CCPA - Associate Program Director & Open Rank Faculty

Atsu Public•San Luis Obispo, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

A.T. Still University (ATSU) is a culturally rich environment leading the way in whole-person health education with cutting edge technology and instruction. From its inception in 1892, ATSU has had a long tradition of inclusion. The ATSU College for Healthy Communities is the newest College within ATSU located in the beautiful Central Coast region of California. The Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) Program is the founding academic program within the College with the mission of educating culturally-humble physician assistants (PAs) from diverse backgrounds to serve the primary care needs of medically underserved communities. The Associate Program Director and open rank faculty of Physician Assistant Studies will report directly to the CCPA Department Chair / Program Director. The individual will be responsible to support the Program Director in leading and managing all aspects of the didactic and clinical phases of the PA Program and in leading a dedicated team of faculty and staff, and to teach courses, engage in service, and conduct scholarship.

Requirements

Effective communication and collaboration skills are required.
Skilled in working with a variety of different student learning styles and collaborating with faculty colleagues.
Ability to perform duties autonomously with minimal supervision and maintain confidentiality.
Ability to make data-informed decisions, strong attention to detail and organizational skills, and a track record of executing high-priority tasks with high quality and prior to established deadlines.

Nice To Haves

Prior academic experience commensurate with appointment at the rank of associate or full professor is preferred.
Leadership experience in the design, development, and implementation of didactic and/or clinical education programs in medical education is preferred.
Preference will be given to applicants who can clearly articulate how they would contribute to the program’s mission and vision.
Prior experience in the successful recruitment, onboarding, and development of faculty to be high-quality academics (teaching, service, and scholarship) is preferred.
Substantial previous clinical experience is preferred.
Licensure in, or eligibility for, licensure in California as a PA, nurse practitioner, or physician (MD/DO) is preferred.
Current NCCPA or relevant board certification is preferred.
Experience with ARC-PA or another health professions accreditor (e.g., CCNE, LCME, COCA) is preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate as a member of the programmatic leadership team, consisting of the Department Chair / Program Director, Associate Program Director, Director of Didactic Education, Director of Clinical Education, and Medical Director to achieve a shared vision for becoming recognized as the principal source of PAs from historically underrepresented groups providing culturally humble care to medically underserved communities.
Provide leadership and oversight to the program’s holistic student admissions process.
Oversee a student-centered process to manage academic progression, retention, and completion strategies.
Serve as the primary on-campus point of contact for day-to-day program operations, providing leadership and support to didactic students and on-campus faculty and staff.
Enforce program and university policy among on-campus faculty, staff, and students and resolve time-sensitive student concerns requiring an immediate response.
Provide on-campus support and mentoring through development and implementation of a new faculty onboarding program and a comprehensive faculty development program.
Engage in the community to promote the PA profession, the College, and the University, and to help address critical primary care workforce issues on the Central Coast.
Provide leadership for a robust community engagement program for students, faculty, and staff, including local student-driven activities that build student-faculty relationships and support an effective transition between the didactic and clinical year.
Support the Director of Clinical Education in maintaining relationships with clinical affiliates and preceptors, including occasional participation in clinical site visits.
Serve as a principal faculty member to educate a student body selected for their commitment to the CCPA mission using a holistic admissions process.
Support student readiness to achieve all programmatic benchmarks (e.g., PACKRAT and PANCE) through identification of and intervention with at-risk students, in collaboration with program leadership and faculty advisors.
Provide leadership for ongoing compliance with ARC-PA accreditation standards and best practices in contemporary physician assistant and health professions education.
Contribute to the preparation and writing of ARC-PA applications and self-studies, required reports, and other accreditation submissions, ensuring content is accurate, aligned with ARC-PA expectations, and supported through documented evidence.
Develop and deliver academic courses as assigned.
Conduct and disseminate scholarship.
Serve on departmental, college, and university committees as assigned.
Engage in community and professional service.