Director of Clinical Education Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Location: Balboa Campus - San Diego, CA · Type: Full time ·
Posted: 2026-07-01 · Reference: R0004398
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.
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 Coordinators of Clinical Education, Clinical Instructors,
administrators, and community stakeholders.
Cultivate academic-clinical partnerships grounded in clear communication,
mutual accountability, educational quality, student development, patient
care, and professional excellence.
Student Clinical Readiness, Placement, Progression, and Support
The DCE will guide students through clinical readiness, placement, performance
monitoring, and progression within the clinical education curriculum.
Key responsibilities include:
Coordinate student placement processes to ensure clinical assignments
support curricular goals, student learning needs, site capacity, and CAPTE
expectations for quality, quantity, and variety of clinical experiences.
Oversee systems for tracking clinical readiness, onboarding requirements,
immunizations, background checks, drug screens, HIPAA/OSHA training,
health documentation, site-specific requirements, and related compliance
elements.
Orient students to clinical education expectations, professional behavior
standards, performance assessment processes, and communication procedures.
Monitor student performance before, during, and after clinical experiences
through communication with students, faculty, Clinical Instructors, and
clinical partners.
Support student learning through advising, coaching, check-ins, conflict
resolution, learning plans, supervision plans, and remediation plans when
needed.
Collaborate with faculty to determine student readiness and contribute to
progression decisions using evidence from assessments of performance,
clinical reasoning, professionalism, safety, communication, affective
behaviors, and Clinical Instructor feedback.
Clinical Instructor and SCCE Development
The DCE will support Clinical Instructors and Site Coordinators of Clinical
Education in providing high-quality, consistent, and developmentally
appropriate assessment and supervision of students.
Key responsibilities include:
Serve as the primary liaison between the DPT program and clinical
education faculty, including Clinical Instructors and Site Coordinators of
Clinical Education.
Orient clinical partners to the PLNU DPT mission, curriculum design,
expected student outcomes, assessment tools, progression expectations, and
standards for supervision and feedback.
Design and facilitate Clinical Instructor development activities related
to student assessment, feedback, coaching, professional behavior
evaluation, remediation, and use of clinical performance assessment tools.
Support Clinical Instructors in addressing student learning needs,
performance concerns, and remediation processes.
Promote calibration across clinical sites to improve consistency,
fairness, and quality of clinical assessment.
Assessment, Accreditation, and Continuous Quality Improvement
The DCE will lead the use of clinical education data to support accreditation
readiness, program assessment, and continuous improvement.
Key responsibilities include:
Collect, analyze, and use clinical education data to inform program
improvement and accreditation reporting.
Track student performance outcomes, site and Clinical Instructor
evaluations, student evaluations, placement capacity, practice setting
distribution, patient population exposure, progression patterns,
remediation outcomes, and clinical education trends.
Contribute directly to CAPTE documentation and reporting related to
clinical education, including evidence of clinical site quality, student
readiness, student performance, Clinical Instructor support, and
coordination between didactic and clinical education.
Ensure integrated and full-time clinical education experiences are
organized, sequential, coordinated with the didactic curriculum, and
designed to support students' achievement of expected program outcomes.
Collaborate with the Program Director and faculty to use clinical
education data for curriculum review, student progression processes, site
development, and program-level decision-making.
Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
As a core faculty member, the DCE will contribute to teaching, scholarship,
service, and faculty governance within the DPT program and College of Health
Sciences.
Key responsibilities include:
Teach or co-teach courses within the DPT curriculum based on area of
expertise and program need.
Contribute to learning experiences in areas such as clinical education
seminars, professional formation, clinical reasoning, patient/client
management, systems-based content, interprofessional education, or
service-learning preparation.
Maintain a scholarly agenda appropriate to academic rank and consistent
with expectations for core faculty.
Engage in scholarship related to clinical education, student readiness,
competency-based education, clinical performance assessment,
interprofessional education, community-engaged learning, health equity,
workforce development, professional formation, or related areas.
Participate in program, college, university, professional, and community
service, including DPT program committees, clinical education consortia,
professional organizations, community partnerships, accreditation
workgroups, and College of Health Sciences initiatives.
Physical Requirements
The Director of Clinical Education position is primarily an academic and
administrative faculty role. The position requires the ability to perform work
in an office, classroom, laboratory, and clinical education environment.
Physical requirements include the ability to:
Sit, stand, and walk for extended periods during meetings, teaching,
advising, site visits, and program activities.
Use a computer, keyboard, phone, and other office or instructional
technology for extended periods.
Communicate effectively in person, by phone, by video conference, and in
writing.
Travel locally and regionally to clinical education sites, professional
meetings, and community partner locations as needed.
Occasionally lift, carry, or move materials and equipment typically
weighing up to 20 pounds.
Participate in classroom, laboratory, simulation, or clinical teaching
activities that may require demonstration, observation, or supervision of
physical therapy-related skills within the candidate's abilities and
licensure.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
Required Qualifications:
The successful candidate must have:
An earned Doctor of Physical Therapy degree or other doctoral preparation
appropriate to the role.
Current, active, and unencumbered physical therapist licensure in a United
States jurisdiction.
Eligibility for physical therapist licensure in California and compliance
with the California Physical Therapy Practice Act.
Commitment to PLNU's mission and to the formation of students for lives of
service, professional excellence, ethical practice, and whole-person care.
A minimum of three years of full-time post-licensure clinical practice as
a physical therapist.
A minimum of two years of experience as a Clinical Instructor or Site
Coordinator of Clinical Education, or a minimum of two years of experience
in teaching, curriculum development, and administration in a physical
therapist education program.
Demonstrated understanding of clinical education in physical therapist
education, including clinical site development, student placement, student
assessment, Clinical Instructor support, and clinical education
compliance.
Familiarity with CAPTE standards and accreditation expectations related to
clinical education.
Evidence of effective communication, organization, collaboration, and
relationship-building with students, faculty, clinical partners, and
administrators.
Demonstrated ability to support student learning, clinical performance
development, professional behavior formation, and remediation when needed.
Personal: Evidence of Christian commitment and active church involvement.
In addition, faculty agree to live in agreement with PLNU's Community
Life Covenant.
The job offer is contingent on the successful completion of a background
check. PLNU will consider qualified applicants, including those with
criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local "Fair
Chance" laws.
Preferred Qualifications
Preferred qualifications include:
Prior experience as a Director of Clinical Education, Assistant Director
of Clinical Education, Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education, SCCE,
or comparable clinical education leader.
A post-professional academic doctorate such as a PhD, EdD, DSc, DHSc, or
ScD.
APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program certification or experience
providing CI development.
ABPTS board certification, residency or fellowship training, or other
evidence of advanced clinical expertise.
Experience developing clinical education infrastructure for a new or
developing DPT program.
Experience contributing to CAPTE candidacy, self-study, annual
accreditation reporting, or site visit preparation.
Experience with clinical education management systems such as Exxat or
comparable platforms.
Evidence of scholarship or scholarly potential in clinical education,
competency-based education, student performance assessment, professional
formation, interprofessional education, or health professions education.
Established relationships with clinical partners in Southern California or
experience building clinical networks across multiple practice settings.
Demonstrated commitment to community-engaged education, service-oriented
practice, health equity, belonging, and preparation of graduates to serve
diverse communities.
Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
Strategic leadership in building clinical education systems for a
developing DPT program.
Capacity to translate mission, curriculum, and accreditation expectations
into operational systems.
Ability to cultivate clinical partnerships that are educationally
meaningful, mutually beneficial, and sustainable.
Expertise in student performance assessment, clinical readiness,
remediation, and progression.
Skill in mentoring students and clinical faculty through complex learning
and performance situations.
Strong judgment in conflict resolution, risk management, documentation,
and professional communication.
Commitment to evidence-informed physical therapist education and
contemporary clinical practice.
Ability to use data for program assessment, clinical education quality
improvement, and accreditation evidence.
Facility with technology used for clinical placement, compliance tracking,
assessment, and communication.
A collaborative leadership style grounded in humility, accountability,
clarity, compassion, and service.
Application Materials
Applicants should submit:
Letter of interest addressing qualifications for the DCE role and
alignment with PLNU's mission and the developing DPT program.
Curriculum vitae.
Statement of personal faith
Statement of teaching philosophy, including approach to clinical
education, student coaching, and clinical performance assessment.
Statement of scholarly interests or current scholarly agenda.
Names and contact information for three professional references -
References will not be contacted without your permission.
Evidence of physical therapist licensure and eligibility for California
licensure.
Preference will be given to candidates who apply by July 31, 2026.
If you have questions about items for the application, please contact the
Office of Human Resources at [email protected] or the Search
Committee chair at [email protected].
At PLNU, we believe in pursuing calling together. Deep and meaningful
relationships between students, faculty, and staff is vital in nurturing our
shared community and expressing God's love. We are looking for enthusiastic
candidates to join us in empowering our students to reach their greatest
personal, spiritual and professional potential.
Point Loma Nazarene University does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, age, disability or status as a veteran in any of
its policies, practices or procedures.
