General Description

The Program Director for the Master in Physician Assistant Studies (Program Director) will lead the Physician Assistant Studies Program (Program) accreditation efforts, develop Program curricula, coordinate multidisciplinary clinician educators (Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, etc.) and prepare for the initial cohort of students. Once the Program is established, the Program Director will be the strategic and operational leader for the Program (whether in-person, on-line, or hybrid), responsible for ongoing program organization, administration, fiscal management, continuous quality review, analysis, and improvement.

The Program resides within the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM). The Program Director will work collaboratively with the Office of the Vice Dean for Education, the Associate Dean for Graduate Biomedical Education (GBE) and GBE staff, the Office of the Vice Dean for Faculty, and associated academic program directors and other multidisciplinary faculty and staff throughout the Johns Hopkins enterprise to continually evaluate, improve, and deliver the curriculum with innovative and high-quality graduate education instructional strategies. Program delivery and content should reflect the mission, values, and strategic goals of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM), the Johns Hopkins University, and the tenets of the physician assistant profession. The Program Director will report to the Senior Associate Dean for Education Coordination and will ultimately supervise a Clinical Coordinator, a Program Administrator, and other dedicated Program staff.

Continued employment contingent on successful Program approval by MHEC and accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Program Leadership

• Lead the Program's participation in the accreditation process according to the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
• Ensure elements of the curriculum and Program are in place to meet accreditation and credentialing requirements for the degree, tracks, and certificates.
• Provide effective organization and administration of all aspects of the Program's operation and fiscal management, including human resources activities such as recruitment, hiring, orientation and performance assessment of instructors and staff.
• Provide oversight and execution of the continuous review, analysis, and improvement of the Program to ensure compliance with ARC-PA Standards.
• Provide oversight of the development, ongoing evaluation, and implementation of Program policies and procedures.
• Lead the development of Program goals and ongoing monitoring of the Program.
• Oversee curriculum design and continuity of coursework.
• Create an inclusive climate in which educators are motivated to achieve excellence in teaching.
• Support the mission of the university and the program. Participate in relevant JHUSOM and Johns Hopkins committees and working groups.
• Partner with the Program's medical director to promote the Program to the larger Hopkins community.
• Oversee the identification of clinical affiliates, clinical site development, and clinical site monitoring.
• Engage in professional development and scholarly activity or service at local, national, and international levels.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Academic and Research

• Collaborate with Education leadership and JHUSOM Department Directors to identify and assign educators to ensure instruction for all courses in the Program.
• Collaborate with the Office of Faculty Development, the Institute for Excellence in Education, the Director of Online Education, and others to identify required expertise and common educator development needs (including skills related to online and distance education).
• With the Director of Online Education, ensure the online delivery infrastructure is appropriate for the Program.
• Orient educators to the Program, evaluate teaching performance, and mentor educators in teaching.
• Assist in planning multidisciplinary clinician educators' development efforts, including the promotion of research and professional service.
• Ensure alignment of learning outcomes with Program and professional goals, and ensure consistent delivery of required content.
• Collaborate with the Office of Assessment and Evaluation to conduct course and Program evaluation, using results to plan for continuous improvement.
• Develop and implement systems to track key Program quality indicators such as fail rates, withdrawal rates, etc.
• Lead, or contribute to, Program-related quality assurance processes such as peer review of teaching and assessment.
• Ensure that student assessment processes are valid, reliable, fair, objective, consistent, and conducted in a timely manner.
• Serve as member of the JHUSOM MA/PHD Committee, and other JHUSOM or Johns Hopkins University committees and task forces, as necessary.

Student Recruitment and Retention

• Collaborate with Office of GBE to recruit a high quality and diverse pool of applicants to the Program.
• Represent the Program at recruitment, orientation, graduation, and other special events.
• Serve as a liaison between students and Program educators.
• Monitor and report on enrollment, retention, and progression of students in the Program, and use data to recommend Program resource, policy, or practice changes to increase student success and retention.

Fiscal

• With the Office of Online Education Administrative Program Coordinator, develop and shepherd the Program budget through the JHUSOM approval process; monitor expenses and ensure compliance with approved budget.
• Facilitate the acquisition of resources needed for academic Program, multidisciplinary clinician educators, and students through allocation in the Program budget, application to internal and external grants, and identification of potential donors.
• Maximize resources in accordance with sound fiscal principles.

Outreach

• Solicit feedback from Program stakeholders in relation to Program coordination processes, outcomes, and design.
• Foster partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders and communities (regionally, nationally, and internationally) to strengthen and support the ongoing development of the program.
• Represent JHUSOM and the Program at national and international professional meetings. Collaborate with colleagues form other schools to advance PA and Advanced Practice Provider Education.