Early Clinical Experience Preceptors

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is seeking experienced, motivated, and dedicated leaders and educators to participate in the design and delivery of an innovative four-year medical school curriculum that engages medical students in active and novel learning.

Required Documents to Apply:

• A detailed curriculum vitae
• Please include a brief summary of your teaching (for healthcare learners) and other academic experience (including publications, presentations, and academic service) with your application, especially if such experiences and accomplishments are not clearly outlined in your CV.

Job Description:

About Us

Founded in 2021, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is a nonprofit, four-year MD program enhancing traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles. The School’s culture embraces self-care to empower students to care for their own well-being as well as their patients’. The School’s state-of-the-art medical education facility is under construction in Bentonville, Arkansas on the Crystal Bridges campus, home to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute. The School has been granted preliminary accreditation status by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

What We Seek

We are building a cadre of medical professionals trained in conventional medicine and in whole health, by reimagining medical education. We seek leaders and faculty who are excited by this endeavor. We are building a health care learning and delivery environment in which diversity is a strength and highly valued. Thus, we seek candidates who contribute to diversity in all its forms. Ideal candidates are committed to our goals of inclusive excellence, and to facilitating optimal health for all using a whole health approach.

Faculty and staff members will contribute to the development and rollout of the ARCHES curriculum, which is built on evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning. It includes the following six core elements:

• Art of Healing
• Research
• Clinical
• Health Systems Science
• Embracing Whole Health
• Science of Medicine

All six areas of the curriculum will be interwoven throughout the four-year curriculum.

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) seeks experienced, motivated, and dedicated leaders and educators to participate in the design and delivery of an innovative four-year medical school curriculum that engages medical students in active and novel learning.

About The Position

The Early Clinical Experience (ECE) Preceptor will be a part of the team that supports students’ achievement of the ECE learning objectives and observes and provides feedback to medical students in their outpatient clinical setting. The ECE Preceptors may also mentor the students as to the life of a practicing physician. ECE Preceptors may have opportunities to work with both 1st and 2nd year medical students.

The ECE Preceptors will provide direct observation and guidance to students in their outpatient setting as students progress in the development of their clinical skills from novice to advanced beginner to competent. By the end of the 2nd year, students should be well underway of developing differential diagnosis, preparing patient-centered management plans, and are prepared to provide oral presentations of their patients prior to in-patient clerkships.  

These individuals are part-time, approximately four (4) to six (6) hours every other week in their own clinical setting, and report to the ECE Course Director within the clinical education department.

Rank/Classification

The position is open at the Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor levels, depending on experience and qualifications.

We are building a workplace and learning climate in which inclusive excellence and whole health principles are inextricable parts of our culture and practices. All voices are heard and valued, and professional and personal growth are actively supported. While AWSOM does not have a tenure track, we are building a school that will facilitate exceptional professional development opportunities for our faculty and other team members.

Major Responsibilities/Essential Functions Specific to the Position:

• Actively participate in clinical faculty training (both on-site and virtual) sessions and activities to prepare for your role as educators and evaluators of medical students.
• Observe students performing clinical skills, provide formative feedback and document students’ performance.
• Provide students’ performance data to the ECE Course Director and the Senior Director of Assessment and Evaluation in timely manner.
• Identify students struggling and assist in developing remediation plans in consultation with the ECE course director.
• Model professional and ethical behaviors.
• Assist in primary care site specific coordination of patient and staff schedules for students’ participation in clinical experiences.

Minimum Education

• M.D., D.O., from a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)/American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic Colleges Accreditation (COCA) accredited institution.
• Completion of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residency program in respective specialty.

Minimum Certification

Must be board certified or board eligible in the State of Arkansas.

Minimum Work Experiences

• Three or more years of experience in medical practice
• Experience supervising individuals, including staff members and/or healthcare personnel

Preferred Work Experiences and Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience in medical practice
• Experience training medical/healthcare students in a clinical or classroom setting
• Strong commitment to self-care

Skills Expected of All AWSOM Team Members

• Exemplary written, verbal and other communication skills.
• Adaptability: Flexible around the needs of the position and the school.
• Collaborative Skills: Build and maintain relationships internal and external to the organization. 
• Creative and Open-Minded: Enjoy exploring and supporting innovation in teaching strategies, topic areas, professional growth opportunities, and more.
• Discerning: Ability to recognize and support innovation.
• Highly self-directed, and reliable and accountable.
• Strong commitment to self-care.
• Committed to Diversity and Inclusion: Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders (e.g., co-workers, students, community members). 
• Ability to effectively mentor a diversity of individuals.
• Commitment to meet and maintain professional development requirements related to this role.