Open Rank Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Education, Physician Assistant Program, Department of Medical Sciences (Seattle campus)

About the Role

The Department of Medical Sciences is seeking a Director of Clinical Education (DCE) and Open Rank Clinical Professor in the Physician Assistant Program on the Seattle campus. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for the clinical component of the Physician Assistant Program curriculum, including development and maintenance of clinical partnerships, oversight of supervised clinical practice experiences, clinical year organization and administration, and student education and mentoring.

The DCE will collaborate with program leadership to maintain compliance with ARC-PA standards, advance innovative approaches to clinical education, and ensure high-quality clinical learning experiences for students and clinical partners. As an Open Rank Clinical Professor, the role also involves teaching in the didactic component of the curriculum, ensuring educational and medical quality, program organization, and student mentoring. Additional expectations include scholarship contributions to PA education and clinical practice, as well as service to the program, university, and broader professional community.

This is a 52-week, 1.0 FTE, non-tenure track faculty position.

Responsibilities

Principal Faculty Responsibilities

• Develop, review, and revise the program's mission statement, goals, and competencies.
• Serve on the admissions committee, including selecting applicants for admission.
• Coordinate, teach, and instruct courses based on areas of content and clinical expertise.
• Provide continuous development, maintenance, and evaluation of both didactic courses and clinical rotation sites.
• Facilitate small group discussion sessions; participate in simulation, and physical diagnosis and skills labs.
• Monitor, evaluate, and document student performance to ensure successful completion of courses.
• Assist in the development and implementation of remediation plans for students in the didactic and clinical years.
• Advise and mentor students; participate in all aspects of retention and academic progression.
• Design, implement, coordinate, and evaluate the curriculum.
• Participate in clinical site development and monitoring, including performing site visits during clinical rotations.
• Engage in continuous quality improvement activities and use programmatic data to support ongoing program enhancement.
• Participate in all aspects of program administration.
• Perform additional assignments at the direction of the Program Director.

Director of Clinical Education Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of the clinical phase of the curriculum, including planning, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement, with attention to ARC-PA standards.
• Develop, maintain, and evaluate clinical rotation sites, emphasizing new clinical partnerships and sustaining existing relationships to ensure quality and quantity of learning experiences.
• Coordinate and perform site visits to PA students during clinical rotations.
• Oversee the completion and documentation of all clinical site requirements, including affiliation agreements, background checks, and immunization records.
• Develop, support, and retain clinical preceptors through ongoing communication, orientation, faculty development, and recognition efforts.
• Serve as the operational lead for the clinical education team, coordinating workflows and supporting team members.
• Develop criteria, policies, and procedures governing supervised clinical practice experiences consistent with ARC-PA standards.
• Monitor, evaluate, and document student performance during supervised clinical practice experiences.
• Review the adequacy of diagnosis and procedure log data.
• Review and analyze student evaluations from preceptors and clinical instructors.
• Assist in determining final grades for clinical rotations and end-of-rotation examinations.
• Oversee the coordination of end-of-rotation examinations and return-to-campus days.
• Utilize clinical performance data to support continuous quality improvement and accreditation reporting.
• Assist the Program Director with preparation of the continuous self-study, with primary responsibility for documentation and analysis of the clinical phase of training.

Requirements

• Master's degree or higher in a health profession, health sciences, education, or a related field; doctoral degree preferred.
• Current professional licensure, certification, or other credentials appropriate to the candidate's discipline. Physician assistant candidates should maintain NCCPA certification; physician candidates should hold board certification through an ABMS or AOA-recognized specialty board.
• Licensed or eligible for licensure in the state of Washington.
• Minimum of two (2) years of clinical practice experience in a healthcare profession.
• Experience in physician assistant education, including service as faculty, clinical coordinator, preceptor, program administrator, or a comparable role within an accredited PA program.
• Working knowledge of PA program accreditation and regulatory requirements, including familiarity with ARC-PA standards.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Proficiency with standard computer applications (e.g., word processing, email, spreadsheets, databases).
• Knowledge of legislative, regulatory, legal, and practice issues affecting clinical education, students, and the physician assistant profession.
• Ability to travel to clinical sites.

Benefits

Northeastern University offers a comprehensive benefits package for benefit-eligible employees, including:

• Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
• Paid time off.
• Tuition assistance.
• Wellness and life programs.
• Retirement benefits.
• Commuting and transportation benefits.

Pay

52-week Salary Ranges:

• Assistant Clinical Professor: $114,000.00 - $139,000.00
• Associate Clinical Professor: $133,000.00 - $154,000.00
• Clinical Professor: $152,000.00 - $192,000.00

The starting salary will depend on factors such as education, experience, location, knowledge, expertise, and skills, as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.