Director of Didactic Education, Physician Assistant

Position Summary

The Director of Didactic Education is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the didactic (pre-clinical) phase of the Physician Assistant (PA) Program. This role requires effective leadership to ensure the program consistently meets student learning outcomes and programmatic goals related to didactic instruction.

Essential Functions

• Coordinates curriculum development with the Director of Clinical Education, including the design and implementation of the didactic phase in alignment with the program’s student learning outcomes and PA competencies.
• Oversees evaluation, assessment, and continuous improvement to the didactic curriculum, including courses, student performance, and instructional faculty effectiveness.
• Manages faculty coordination by assigning didactic coursework and ensuring sufficient instructional coverage.
• Serves on the PA Department’s Curriculum Committee and collaborates with didactic counterparts at other South PA programs to ensure consistency and quality.
• Provides instruction in the PA program, including:
• Leading coordination of all didactic course instruction annually.
• Teaching in areas of clinical and/or professional expertise.
• Serving as a faculty student advisor.
• Collaborates with the Program Director in the recruitment and hiring of full-time, adjunct, and instructional faculty for the didactic phase.
• Assists the Program Director in designing and implementing faculty development initiatives.
• Contributes to accreditation activities, ongoing program evaluation, and mission and vision statement and program goals review.
• Engages in service, community involvement, campus relations, Program Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings, and scholarly activities consistent with the responsibilities of the role.
• Participates in annual faculty development related to teaching effectiveness and academic administration.
• Assists with clinical site development, monitoring, and retention.
• Provides student success support and remedial instruction as needed.
• Assists with other responsibilities as determined by the Program Director, PA Department Chair, Dean of the College of Health Professions, and/or the Campus Director/Dean of Academic Affairs & Operations.

Required Qualifications

• Terminal degree in healthcare disciplines such as physician assistant, pharmacy, medical doctor, and public health.
• Minimum of a Master’s degree is required.
• Eligibility for professional licensure/certification in the applicable state and healthcare discipline (if applicable) or holds an active, valid and unencumbered state license.
• 1-2 years teaching experience in a graduate health-related profession highly preferred.
• 2 years of clinical experience required, if applicable, five years is preferred.
• Experience in PA/medical classroom teaching and PA education administration highly preferred.
• PAs are preferred.
• PAs must have graduated from an accredited PA program and have current NCCPA certification or emeritus status.
• Emeritus clinicians are not required to hold active licensure.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to build successful relationships with students and faculty.
• Strong interpersonal skills with student, faculty, and staff populations.
• Excellent critical thinking, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Superior organization, prioritization, and self-motivation skills.
• Strong computer skills, including MS Office Suite, ExamSoft, and WebAdMIT.
• Ability to interact effectively with clinical health care providers and administrators to establish and maintain strong relationships with clinical affiliates/sites.
• Ability to interact effectively as both a leader and as a member of a team and work collaboratively with other departments.
• Ability to read, understand, interpret, and implement accreditation criteria and state agency regulations.
• Ability to effectively present information to faculty, academic and campus leaders, corporate leaders, and public groups.
• Ability to resolve inquiries and complaints from employees, students, regulatory agencies, or members of the academic or business community.
• Ability to listen to staff, students, clinical preceptors, and members of the medical community in order to understand and respond appropriately to their needs and requests.
• Ability to adapt to changing assignments and multiple priorities.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and successfully meet deadlines.

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Tuition Assistant Program
• Long/Short Term Disability
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• 401K Match
• Paid Time Off
• 12 Paid Holidays