Director of Clinical Education Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

About this role

PLNU is a Christian liberal arts university in the evangelical, Wesleyan tradition, offering quality undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. We provide higher education in a vibrant Christian environment where minds are engaged and challenged, character is modeled and formed, and service is an expression of faith. PLNU is an institution that is committed to reflecting the rich diversity of God’s kingdom. We therefore  encourage applications from culturally and academically diverse faculty of the highest caliber, skilled and/or demonstrating great potential in the practice of teaching and scholarship. 

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Point Loma Nazarene University invites applications for a full-time Director of Clinical Education (DCE) for its developing Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The DCE will serve as a core faculty leader responsible for the design, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of the clinical education curriculum. This position is central to building a clinical education infrastructure that is CAPTE-ready, student-centered, competency-based, and responsive to the health needs of the San Diego region and the broader communities served by PLNU graduates. The DCE will lead all integrated and full-time clinical education experiences, ensuring that clinical learning is intentionally sequenced with the didactic curriculum and aligned with program outcomes. The DCE will support students’ development as practice-ready physical therapists who demonstrate clinical reasoning, professional accountability, compassionate care, evidence-informed decision-making, and readiness for contemporary entry-level practice. The successful candidate will be an experienced physical therapist educator and relationship-builder who can cultivate durable clinical partnerships, support clinical instructors and site coordinators, guide students through clinical readiness and progression, and contribute to accreditation, program assessment, teaching, scholarship, and service. Job Status: Full time *** Job Description: Benefits: We are pleased to offer attractive benefits and resources. This includes benefits such as health, dental, tuition benefits for employees and dependents, and competitive retirement matching. There also may be opportunities for university assistance with the cost of housing in Southern California. In addition, we have many opportunities to engage with our community including faculty chapel, weekly faculty lunches and a robust wellness program.

Salary:  PLNU pays its faculty using a payscale based on experience and academic rank.  Faculty salaries using this scale for a 3-semester appointment range from $112,574 - $149,319. 

The actual salary will be based on the experience, rank, and appointment term of the candidate selected to fill this position.   The PLNU DPT program is being designed to prepare physical therapists of character, competence, and calling through a competency-based curriculum. The DCE will play a formative role in ensuring that clinical education is not simply the completion of required clinical hours, but a developmental pathway through which students become reflective, ethical, adaptive, and practice-ready clinicians. The ideal candidate will understand clinical education as a space of professional formation where knowledge, skill, judgment, identity, and service converge. The DCE will help students practice with excellence and compassion; engage patients, families, communities, and colleagues with dignity; use evidence responsibly; respond to feedback with humility; and serve communities through accountable, whole-person physical therapy care. The successful candidate will demonstrate commitment to PLNU’s mission and to the formation of students for lives of service, professional excellence, ethical practice, and whole-person care. Primary Responsibilities

Clinical Education Leadership and Program Development The Director of Clinical Education will provide leadership for the clinical education curriculum and ensure that integrated and full-time clinical experiences are aligned with program outcomes, CAPTE expectations, and contemporary physical therapist practice. Key responsibilities include: • Lead the planning, development, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of integrated and full-time clinical education experiences. • Ensure clinical education is developmentally sequenced and integrated with didactic, laboratory, simulation, service, and coaching components of the curriculum. • Collaborate with the DPT Program Director and faculty to develop clinical education policies, procedures, readiness standards, progression expectations, grading processes, and assessment systems. • Contribute to CAPTE-related documentation, including Application for Candidacy materials, self-study evidence, program assessment, and continuous quality improvement processes. • Ensure clinical education prepares students for entry-level practice across the lifespan, body systems, and continuum of care.

Clinical Site Development and Partnership Management The DCE will develop and sustain a high-quality network of clinical education sites that provides sufficient variety, quality, and capacity for student learning. Key responsibilities include: • Recruit, develop, evaluate, and maintain clinical education sites across diverse practice settings, patient populations, geographic communities, and models of care. • Build partnerships with hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers, pediatric settings, neurologic and orthopedic practices, community-based organizations, underserved care settings, military- or veteran-serving environments, and regional health systems as appropriate. • Obtain, maintain, and monitor clinical affiliation agreements, memoranda of understanding, certificates of insurance, site documentation, onboarding requirements, and other compliance materials. • Serve as the primary relationship manager for clinical partners, including Site Coordinator

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