University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Department: Office of Medical Education | Undergraduate Medical Education

Job Title: Open Rank-Instructor, Sr. Instructor, Assistant, Associate, Professor

Working Title: Associate Director Communication Skills for DOCS Program

Position #: 00824019 - Requisition #:33940

Job Summary:

The Office of Medical Education has an opening for an Associate Director of Communication Skills for the DOCS Program at 0.30 FTE with a start date of approximately July 1, 2024.

All first-year students enrolled in CUSOM's Trek curriculum participate in weekly small group clinical skills training during their Preclerkship year as part of the Developing Our Clinical Skills (DOCS) course. This dynamic, experiential course is designed to produce humanistic student physicians by developing their foundational clinical and professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes via an integrated curriculum. The curriculum emphasizes communication and interpersonal skills, cultural humility, physical examination, clinical reasoning, and professional development while promoting patient-centered care, teamwork, reflection, and coach-learner partnerships. Standardized patient interactions also comprise significant portions of the course.

The Associated Director of Communication Skills will oversee the communication skills aspect of the DOCS curriculum, including contribution to assessment and integration with the other aspects of the DOCS curriculum.

Supervision: This position will report to the DOCS Program Director.

Key Responsibilities:

Curriculum Execution and Program Innovation:

• Develop and administer communication skills curriculum for first year medical students.
• Develop session specific education materials for learners and DOCS coaches that support learner skill acquisition.
• Coordinate individual communication skills sessions.
• Integrate communication skills with other aspects of the DOCS curriculum and with medical science courses during the Plains.
• Provide oversight of communication skills portion of the DOCS curriculum
• Modify existing or develop new curricula or methods of delivery based on needs, changing LCME requirements, and as charged by curriculum oversight bodies.
• Serve as primary substitute DOCS coach for DOCS weekly sessions.
• Provide faculty development to DOCS coaches regarding communication skills curriculum.
• Contribute to current and new post-clerkship electives for Medical Education Trail students participating as educators for DOCS program.
• Attend and represent DOCS at any necessary committee meetings.

Administration:

• Work with other DOCS program Associate Directors to improve and standardize elements of curriculum, develop policies, provide input, ensure compliance with LCME standards, as well as disseminate best practices.
• Attendance and participation in DOCS team meetings are priorities.
• Work with educational leaders in various departments to develop communication skills curriculum.
• Serve as a resource and communicate in a timely manner with students, administrative staff, and faculty regarding DOCS communication skills.
• Work with educators at the Center for Advancing Professional Excellence (CAPE) to oversee communication skills aspects of DOCS sessions and curriculum assessments.
• Work with CAPE educators to oversee students completing remediation of communication skills aspects of DOCS curriculum.

Curriculum Review, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Accreditation

• Contribute to DOCS program continuous quality improvement
• Contribute to DOCS course reports regarding the communication skills aspects of the program.
• Incorporate student feedback and evaluation results into communication skills curriculum development.

Student Assessment and Grading

• Set clear expectations for student performance of communication skills aspects of DOCS course.
• Participate in providing fair, and effective formative and summative assessments of communication skills aspects of DOCs course.
• Participate in monitoring reliability, validity and alignment of exams with learning objectives and course content.
• Participate in developing a fair grading process and provide students with information on how grades are determined.

Student Support and Remediation

• Participate in early identification of students in academic or personal difficulty.
• Participate in remediation of students for the communication skills aspects of the DOCS program.

Work Location:

Hybrid - this role is eligible to work in a hybrid capacity and work on-site as needed for meetings and appointments. The employee must reside in the United States.

Why Join Us:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a public education, clinical and research facility serving 4,500 students, and a world-class medical destination at the forefront of life-changing science, medicine, and healthcare. CU Anschutz offers more than 40 highly rated degree programs through 6 schools and colleges and receives over $704 million in research awards each year. We are the single largest health professions education provider in Colorado, awarding nearly 1,450 degrees annually. Powered by our award-winning faculty, renowned researchers and a reputation for academic excellence, the CU Anschutz Medical Campus drives innovation from the classroom to the laboratory to the delivery of unparalleled patient care. Read CU Anschutz Quick Facts here.

Diversity and Equity:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons within the LGBTQ+ community and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

This is an open rank position and could be categorized as Instructor, Senior Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor based on experience and qualifications as indicated below:

Instructor:

• M.D. or D.O. Degree or equivalent with a concentration in healthcare and education and medical licensure in the State of Colorado.
• Candidates must be able to obtain a faculty appointment (Instructor) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Minimum of two years' experience teaching medical students

Sr. Instructor:

• M.D. or D.O. Degree or equivalent with a concentration in healthcare and education and medical licensure in the State of Colorado.
• Candidates must be able to obtain a faculty appointment (Sr. Instructor) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Minimum of two years' experience teaching medical students

Assistant Professor:

• M.D. or D.O. Degree or equivalent with a concentration in healthcare and education and medical licensure in the State of Colorado.
• Candidates must be able to obtain a faculty appointment (Assistant Professor) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Minimum of two years' experience teaching medical students

Associate Professor:

• M.D. or D.O. Degree or equivalent with a concentration in healthcare and education and medical licensure in the State of Colorado.
• Candidates must be able to obtain a faculty appointment (Associate Professor) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Minimum of two years' experience teaching medical students

Professor:

• M.D. or D.O. Degree or equivalent with a concentration in healthcare and education and medical licensure in the State of Colorado.
• Candidates must be able to obtain a faculty appointment (Professor) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Minimum of two years' experience teaching medical students

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience or training in undergraduate medical education and/or curriculum development.
• Experienced with and knowledge of the DOCS program at the University of Colorado SOM.
• Experience with clinical skills and direct observation
• Demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning, a growth mindset, and reflective humanistic approach to coaching, role modeling, and mentoring also preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to cultivate relationships with people who enjoy teaching, who can inspire students and support the educational process and values of life-long learning of the CU School of Medicine.
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Interprofessional leadership and teamwork skills
• Flexibility and the ability to adapt various skills
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Attention to detail

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

1. A letter of interest describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position

2. Curriculum vitae / Resume

3. Five professional references including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email addre

Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers.

Questions should be directed to: David Ecker, DAVID.ECKER@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU and Brandy Deffenbacher, BRANDY.DEFFENBACHER@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

Screening of Applications Begins:

Immediately and continues until the position is filled. For best consideration, apply by June 19, 2024.

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established as HIRING RANGE:

Instructor: $35,000-$60,000 as 0.30 FTE salary support (up to the educational cap of 200,000).

Sr. Instructor: $35,000-$60,000 as 0.30 FTE salary support (up to the educational cap of 200,000).

Assistant Professor: $35,000-$60,000 as 0.30 FTE salary support (up to the educational cap of 200,000).

Associate Professor: The salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established at $35,000-$60,000 as 0.30 FTE salary support (up to the educational cap of 200,000).

Professor: $35,000-$60,000 as 0.30 FTE salary support (up to the educational cap of 200,000).

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position is not eligible for overtime compensation unless it is non-exempt.

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@ucdenver.edu.

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.