Physical Therapy Doctoral Program - Assistant or Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education
About the role
Bethel University seeks a faith-led professional for the Director of Clinical Education (DCE) role within our accelerated, 28-month hybrid DPT program. As the program pursues CAPTE accreditation, the DCE will provide strategic and collaborative leadership in drawing up a clinical education program that advances the vision of the profession.
What you'll do
This is a 12-month full-time tenure-track faculty appointment.
Core Responsibilities
Administrative Leadership & Clinical Management (40% of Load)
Clinical Curriculum & Accreditation Leadership: Design, implement, and assess all Clinical Experiences and Integrated Clinical Experiences (ICE) to ensure full alignment with CAPTE standards. This includes developing student progression policies, clinical readiness requirements, and comprehensive assessment plans to track outcomes and ensure program excellence. You will lead the development of the clinical education infrastructure for candidacy and accreditation phases, contributing key data and narratives to all self-studies and compliance reports.
Site Development & Relationship Management: Strategically recruit and maintain a diverse network of local, regional, and national clinical partnerships to ensure varied practice settings for students. This includes managing all formal Clinical Contracts, and Letters of Intent (LOI), while cultivating strong professional relationships with site coordinators.
Operations, Compliance & Logistics: Oversee all student placement logistics, including rotation matching and tracking of clinical requirements such as immunizations, background checks, and HIPAA/OSHA certifications. Build and maintain robust data systems for tracking clinical hours, patient exposure types, site evaluations, and student performance data (CPI).
Training & Strategic Growth: Select, implement, and train Clinical Instructors (CIs) in the effective use of assessment tools to ensure consistency across sites. Collaborate with the Program Director and faculty to build the clinical education infrastructure from inception and contribute to the long-term strategic planning of clinical education growth.
Teaching & Instructional Delivery (40% of Load)
Core Instruction: Serve as a core faculty member responsible for direct instruction, syllabus development, and student evaluation within assigned courses.
Student Mentorship & Coaching: Support student success through holistic academic coaching, focusing on remediation and classroom performance, while mentoring evidence-based capstone projects or clinical research.
Pedagogical Excellence: Apply current educational theory and evidence-based teaching methods to enhance student learning.
CI Development: Facilitate the evaluation of student performance (e.g., CPI) and lead workshops for Clinical Instructors to ensure high-quality supervision.
Scholarship & Professional Development (10% of Load)
Active Inquiry: Maintain a consistent agenda of scholarly inquiry in accordance with CAPTE core faculty requirements.
Dissemination: Contribute to the profession through research, scholarly accomplishments, or the integration of evidence-based practice into the academic environment.
Accreditation Inquiry: Participate in accreditation-related scholarship, assessment analysis, and quality improvement initiatives related to clinical education outcomes.
Service & Institutional Governance (10% of Load)
Committee Engagement: Serve on program, departmental, or university-level committees as assigned by the Program Director.
Student Guidance: Provide academic and professional mentorship to students, focusing on career mapping, residency preparation, and their overall progress through the clinical curriculum.
Community & Professional Service: Actively engage in professional organizations, church leadership, and local community initiatives to promote the program's GRACE values and the physical therapy profession.
Qualifications
Education: Doctoral degree (DPT or terminal academic doctorate such as PhD or EdD).
Experience: Minimum of 3 years of full-time post-licensure clinical experience in a variety of practice settings.
Licensure: Licensed or eligible for Physical Therapist licensure in the state of Minnesota.
Clinical Education: Previous experience as a Clinical Instructor (CI) or Site Coordinator of Clinical Education (SCCE).
Academic Instruction: Record of effective clinical or academic teaching of physical therapy learners.
Essential Skills & Attributes
Mission Alignment: A personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a commitment to the program's core values of GRACE (Generosity, Respect, Accountability, Compassion, and Excellence).
Organizational Acumen: Superior organization skills and attention to detail to ensure compliance with CAPTE and institutional requirements.
Effective Communication: Demonstrate superior interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to navigate complex professional relationships, manage differing opinions, and resolve conflicts in high-stress academic or clinical environments.
Interpersonal/Marketing: Strong "people skills" with experience in networking, marketing, or selling to build clinical partnerships.
Technology: Proficiency with technology (Teams, Zoom, Exaat).
Compensation
We are open to hiring at the Assistant or Associate level for this position. The range for an Assistant Professor is $85,251 - $107,399 and for Associate Professor is $96,488 - $129,057 for a 12-month (32 load credit equivalent) appointment. Salary and rank determined by education and experience.
Additional Responsibilities
Bethel’s mission is to educate and equip students to lead lives of impact through transformative academics in a Christ-centered community. Bethel’s employee community plays a central role in developing our students as whole and holy persons. To carry out this mission, Bethel uses the foundation of our guiding documents, the Affirmation of Faith, Community Covenant, and Key Policies. Bethel expects all employees to actively participate in creating our Christ-centered community by agreeing with and abiding by our core beliefs in the Affirmation of Faith and supporting all other beliefs as Biblical, responsible, and thoughtful approaches while avoiding dissension and divisiveness. Employees teach and mentor students and help one another uphold our Community Covenant commitments. As a result of these expectations, all University employees act as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ by actively partnering with the University to carry out its mission and foster Bethel’s Christ-centered covenant community.
Other Duties
The essential functions, tasks and responsibilities of this position may change from time to time. Bethel University reserves the right to add or omit duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the University or its leadership. Additional tasks or duties required of the position, will be communicated to the incumbent with specificity to ensure the employee may perform their role with complete understanding.