Director of Clinical Education - Nurse Anesthesia

Unit: College of Health Professions

Department: Nurse Anesthesia

About Virginia Commonwealth University

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VCU dates to 1838 with the formation of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College, whose mission was to educate physicians in central Virginia and which was later renamed Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, Richmond Professional Institute merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become what is now known as Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Welcome to VCU. A world unlike any other.

Mission or Goal of Department of Nurse Anesthesia

The mission of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia is to provide learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to work as part of an inter-professional team to serve the public through the delivery of safe, cost-efficient, quality anesthesia services. We strive to develop leaders and scholars who will advance the specialty of nurse anesthesia through research, scholarship, and public service. We invite candidates to apply for a 12-month tenure track or non-tenure track faculty position in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia.

Director of Clinical Education (DCE) Summary

The Director of Clinical Education DCE is responsible for facilitating and overseeing day-to-day clinical operations in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia. The Director of Clinical Education assists the DNAP Program Director in ensuring that clinical operations accurately reflect the missions of the Department, College, and University, as well as those of all external accrediting bodies. The DCE serves as a liaison between the Department of Nurse Anesthesia and other departments throughout the University and affiliate clinical sites.

The Director of Clinical Education reports to the Department Chair but works closely with the DNAP Program Director, Director of Southwest Operations, Director of Distance Education, clinical course coordinators, faculty, staff, students, and university stakeholders, keeping them informed of all pertinent clinical issues and processes.

DCE Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight of clinical education operations for the DNAP program, including supervision of the Credentialing Specialist and coordination with all clinical site partners.
• Ensure compliance with COA accreditation standards by overseeing clinical site visits, student documentation, affiliation agreements, and related reporting requirements.
• Coordinate clinical placement and performance monitoring, including regular review of student case logs, progress reports, and documentation of clinical experiences.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies related to clinical affairs in collaboration with the Program Director, including standards for performance, evaluation, and student record-keeping.
• Communicate regularly with clinical site coordinators and preceptors, providing updates, feedback, and support to ensure high-quality clinical education across all regional sites.
• Lead and respond to clinical performance concerns, including student counseling, development of success plans, and coordination with clinical faculty and site coordinators.
• Facilitate student onboarding and training for clinical sites, including coordination of site-specific requirements such as EMR training and equipment in-services.
• Collaborate in clinical faculty development, including assessment of professional development needs and support for continuing education initiatives.

Faculty Position Responsibilities

Teaching:

• Coordinate assigned courses in the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program following the teaching workload policies of the College of Health Professions.
• Teach assigned content areas in courses throughout the curriculum of the DNAP program, consistent with areas of knowledge, skill, and department needs.
• Deliver course content and provide timely evaluation of graduate students according to university policies and department guidelines.
• Serve as an academic advisor for graduate students enrolled in the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program (entry-to-practice and post-master’s students).
• Serve as a doctoral project committee chair and/or member throughout their program enrollment.

Scholarship:

• Engage in scholarly activities to enhance knowledge in nurse anesthesia.
• Disseminate research findings via scholarly writing and publication; write, publish, and/or present scholarly documents to advance the knowledge base of the nurse anesthesia profession.
• Design and conduct scholarly initiatives, including acquiring grant funding and overseeing research projects.

Service:

• Actively participate in department quality improvement activities related to course design, development, and evaluation.
• Serve on department, school, university, and professional committees and engage in other forms of professional service.
• Provide professional and community service in an area of expertise.

Other:

• Residence within commuting distance to the Richmond program site and the availability to be in-person at that site full time.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Earned doctoral degree in a related area.
• Ability to complement and expand existing expertise in the department.
• Junior faculty members will be required to demonstrate potential for securing external funding and scholarships, or for creative expression, to complement and expand their existing expertise in the department.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism, and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.
• Valid state nursing license to practice as an RN and CRNA in any state and eligible for RN and APRN licensure to practice as a CRNA in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Recertification as a CRNA by the NBCRNA.
• Two years of experience as a CRNA.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong communication skills as evidenced through prior public speaking engagements, presentations, and/or written scholarship.
• Evidence of career development and growth in teaching, service, scholarship, and administration.
• Experience in curriculum design and program evaluation in higher education.
• Experience with using a learning management system, such as Canvas or Blackboard.
• Education or experience in item writing in nurse anesthesia.
• Experience in hands-on, simulation-based teaching.
• Post-doctoral research training and/or experience with grant writing.
• Background and experience in research, clinical practice, and teaching in anesthesiology.
• Ability to travel as necessary to fulfill teaching, service, and scholarship requirements of the department and Nurse Anesthesiology Faculty Associates (NAFA).

Salary Range: $200,000+ (commensurate with experience)

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Restricted Position: No

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Rank: Open

Tenure: Open

Months: 12 months

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Dr. Becky Carmel
Contact Email: rlcarmel@vcu.edu