Health Professions Education Program Lead

Position Summary

This position develops and implements programs to support health care professional recruitment, placement, and work force competencies for health centers statewide and for healthcare organizations in Southcentral Alaska. The position supports health professional education and training, including clinical rotations, continuing education, and pipeline training in coordination with other departments within APCA. The chosen candidate also serves as the Program Director of the Southcentral Area Health Education Center (SC AHEC Program Director).

This position is responsible for improving the recruitment, distribution, supply, quality, well-being and efficiency of healthcare workforce and for grant development and administration in compliance with federal, state, and local statues, ordinances, and regulations, including internal policies, procedures. This position represents SC AHEC in public arenas and promotes the mission of the Center in Southcentral Alaska and throughout the State. Further, this position ensures Southcentral pipeline program effectiveness, expansion, and sustainability in alignment with statewide Alaska AHEC programming.

In collaboration with APCA staff and the Alaska AHEC Program Office, the Health Professions Education Program Lead will have the responsibility for planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating the program’s policies, financial and personnel activities for the Southcentral AHEC Center.

This is a full-time position with renewal dependent on continuation of funding of the Center.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

Other duties may be assigned, as necessary.

• Foster and maintain strong partnerships with academic institutions, healthcare organizations, community leaders, and other key partners.
• Collaborate with state and regional entities to identify and address healthcare workforce needs in Southcentral Alaska and in health centers, with a particular focus on underserved and rural communities. Support program development and implementation for projects to address healthcare workforce needs.
• Develop or facilitate links to educational and training activities involving exposure for students to healthcare delivery in rural and/or underserved settings.
• Connect healthcare organizations, Regional AHEC Directors and AHEC Program Director to workforce development opportunities at APCA.
• Develop and implement plans, considering healthcare workforce needs, to provide technical assistance and facilitate training opportunities to health centers and other healthcare organizations to support clinical rotations and continuing education.
• Support and connect healthcare organizations to Pipeline programs, Rural Immersion Institute of the North (RIIN), SHARP loan repayment, and AHEC Scholars in rural and/or underserved communities.
• Assist and collaborate with Regional AHEC Directors and AHEC Program Director in organizing and expanding AHEC programs.
• Develop and implement plans in collaboration with APCA leadership and the AHEC Program Director to support health program planning, community partnership, diversity, and inclusion.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Southcentral AHEC.
• Maintain an AHEC regional Advisory Committee and develop, coordinate, and administer the Center’s activities in accordance with federal guidelines for such centers and state and federal laws.
• Develop, promote, and ensure quality facilitation and delivery of a broad range of programs to meet the Center’s mission and strategic plan.
• Contribute to and support the Statewide AHEC Steering Committee in the development of policy, strategic planning, problem identification, and solution development.
• Serve as the representative of the Center with the various health care provider constituencies, associations, academic institutions and state agencies, governmental structures, etc. within the region served by the Center, including external policy development.
• Prepare and administer Southcentral AHEC budget, in accordance with federal guidelines and with APCA policy; provide all other necessary records for the required time and in accordance with regulations covering this Center’s contracts.
• Seek out and obtain funding opportunities, which are consistent with the mission and strategic plan of the Center and host organization APCA.
• Monitor program performance metrics and evaluation process to analyze the impact and effectiveness of AHEC initiatives.
• Ensure student and participant data is collected, entered, and maintained in the Pipeline Cache Database and APCA database systems.
• Troubleshoot and validate reportable data as required state and federal guidelines.
• Perform other appropriate duties as requested.

Qualifications / Knowledge

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 2-4 years of applicable administrative experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in computer software programs such as electronic spreadsheets, database applications and communication software.
• Must be able to work cooperatively and communicate (written and verbal) effectively with others, including non-business staff and clinicians.
• Must be able to analyze and present financial data.
• Must be able to think critically and strategically.
• Must possess interpersonal skills to interact with business and clinical professionals and management.
• Proficient capability with Microsoft Office Suite on a Windows platform and Google platforms.
• Must possess a valid Alaska driver’s license.
• Must have consistent access to insured, reliable private transportation.

Preferred

• Master's Degree in a related field
• Five years of administrative experience.
• Experience working in secondary and higher education.
• Experience in Public Health sector.
• Experience in business administration, public health administration or public administration or related field which must include budget and personnel administration.
• Experience working with AHEC.

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills to include representing institutions and policies to various constituencies.
• Demonstrated organizational skills.
• Experience with grant/proposal writing and administration.
• Experience in policy development at local, state, and national levels.
• Experience in working with healthcare professionals, local community structures, government agencies and academic institutions.
• Experience with the workings of private, non-profit corporations and with the general policies governing the use of funds from state, federal and other funding sources.
• Ability to manage change from internal and external factors including change in education and workforce needs, funding sources and/or key personnel.
• Ability to think creatively with a solutions-based approach to complex regional and statewide healthcare workforce needs.

Supervisory Relationship

Received

• Works under the direct supervision of the Health Center Operations Senior Manager. Performance is assessed through review of work, integration, and cooperation within the Department and APCA, communication with all stakeholders, quality and timeliness of deliverables and associated criteria.

Language Skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English required.
• Superior written and oral communication skills.

Travel Required

In-city travel by personal vehicle for meetings, tasks, and errands as needed. In-state travel may occur. Biennial National AHEC Conference attendance is required. Mileage is reimbursed per APCA policy. 

Hours per Week

This is a full-time position, 40 hours/week. Generally, the hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, and hear, and be able to operate a computer, printer, telephone, computer/projector combination, and photocopier.

Work Environment

Duties will generally be performed in an office setting with travel and associated accommodation throughout the local area, the state of Alaska, and the Lower 48 as needed.

NOTE: Any description of work is a picture of the major responsibilities of a position at a given point in time. Jobs are dynamic and assignments/priorities may change. The primary purpose of this description is to outline and communicate key tasks and expectations for the position. This description does not imply or create a contractual relationship. Alaska Primary Care Association is an at-will employer. 

Alaska Primary Care Association provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.