Director of Clinical Education

Position Title: Director of Clinical Education

Position Tracking Number: F130

School/College: School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences

Department: Physical Therapy

Location: Azusa Campus

About APU:

Azusa Pacific University is a comprehensive, evangelical, Christian university located 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. As a leading Christian university in California, Azusa Pacific University grounds rigorous academics on a solid spiritual foundation. With an intentional focus on scholarship, faith integration, diversity, and internationalization, APU provides high-quality academic programs within a tight-knit community of disciples and scholars. APU is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 Doctoral University, recognizing APU’s high level of research activity. A leader in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, APU is committed to excellence in higher education. Offering more than 100 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs on campus, online, and at seven regional locations across Southern California, APU continues to be recognized annually as one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.

Description: The Department of Physical Therapy at Azusa Pacific University invites applications for a faculty position as Director of Clinical Education (DCE) in our Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

The DCE holds a faculty appointment and has administrative, academic, service, and scholarship responsibilities consistent with the mission and philosophy of the DPT program. This individual demonstrates competence in clinical education, teaching, and curriculum development. The DCE serves as a liaison between the physical therapy program and the clinical education site and is responsible for establishment of clinical site and facility standards, the recruitment, selection and evaluation of clinical sites, and fostering the ongoing development of and communication with clinical education sites and clinical faculty. In addition, this person’s primary responsibilities are to plan, coordinate, facilitate, administer, and monitor activities on behalf of the academic program and in coordination with academic and clinical faculty to: (1) develop, monitor, and refine the clinical education component as part of the curriculum; (2) facilitate quality learning experiences for students during clinical education; (3) evaluate students’ performance, in cooperation with other faculty, to determine their ability to integrate didactic and clinical learning experiences and to progress within the curriculum; (4) educate students, clinical and academic faculty about clinical education; (5) select clinical learning environments that demonstrate characteristics of sound patient/client management, ethical and professional behavior, and currency with physical therapy practice; (6) maximize available resources for the clinical education program; provide documented records and assessment of the clinical education component (includes clinical education sites, clinical educators, etc). and (7) actively engage core faculty clinical education planning, implementation, and assessment. Position subject to final funding.

Specialization: DPT Clinical Education

Responsibilities: The DCE is responsible for coordinating and managing the efforts of the academic program and clinical education sites in the professional/entry-level education and preparation of PT students by performing the following activities:

COMMUNICATES BETWEEN THE ACADEMIC INSTITUTION AND AFFILIATED CLINICAL EDUCATION SITES

• Communicates news and current information (e.g. curriculum, clinical education objectives, staffing changes, and the site availability among all concerned stakeholders (e.g. the academic institution, clinical education sites, clinical faculty and students) to maintain current knowledge of the educational program, the clinical education site, and health care changes affecting clinical practice and education.


• Provides ongoing communication with clinical educators at each clinical education site to include:

• Philosophy of the academic program;


• Academic program curriculum and specific syllabus and learning objectives for each clinical experience and behavioral expectations that may not be addressed by learning objectives;


• Policy and procedures of the academic program pertaining to clinical education;


• Current materials required for accreditation;


• Clinical education contractual agreement negotiated and maintained between the academic program and the clinical education site;


• Dissemination of appropriate student and related information (e.g., health insurance, liability/malpractice insurance, state/federal laws and regulations such as ADA);Collection of information about clinical education sites for use by students in their selection of/or assignment to clinical education sites;


• Provision of dates for each clinical education experience;


• Academic program requests from clinical education sites regarding the number and type of available clinical placements;


• Coordinating student assignments (consideration might be given to items such as patient variety, health care settings and size, types of learning experiences, clinical site and student expectations, strengths/limitations of clinical experiences)


• Clinical faculty development opportunities including educational seminars and faculty availability as a resource in their areas of expertise


• Maintenance and distribution of a clinical education manual.




• Communicates and oversees communication with Site Coordinators of clinical education (SCCEs), Clinical Instructors (CIs) and students to monitor progress and assess student performance. Provides guidance and support as required to solve and discuss pertinent issues with students(s), CIs, or SCCEs.


• Oversees placement, supervises, and communicates with students while on clinical experiences. Responsibilities associated with these roles include, but are not limited to:

• Informing students of clinical education policies and procedures;


• Supplying relevant clinical education site information to facilitate students’ selection of or assignment to clinical education sites (e.g., learning experiences, clinical site prerequisites, housing availability);


• Providing a process for students to assess their performance and satisfaction;


• Preparing clinical rotation assignment schedules and coordinating information dissemination to clinical education sites;


• Assisting with educational planning, behavior/performance modification, remedial education, referral to student support agencies (financial aid counseling as require), and;


• Arranging for periodic and /or impromptu visits/communication to students, clinical education sites and clinical faculty as needed to problem solve, support, and discuss pertinent issues with students(s), clinical instructor, and/or SCCEs.




• Evaluates each clinical education site through student feedback, on-site visits, and ongoing communication and routinely shares this information with academic and clinical faculty. Provides feedback to clinical educators concerning their effectiveness in delivering clinical learning experiences based on student feedback and through direct observations.

CLINICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ASSESSMENT

• Performs academic responsibilities consistent with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), and with institutional policy.

Coordinates and teaches clinical education courses and other related course content based on areas of content and clinical expertise.Directs effort and attention to teaching and learning processes used throughout the curriculum (eg, management and education theory, adult learning).Monitors and documents the academic performance of students to ensure that they successfully achieve the criteria for completing clinical learning experiences.
Reviews and records student evaluations from CIs and determines the final grade for all clinical education courses in the curriculum.Utilizes intervention strategies with CIs, CCCEs, and students who excel or demonstrate difficulties while on clinical education experiences or require learning strategies where a disabling or learning condition is present.Develops remedial experiences for students, if necessary. Confers with the appropriate faculty (clinical and academic), the Program Director, Dean, Administration and other individuals (eg, counseling staff) where applicable.
Provides direct input into curriculum design, review, and revision processes by:
Collecting and organizing pertinent information from clinical education sites and students and disseminating this information to faculty during curricular review processes in a timely manner.Preparing reports and/or engaging in discussions with faculty on student progress in clinical education.Keeping faculty informed about the clinical education program, pertinent policies and procedures, and changes influenced by accreditation.
Coordinates and/or provides leadership for a Clinical Education or Program Advisory Committee consisting of area clinical educators, employers, or other persons, where feasible.Participates in academic program meetings, institutional governance, and/or community service activities as appropriate to the mission of the academic institution.Develops and implements a plan for self-development that includes the participation in and enhancement of teaching, delivery of physical therapy services, and development of scholarly activities (eg, scholarship of teaching, application, integration and discovery). {Refer to CAPTE Position Paper on Scholarship Expectations [PT Criterion 2.2.4.2], December 2000}Functions as a faculty member in other job responsibilities as delegated by the Program Director/Chair or as required by the academic institution, Dean or other Administrator.Monitors the changing health care delivery system and advises the Program Director and faculty of changing trends and potential impact on student enrollment, instruction, curriculum design, clinical education, and equipment needs.Develops and administers information and education technology systems which support clinical education and the curriculum.Participates in regional, state, and/or national clinical education forums, clinical education related activities, and programs designed to foster clinical education (eg, Clinical Education Consortia, Clinical Education Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Section for Education, Chapter Clinical Education SIGs, and APTA Education Division activities).

• Manages administrative responsibilities consistent with CAPTE, federal/state regulations, institutional policy, and practice setting