Medical Director, Physician Assistant Program

Reporting to the Program Director, the part-time Medical Director serves as a member of the faculty to provide continuous, competent medical guidance to the Program Director and faculty. The Medical Director will assist the Program Director with development and ARC-PA accreditation for the program, and will assist in ensuring that both didactic instruction and supervised clinical practice experiences meet current practice standards as they relate to the PA role in providing patient care. The Medical Director will be involved in evaluating student performance; designing, implementing, coordinating and evaluating curriculum; participation in, and the development and routine review of, the program's curriculum and competencies; and accreditation related activities. The Medical Director will also serve as an advocate for the program within the medical and academic communities through active participation in the program. The Medical Director may be involved in providing instruction and clinical site development, as directed by the Program Director.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• General Essential Functions & Responsibilities
  • Collaborate as a member of the programmatic leadership team to achieve a shared vision for the program.
  • Must be an active participant in the program and support the development of the program competencies to meet current practice standards as they relate to the PA role.
  • Serve as a strong advocate for the MPA program and the PA profession.
  • Foster relationships with key stakeholders and community partners to strengthen the MPA program.
  • Collaborate with the Program Director and MPA faculty to develop, review, and revise the program’s mission statement, program goals, and competencies as necessary.
  • Provide competent medical oversight to ensure the curriculum and supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) reflect current standards of medical care and scope of PA practice.
  • May participate in the recruitment, development, and retention of high-quality clinical sites and preceptors to ensure quality and sufficiency of clinical slots.
  • Actively participate in the program’s evaluation process, self-study, and accreditation activities as required by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).
  • Advocate for the program within the medical community and promote interprofessional collaboration.
  • Ensure ongoing compliance with ARC-PA accreditation Standards and best practices by performing programmatic evaluation.
  • Perform administrative duties related to the Medical Director role, including assisting with faculty recruitment as needed.
  • May serve on departmental, college, and university committees as assigned.
  • Assists the institution with quality assurance efforts related to design, development, implementation, institution and regulatory compliance and continuous ongoing improvement of the program (e.g., meeting/exceeding expectations of the ARC-PA; Western Association Schools and Colleges (WASC); Bureau of Consumer Affairs, etc.).
  • Actively enlists the understanding and support of practicing physicians, medical communities, and health administrators to develop and expand a catalog of affiliations that ensure sufficient quality and quantity of requisite clinical field sites, physician preceptors, and clinical rotations.
  • Actively participates in development and/or review of documents, reports, accreditation application, outcomes, and self-studies as part of quality assurance management.
  • Guides as needed the Director of Clinical Education (or designee) in monitoring the quality of clinical education, supervision, and assessment practices.
  • Assists with curricular design, development, implementation, evaluation, review, and maintenance, ensuring the program is fully compliant with ARC-PA Standards.
  • May serve as clinical preceptor to West Coast University physician assistant students.
  • Attends and actively participates in milestone and community-facing events such as student orientation, white coat ceremony, and graduation.
  • Serves as a role model for physician led interdisciplinary health care teams.
  • Represents the program within the medical and academic communities and to various constituencies and stakeholders.
  • Actively participates as an active member of the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) or board.
  • Attends and actively participates in program or faculty meetings.
  • May participate in the program’s admissions process, including recruitment, application review, interviews, and application selection for admission, as needed.
  • Solicits and affirms opportunities for increased visibility of program, expansion of clinical site, improved learning, student research linkages, and employment pathways

Preferred Education, Certifications and Licensures

• Preferred Qualifications
  • Prior experience in physician assistant/associate (PA) education, medical education, or graduate health professions education.
  • Previous experience serving as a Medical Director, Associate Medical Director, Program Director, Medical Science faculty, Clinical Preceptor for PA students, Clinical Education leader, or comparable leadership role within a health professions program.
  • Demonstrated familiarity with Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) Standards, accreditation processes, program evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and self-study activities.
  • Experience supporting curriculum design, curricular integration, instructional delivery, student assessment, and competency-based education in PA, graduate medical, or health professions education.
  • Experience working collaboratively with PAs in clinical practice, education, leadership, or team-based care environments.
  • Demonstrated commitment to team-based, patient-centered healthcare delivery and interprofessional collaboration.
  • Experience with clinical site development, preceptor engagement, healthcare partnership development, or healthcare systems leadership.
  • Prior teaching experience in higher education, graduate medical education, residency/fellowship education, or continuing medical education.
  • Experience mentoring students, residents, advanced practice providers, or healthcare professionals.
  • Demonstrated scholarly activity, including presentations, publications, research, quality improvement initiatives, or professional service activities.
  • Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across academic, clinical, and administrative settings.
  • Experience with assessment, outcomes analysis, strategic planning, or programmatic quality improvement initiatives.
  • Familiarity with educational technologies, learning management systems, simulation, or innovative instructional methodologies.
• For physician candidates: prior experience supervising, collaborating with, or educating PAs in clinical practice.
• For PA candidates: prior experience as principal faculty, academic leadership, course director, or clinical coordinator within an ARC-PA accredited PA program.
• Doctoral degree (e.g., DMSc, EdD, PhD, DHSc, MD/DO with additional academic leadership training) preferred.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Ability to communicate using bilingual skills is a plus but not mandatory.

Required Education, Certifications, and Licensures

• Minimum Qualifications: Specific requirements for each role are indicated as below for Physician Assistants/Associates (PAs) and Physicians:
  • Physician Assistant/Associate (PAs) Candidates:
    • PA Candidates: Graduation from an ARC-PA accredited PA program.
    • PA Candidates: Master’s degree or higher in education or a related health- or social-science discipline.
    • PA Candidates: Current or previous National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) board certification.
    • PA Candidates: Current or eligible for state PA licensure in state of campus location.
  • Physician Candidates:
    • Physician Candidates: Doctor of medicine degree and completion of residencies whose accreditation is duly recognized by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education.
    • Physician Candidates: Current or previous board certification, either by an ABMS or AOA specialty board.
    • Physician Candidates: Current or eligible for state licensure in state of campus location.
  • For PA and Physician Candidates: Minimum of three (3) years of clinical experience.

Do you want a career that allows you to make a difference in other people’s lives? Discover what it means to truly believe in the work that you do at West Coast University.

At West Coast University, we have the privilege of educating students seeking careers in healthcare and guide them through their transformational journey from student to caregiver. Our associates are united behind that purpose and share a deep commitment to our values of teamwork, collegiality, transparency, and a student-centric approach to all we do. This focus creates an aligned, nimble, and consensus-driven culture that is solution-oriented and supports our associates’ professional growth.

West Coast University is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for all associates.