Director of Clinical Education, Physician Assistant

About South University

South University offers a warm, supportive learning environment for faculty, staff, and students, both on campus and online. With a 125‑year history, the university emphasizes quality service, employee development, innovation, and a community‑focused culture.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance
• FSA/HSA
• Tuition Assistance Program
• Long‑Term and Short‑Term Disability
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• 401(k) match
• Paid Time Off
• 12 paid holidays (includes domestic partner coverage)

Position Summary

The Director of Clinical Education oversees and manages all aspects of the clinical phase of the Physician Assistant (PA) Program. This faculty appointment provides leadership to achieve program and student learning outcomes for supervised clinical practice experiences (SPCEs) and ensures compliance with ARC‑PA standards.

Responsibilities

• Oversee clinical curriculum development, design, and implementation of the clinical phase.
• Supervise all members of the program’s Clinical Education Team (CET).
• Assess and continuously improve the clinical phase, including student performance, preceptor effectiveness, site quality, and curriculum.
• Collaborate with the Program Director and Education Clinical Coordinator to create a comprehensive clinical site monitoring plan.
• Manage faculty coordination by assigning clinical coursework responsibilities to instructional faculty and preceptors.
• Provide teaching and instruction, coordinate clinical courses and rotations, teach in areas of expertise, and serve as a faculty student advisor.
• Assist the Program Director with faculty development initiatives.
• Support accreditation activities, program evaluation, and review of mission, vision, and goals.
• Participate in admissions activities, including open houses, recruitment, application review, interviews, and student selection.
• Collaborate with the Director of Didactic Education on assessment of student performance relative to learning outcomes.
• Engage in service, community involvement, campus relations, Program Advisory Committee meetings, and scholarly activities.
• Participate in annual faculty development for teaching effectiveness and academic administration.
• Provide student success support and remedial instruction as needed.
• Adhere to university policies, employee handbook, faculty supplement, and other guidelines.
• Ensure compliance with SACSCOC, ARC‑PA accreditation standards, and state agency regulations.
• Assist with investigation and resolution of student academic or professionalism issues.
• Collaborate on ongoing assessment of student performance with the Director of Didactic Education and Assistant Director of Clinical Education.
• Fulfill instructional duties as assigned and support additional program, department, or university responsibilities as directed.

Qualifications

• Education and License: Terminal degree in a healthcare discipline (e.g., physician assistant, pharmacy, MD, public health). Minimum of a Master’s degree required. PA candidates must have graduated from an accredited PA program and hold current NCCPA certification or emeritus status, with eligibility for state licensure.
• Experience: 2 years of clinical experience (5 years preferred). 1–2 years of graduate‑level teaching experience highly preferred. Experience in PA/medical classroom teaching and PA education administration is highly preferred. Physician Assistants are preferred; emeritus clinicians are not required to hold active licensure.
• Skills and Abilities:
  • Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to build relationships with students, faculty, and clinical partners.
  • Strong interpersonal, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and decision‑making skills.
  • Superior organization, prioritization, self‑motivation, and ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
  • Proficiency with MS Office Suite, ExamSoft, and WebAdMIT.
  • Ability to interact effectively with clinical providers and administrators to maintain affiliate relationships.
  • Leadership and teamwork capabilities; collaborative work with other departments.
  • Ability to read, interpret, and implement accreditation criteria and state regulations.
  • Effective presentation skills for diverse audiences.
  • Capability to resolve inquiries and complaints from employees, students, regulatory agencies, and the academic/business community.
  • Responsive listening to staff, students, preceptors, and medical community members.
  • Adaptability to changing assignments and multiple priorities.

Work Environment

The role is performed in a typical university academic setting. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.