Associate Professor/Program Director, Physician Assistant Program

Charles R. Drew University•Los Angeles, CA

18h•Onsite

About The Position

The Program Director of the Master of Science Physician Assistant (PA) Program provides academic, administrative, and strategic leadership for the program. Reporting to the Dean of the College of Science and Health, the director oversees program organization, administration, fiscal management, continuous review and analysis, communication, and adherence to Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) Standards and policies. The director works with faculty and institutional leadership to advance the program’s mission, goals, and competencies; ensure curriculum quality and effectiveness; support student achievement; oversee faculty and staff; maintain academic and clinical resources; and promote continuous improvement. The position is assigned to the PA Program on a 12-month, 1.0 FTE, full-time basis, with at least 50% of the position devoted to administrative responsibilities, consistent with current ARC-PA requirements. The Program Director also serves as a faculty member, with teaching, scholarship, service, and other academic responsibilities. The position is on-site unless the manager authorizes otherwise, and work may take place in academic, office, laboratory, simulation, and clinical education environments. Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is located in the Watts-Willowbrook area of south Los Angeles. Founded in 1966 in the wake of the Watts uprising, the university was established to address inadequate medical care in the region and provide equitable medical education opportunities for under-represented students. CDU offers the only historically Black Doctor of Medicine program west of the Mississippi and is invested in local and regional partnerships that provide equitable healthcare resources.

Requirements

Graduate degree from an institutionally accredited institution.
Graduate of an accredited Physician Assistant/Associate educational program.
Current or emeritus NCCPA certification status as a Physician Assistant/Associate.
Current California Physician Assistant licensure or eligibility for California licensure, when required for assigned clinical responsibilities.
Eligibility for an academic appointment and privileges comparable to those of faculty with similar academic responsibilities at the University.
At least three years of full-time higher education experience at the time of appointment.
Comprehensive knowledge of PA education, program planning, curriculum development, administration, assessment, and fiscal management.
Knowledge of current ARC-PA Standards, policies, accreditation processes, and ongoing compliance expectations.
Knowledge of programmatic assessment, data analysis, student outcomes assessment, and continuous quality improvement.
Knowledge of contemporary PA practice, professional standards, applicable PA practice laws and regulations, and health professions education.
Demonstrated leadership, management, supervisory, organizational, analytical, planning, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with diverse internal and external constituencies.
Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities, meet deadlines, maintain accurate records, and lead complex accreditation and academic processes.
Demonstrated instructional effectiveness and ability to support faculty development and student learning.
Ability to foster a collaborative, respectful, student-centered academic environment and work effectively with a diverse community.
Ability to work effectively with the University community, students, faculty, staff, clinical partners, and external stakeholders.
Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and additional hours as required by program operations, accreditation activities, and University responsibilities.
Ability to travel locally and, when required, nationally for clinical site oversight, accreditation, professional meetings, recruitment, and other program-related activities.

Nice To Haves

Earned doctoral degree preferred.
Demonstrated leadership and administrative experience in higher education, preferably in PA or health professions education.
Experience in curriculum development, student assessment, program evaluation, and continuous quality improvement.
Experience with accreditation and regulatory compliance; direct experience with ARC-PA accreditation processes strongly preferred.
Experience supervising faculty and/or professional staff preferred.
Demonstrated clinical experience as a practicing PA; recent clinical practice experience preferred.
Previous service as a PA Program Director, Associate Program Director, Academic Director, Clinical Director, or comparable PA education leadership role preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership for program organization, administration, planning, development, implementation, and continuous improvement.
Work with program faculty to develop, review, and revise the program mission statement, goals, and competencies as needed.
Ensure compliance with ARC-PA Standards and policies and applicable University and College policies and procedures.
Lead accreditation activities, including applications, reports, self-studies, responses, documentation, reviews, and site visits.
Develop, monitor, and manage the program budget and resources.
Lead programmatic review and analysis; ensure assessment data are collected, retained, analyzed, and used to evaluate effectiveness and guide continuous quality improvement.
Communicate effectively with program faculty, staff, students, College and University leadership, clinical partners, preceptors, and other stakeholders.
Design, implement, coordinate, evaluate, and continuously improve the didactic and clinical curriculum in collaboration with program faculty.
Ensure student learning outcomes, program competencies, instructional methods, and assessment processes are aligned, current, and regularly evaluated.
Oversee development, review, and implementation of program policies, procedures, student handbooks, clinical education materials, and preceptor resources.
Oversee student recruitment, admission, selection, progression, retention, and graduation processes, and participate in applicant selection.
Participate in student instruction and evaluation; ensure appropriate academic counseling, advising, and remedial instruction.
Ensure appropriate written, practical, and clinical assessments evaluate student performance and readiness for progression and graduation.
Oversee clinical education, including supervised practice experiences, clinical sites, preceptors, monitoring, and evaluation processes.
Supervise the medical director, principal faculty, instructional faculty, and program staff in activities directly related to the PA Program.
Participate in recruitment, hiring, onboarding, development, evaluation, and retention of faculty and staff; assign responsibilities and monitor workloads.
Promote faculty development, effective teaching, scholarship, service, professional growth, and participation in program evaluation and improvement.
Serve as a faculty member with teaching, scholarship, service, and other academic responsibilities; maintain assigned teaching load, participate in research and scholarly writing, serve on committees as assigned, and mentor junior-level faculty as assigned.
Consult with the curriculum committee on curriculum development and modifications.
Maintain current knowledge of PA education, contemporary PA practice, accreditation expectations, and relevant laws and regulations.
Develop plans to obtain external funds and other resources that support the program mission, when appropriate.
Assign and schedule work activities; monitor workloads, performance, and completion of responsibilities; evaluate work and provide counseling and coaching.
Address performance concerns and disciplinary matters in accordance with University policies; recommend personnel actions as appropriate; and plan, evaluate, and document employee performance.
Perform other related duties consistent with the Program Director’s responsibilities and as assigned by the Dean.