simultaneously.
Sound clinical and professional judgment in assessing student performance issues, determining appropriate levels of intervention and knowing when to escalate concerns to program leadership.
Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact clearly and professionally with students, preceptors, site administrators, program colleagues, and accreditation bodies.
Demonstrated ability to analyze clinical evaluation data and site performance information to identify trends, inform decisions, and support program quality improvement.
Proficiency with standard office productivity tools, clinical scheduling or coordination platforms, and learning Management Systems.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree (EdD, PhD, DMSc, DHSc), or equivalent relevant to health professions education or an allied field) is preferred but not required.
Prior experience as a clinical education coordinator, director of clinical education, or equivalent role in an AA, CRNA, or allied health graduate program.
Experience managing a distributed clinical site network across multiple geographic locations.
Experience developing or revising clinical rotation manuals, preceptor training programs, or clinical evaluation instruments.
Experience as a clinical preceptor for AA students in the operating room setting.
Familiarity with clinical scheduling platforms, affiliation agreement management, or clinical data tracking systems.

Responsibilities

Recruit, evaluate, and establish new clinical practicum sites sufficient to support the program’s enrollment capacity, with a target network capable of hosting 85–90 students simultaneously across distributed geographic locations.
Serve as the primary ongoing point of contact and relationship manager for all active clinical affiliate sites, maintaining regular communication with site leadership, anesthesia department chiefs, and clinical coordinators to sustain productive, high-quality partnerships.
Collaborate with institutional leadership and legal counsel in the development, execution, and renewal of clinical affiliation agreements, ensuring all agreements are current, compliant, and reflective of program and accreditation requirements.
Conduct ongoing assessment of clinical site quality, capacity, case mix, and preceptor availability to ensure that each site can provide supervised clinical experiences required by CAAHEP standards and program competency expectations.
Identify and develop new clinical site relationships to expand the program’s geographic reach, address capacity gaps, and ensure access to specialty anesthesia experiences required for comprehensive student training.
Recruit, credential, orient, and onboard qualified clinical preceptors across the program’s affiliate site network, ensuring all preceptors meet program and CAAHEP accreditation requirements.
Serve as the primary liaison between the program and its clinical preceptors, providing ongoing communication, support, and guidance to foster engaged, effective preceptor relationships.
Develop and maintain preceptor orientation and training materials, including the Clinical Preceptor Manual, expectations for student supervision, evaluation standards, and program policies.
Facilitate preceptor development activities that support consistent, high-quality student supervision and constructive clinical feedback practices.
Maintain current and accurate preceptor records, including credentials, training completion, and affiliation documentation, in compliance with program and accreditation requirements.
Develop, manage, and continuously update the clinical rotation schedule for all MHSA students across semesters 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7, ensuring appropriate site assignments, preceptor pairings, and case exposure in alignment with program competency requirements.
Ensure that each student’s clinical deployment plan provides the breadth and depth of supervised anesthesia experiences required by CAAHEP standards, including required case types, specialty rotations, and minimum clinical hours.
Coordinate clinical scheduling in collaboration with the APD for Academic Affairs and APD for simulation to ensure that transitions between didactic, simulation, and clinical phases of the curriculum are smooth and educationally coherent.
Maintain accurate and current records of student clinical assignments, site placements, preceptor pairings, hours logged, and case completion data throughout each rotation period.
Communicate clearly and proactively with students regarding rotation assignments, site expectations, scheduling changes, and clinical performance requirements.
Oversee and manage the program’s clinical evaluation system, including student evaluations by preceptors, student evaluations of preceptors and sites, and program-level site performance reviews.
Review evaluation data on a regular and systematic basis to monitor individual student clinical progress, identify performance trends, and ensure that students are meeting program-defined clinical competencies on schedule.
Conduct annual and as-needed clinical site performance analyses, synthesizing preceptor quality data, student feedback, and site visit findings into actionable reports for the Program Director.
Contribute clinical practicum performance data to the program’s continuous quality improvement process in collaboration with the APD for Academic Affairs and Program Director.
Serve as the primary point of contact for students experiencing academic, professional, or interpersonal difficulties during clinical practicum rotations, providing initial counsel, support, and informal remediation guidance.
Gather relevant information from clinical preceptors, site coordinators, and other involved parties when student concerns or performance issues arise in the clinical setting, exercising sound clinical and professional judgment in assessing the nature and severity of the situation.
Determine which student issues can be resolved through informal remediation and direct intervention at the APD level, and which circumstances warrant escalation to the Program Director for formal review or action.
Coordinate with the Program Director and, where appropriate, the APD for Academic Affairs to ensure that clinical performance concerns are addressed in a manner consistent with program policies and student due process rights.
Serve on the Student Progress and Promotions Committee and contribute clinical practicum perspective to decisions regarding student remediation, academic progression, and corrective action.
Ensure that all clinical education activities, site affiliations, preceptor credentials, and student clinical records meet applicable CAAHEP standards and ARC-AA requirements at all times.
Maintain all clinical education documentation required by CAAHEP and ARC-AA, including affiliation agreements, preceptor files, student rotation records, evaluation instruments, and site compliance documentation.
Assist in preparing accreditation reports, self-study documentation, and site visit materials related to clinical education as directed by the Program Director.
Oversee the development and annual revision of the Clinical Rotation Manual and Clinical Preceptor Manual in compliance with accreditation standards and program policy.
Provide instruction within the MHSA curriculum in areas of clinical expertise as assigned by the Program Director, including participation in clinical preparation courses, case discussion seminars, and clinical debriefing activities.
Advise and mentor students in preparation for clinical rotations, including setting expectations for professional conduct, preceptor communication, clinical documentation, and performance in the operating room environment.
Participate in student admissions activities, including application review and candidate interviews, and provide recommendations to the Program Director.
When engaged in clinical anesthesia practice in the remaining 0.6 FTE, supervise MHSA students in the operating room or approved clinical setting in a formal preceptor capacity, contributing directly to their supervised clinical practice hours and competency development.
Participate in program faculty meetings, curriculum committee activities, faculty development, and program committees as assigned by the Program Director.
Represent the MHSA program within the broader anesthesiology clinical community and, where appropriate, at regional or national health professions education and clinical education meetings.
Participate in student-facing program events including orientation, White Coat Ceremony, and commencement as program needs require.
Submit an annual Faculty Activity Report and other required program reports as directed by the Program Director.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Program Director.