Medical Director

Basic Function and Responsibility:

The Medical Director position is a dual role that encompasses directing and managing the Student Health Center and providing medical care for students. The Student Health Center serves an undergraduate and graduate campus community of approx 5500 enrolled students (including a residential population of 2500 students), provides daily medical appointments for approx 25-30 students per day (including RN, NP and psychiatric appointments), and responds to on-campus medical emergencies. This role will entail approx 50% of administrative leadership and 50% medical care. 

The Medical Director of the Student Health Center leads both people and processes within the Student Health Center department in supporting the fulfillment of the mission and vision of Student Development and of Biola University. The Director will nurture and guide a cohesive team toward a common vision and will build the team through strong communication, transparency, humility and inclusiveness, while ensuring accountability at all levels of the department. 

The Medical Director of the Student Health Center is also required to be a board certified family practice or internal medicine physician. They will provide professional medical care for acute and selective chronic illnesses. This highly technical position involves delivery of general health care services, emergency services and preventative care to the Biola community in cooperation with the clinical nursing staff. The physician provides medical supervision for nurses and nurse practitioners. He/she possesses the highest level of medical training in the clinic and serves as the most senior expert on issues pertaining to medical services provided in the clinic.

Essential Duties:

• Establish, administer and evaluate department programs, systems, operations and processes necessary to deliver collaborative and integrative student health and community wellness services. This includes responsibility to: Supervise and direct all clinical staff in adhering to clinical protocols and procedures; Oversee administrative aspects of direct healthcare provision; Establish, revise and evaluate long-range departmental plans and goals; integrate departmental planning into the Department of Student Development and campus-wide strategic planning; Guide and oversee the the Asst Director in preventative, proactive wellness and health promotion programs and initiatives; Provides leadership and guidance to Student Health Center staff, patient care education purposes, formally and informally, concerning written materials, consent forms, and flow sheets; Maintain current knowledge of legislative, Federal, State, LA County Public Health, CDC, ACHA (American College Health Association) recommendations, and other health/safety requirements/issues that impact the University’s health and safety, including working knowledge of health-related accreditation and licensing standards; Maintain current knowledge on matters related to providing cost effective, quality primary campus health and wellness services and on world, national, state and local healthcare trends that are impactful to the Biola campus community; Ensure all programs and services are in compliance with University policies and broader regulatory, licensing and accreditation requirements and standards; Select, assign, direct, evaluate and promote Student Health Services staff, clinicians, administrative support and other personnel.
• Develop budgetary guidelines and maintain fiscal responsibility. This includes responsibility to: In coordination with the Associate Dean and the Vice President for Student Development, the Director of Student Health Services is responsible for managing the budget, income generation and cost control for Student Health Services and health promotion/education programming.
• Serve as the primary public health official for the University. This includes responsibility to: Lead, serve on, or support Assistant Director in participation on University committees regarding health and wellness, crisis management and intervention, student life, etc.; Collaborate with campus partners (e.g., Student Care, Learning Center, Athletics, and the Biola Counseling Center) for mutual care of students; Maintain leadership and professional expertise through participation in professional organizations at local, statewide, and national levels; Coordinate response to infectious disease and campus crisis situations in collaboration with local public health officials and university leadership; Cooperate with the LA County Public Health Department and be the point person with respect to reportable communicable diseases (e.g., measles, Covid-19) and reportable potential quarantine circumstances; Other duties as assigned.
• Administer medical care as a physician to students. This includes responsibility to: Assess, evaluate, and implement treatment plan for all patients with consideration of physiological, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual aspects of care; utilizing medical training, clinical expertise, clinical decision making tools, and instrumentation provided in the health center facility for general medical and emergency care; Document all medical care, including history, physical, interventions and referrals, at each client visit in the EHR, or progress notes for those who have paper charts (i.e., visitors on campus); Specific functions and scope of practice for the Student Health Center includes: Perform routine and special physical examinations (i.e. athletic, pre-employment/internship, ROTC etc.); Perform minor suturing and other in-office procedures such as wart treatment, dressing changes, or simple I&D; Examine, evaluate and prescribe medical treatment for ill students (both by appointment and acute “walk-ins”) suffering from acute and/or chronic problems; Examine, evaluate and treat injured students, including those injured through participation in Biola athletic programs; Perform sexual health counseling, especially as it relates to birth control issues, perform pelvic exams and pap smears, and provide STI testing and treatment; Prescribe prescription medicines to a local pharmacy or order from the Student Health Center dispensary; Supervise the ordering and administration of vaccines and anti malarial Rx for those traveling abroad as required or recommended by the CDC; Evaluate those with mental health concerns and work in collaboration with the professional staff of the Biola Counseling Center, SHC staff psychiatrist/PMHNP; Authorize written, standardized procedures for nurses in the absence of the MD; Respond to medical emergencies on campus, provide supportive care, and initiate EMS if indicated. Work in collaboration with Campus Safety to assess the patient and secure the scene; Collaborate with specialists for on-going care of students who exhibit chronic problems while enrolled. For example: Engage in Eating Disorder care and treatment. Experience with eating disorder patients is desired, but not required. Willingness to learn and stay up to date on eating disorder care and treatment and to work in collaboration with other departments to provide wrap around care for the patient (i.e. Biola Counseling Center, Athletic Department, Student Care Team); Examine, evaluate and treat Biola University Worker’s Compensation injuries for First Aid only. The Student Health Center serves as a “first stop” and one follow-up for such injuries during the hours it is open (referrals when deemed necessary will be made in accordance with HR policy); NOTE: The physician assigned at the Student Health Center may not refer patients to himself/herself for fees outside of the Student Health Center.
• Provide supervision over medical personnel and be available for collaboration with NPs. This includes responsibility to: Provide and supervise medical standards in practice, policy and protocol development; Supervise nursing staff in performance of care to all clients; Provide oversight, consultation, and evaluative feedback for the nurse practitioner(s) (NP) while she/he is on duty for the evaluation of patients in compliance with California Board of Registered Nursing requirements for Advanced Practice Nurses. At minimum, the MD supervisor must be available for consultation during the NPs shift for consultation; Provide secondary supervision over healthcare personnel in training (i.e., NP students, RN students on rotation in the health center.

Supervision Received:

Dean or Assistant Vice President of Student Development

Qualifications

General: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to carry out each essential duties satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The person who fills this position must be someone who personally agrees with Biola’s Articles of Faith and Statement of Biblical Principles and who is supportive of the positions taken by Biola as contained in its Eschatology Teaching Position. As such, this person may not speak against or act in a manner inconsistent with these positions during the course of their employment at Biola.
• Proven ability to provide leadership and direct the progress of a multidisciplinary department, including the ability to manage a student services organization;
• Demonstrated success in managing the complex cultures of campus healthcare, including the ability to understand, articulate, integrate and implement campus health and wellness models;
• Demonstrated experience using electronic health records reporting to streamline appointment scheduling and clinical flow, determine clinical practice efficacy and assess quality of care;
• Knowledge of current standards of professional practice and licensure, including experience with accreditation standards;
• Ability to manage complex budgets and develop programs and operating protocols based on data-driven assessment results and best practices;
• Ability to oversee delivery of quality, student-centered, culturally competent services, including oversight of crisis intervention for a broad range of presenting problems and constituencies;
• Demonstrated cultural competence by prior direct experience with diverse, non-traditional student and staff populations.

Education, Experience, and Certifications: 

• Must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited higher education institution;
• Must be a graduate of an accredited Medical School and be Board Certified in Family Practice or Internal Medicine;
• Must maintain all continuing education requirements as directed by the governing medical board and stay up to date on board certification requirements.
• Must have a current, valid California MD license.
• Must have up to date Current Healthcare Provider BLS CPR certification.
• A current copy of the state MD Certification and a current copy of the DEA license is to be maintained in the physician’s employee file and updated as required by the state.
• Five to seven years of progressive experience in a leadership and management position in a comparable healthcare setting or related university or healthcare administrative program, including supervision of healthcare professionals, is strongly preferred. Evidence and commitment to students and their development as well as commitment to diversity and inclusive programs and services is necessary.
• Experience implementing community health promotion models required;
• Experience with health-related accreditation and licensing standards required;
• Experience with electronic health records is required;
• Experience with budgetary responsibility is preferred;
• Experience with campus health programs is preferred.

Skills:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills are essential in the director role. This position requires: drafting correspondence, proofreading correspondence for spelling, grammar and content errors, training and instructing employees within the department, public speaking/presentations, and performing other tasks requiring a significant level of communication skills. Included under the heading of communication is the need to handle confidential information with care.
• Experience in, sensitivity to, and understanding of effectively working with students of all ages and backgrounds, faculty, and staff. Familiarity with the capabilities and uses of electronic data processes, report writing, and accounting.
• 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. The work in this position is performed within routine office conditions, usually without exposure to hazardous or unpleasant conditions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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