Academic Fieldwork Coordinator - Occupational Therapy

The mission of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is the development of professional health care practitioners through innovation, individualized, and quality classroom, clinical, and distance education.

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Academic Fieldwork Instructor (AFWC) is primarily responsible for coordinating the clinical education portion of the OTD curriculum. This is a faculty position with teaching, scholarship, advisement, and service responsibilities in addition to the administration of clinical education. This position requires significant contact with students, outside constituents, professional consortiums, and AFWC faculty at the other USA campuses so teaching responsibilities have been significantly reduced in order to ensure that the needs of the fieldwork program are being met.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SUPERVISED BY THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Course management

• Prepares and delivers course instruction as assigned
• Maintains environment conducive to learning and facilitates student participation
• Assesses student performance, monitors student progress, and provides timely feedback
• Interacts with program faculty at all campuses regarding clinical education and doctoral experiential component/residency curriculum

Advisement

• Advises entry-level students with academic and/or personal issues

Scholarship

• Sets scholarship plan, implements plan as prescribed by accreditation standards

Service

• Serves on programmatic and university committees as assigned
• Serves as university liaison in community and/or professional activities

Clinical Education Program Planning, Implementation, and Assessment

• Development of students as clinicians in all domains of professional clinical practice; appropriately assesses student learning and performance
• Coordinates or participates in the development of clinical education faculty
• Analyzes the clinical education and doctoral experiential component/residency program academic outcomes for compliance to accreditation standards
• Advances the vision of the profession and delivers new ideas with a forward-looking perspective of clinical education
• Appropriately communicates to faculty and program directors on student and curriculum information

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CLINICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

• Communicates between the Academic Institution and Affiliated Clinical Education Sites
• Communicates with all concerned stakeholders (e.g., clinical education sites,, clinical faculty, and students to maintain current knowledge of the educational program, the clinical education sites, and health care changes affecting clinical practice and education
• Communicates and oversees communication with fieldwork educators (FWE), and students to assess student performance. Provides guidance and support as required to problem solve and discuss pertinent issues with students.
• Places, supervises, and communicates with students while on clinical experiences.
• Evaluates each clinical education site through student feedback, on-site visits, and ongoing communications, and routinely shares this information with academic faculties
• Coordinates and plans clinical education with other campuses/programs and clinical education staff
• Attends AFWC meetings and local consortium meetings
• Clinical Site Development
• Maintains the procedures for clinical site selection, utilization, and assessment
• Maintains an adequate number of clinical education sites relative to quality, quantity and diversity of learning experiences to meet the educational needs of students, the philosophy and outcomes of the program, and ACOTE evaluative criteria
• Provides clinical education site development through ongoing evaluation and assessment of strengths and areas for development (e.g., in service training, discontinue student placements) as approved by the Program Directors
• Fieldwork Educator Development
• Collaborates with FWEs to promote, coordinate, plan, and provide FWE development opportunities using effective instructional methodologies and technologies with approval of the Program Directors
• Encourages clinical faculty to participate in local, statewide, and national forums
• Maintains knowledge of current trends in health care and its effect on clinical education and apprises clinical educators and faculty of any changing trends
• Mentors other academic faculty about their role and responsibilities related to clinical education (e.g., clinical site visits, determining readiness for the clinic)
• Works with the Clinical Education Department Head to support a collaborative environment in the clinical education office with behaviors such as:
• Demonstrating mutual respect for each member of the team and the policies of the university; displays positive interpersonal relationships
• Being attentive to staff job responsibilities and chain of command
• Participating in the planning and coordination of clinical education functions
• Communicating regularly and clearly with all members of the team
• Demonstrating a productive attitude toward improvement processes within the department

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Other responsibilities as assigned by the Academic Program Director

POSITION IN ORGANIZATION

Reports to: Academic Program Director/Assistant Academic Program Director

Collaborates with: Clinical Education Associates

TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL & PEOPLE SKILLS REQUIRED

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Incumbents will be evaluated, in part, based on performance of each essential function. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

• Full-time core faculty teaching in OTD programs must hold a doctoral degree awarded by a USDE-recognized regional accrediting body. The doctoral degree is not limited to a doctorate in occupational therapy.
• Must be licensed as an occupational therapist in the state in which the program is located.
• A minimum of 2 years of teaching experience at the college/university level.
• A minimum of 2 years of clinical experience in the area of course content required.
• Experience with distance learning preferred. Faculty must have documented experience in their area(s) of teaching responsibility and knowledge of the content delivery method (e.g., distance education).
• Experience in scholarly activity preferred.

LICENSURE and/or CERTIFICATION

Must be currently licensed as an occupational therapist in campus specific state.

TRAVEL

Travel is an expectation and requirement of the position. Site visits to clinical locations is often required to assess the suitability of the site and to monitor student’s performance. Visits to sites may be initiated by the site, student, or the AFWC.

BUSINESS COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Committed to Mission and Values - Has a clear understanding of institution’s mission and values. Has a passion for facilitating learning and for enabling students to navigate their own learning journey.
• Contribute Knowledge to the Discipline - Compelled by the opportunity to contribute through research, scholarship professional practice or creativity.
• Accountable -Takes personal responsibility for own goals and outcomes to ensure student success. Establishes clear expectations, follows through on commitments to students and holds them accountable for assignments and performance
• Collaborative - Works cooperatively with others across the institution and beyond, including the community and through partnerships. Represents own interests while being inclusive and fair to others.
• Communicates Effectively - Adapts oral and written communication approach and style to the audience and based on the message. Also listens attentively to others.
• Drives Engagement - Makes students feel welcome, understood and valued. Creates a learning environment that is compelling, challenging and productive.
• Academic Discipline Expertise - Has sufficient credentials, industry expertise and/or experience in the discipline to teach according to the standards and qualifications required.
• Education Design - Designs learning experiences closely linked to learning outcomes including lesson planning, design of project, work integrated, group learning experiences, or interactive learning objects. Has depth of expertise in pedagogy, andragogy and overall learning effectiveness.
• Teaching Delivery/Learning Facilitation Skills - Manages small, large, blended, hybrid and/or online classrooms, monitoring and ensuring participation, managing ones own and students time and attention effectively.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment but may involve exposure to moderate noise levels. Work involves operation of personal computer equipment for six to eight hours daily and includes physical demands associated with a traditional office setting, e.g., walking, standing, communicating, and other physical functions as necessary.

Physical requirements of this position include the following:

 Does not apply