POSITION: Associate Professor / Director, Physician Associate Programme CLOSING DATE: 18th November 2016

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in Éirinn

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN SURGERY MEDICINE PHARMACY PHYSIOTHERAPY NURSING & MIDWIFERY RESEARCH LEADERSHIP POSTGRADUATE STUDIES SPORTS & EXERCISE MEDICINE DENTISTRY RADIOLOGY

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1. Job Description Job Title: Associate Professor / Director, Physician Associate Programme

Level: Associate Professor

Location: RCSI Dublin

Reporting to: Head of School of Medicine (or nominee)

Term of office: 5 years

Background

RCSI is seeking a Director to spearhead the Physician Associate (PA) programme - an ambitious initiative

spanning the health and education sectors in Ireland. The PA programme encompasses:

• A Department of Health sponsored pilot programme to evaluate and implement the PA grade within the

Irish health service – currently four PA’s are working in clinical appointments within RCSI’s main

teaching hospital (Beaumont Hospital) contributing to service delivery and patient care and acting as

mentors and teachers to students on the educational programme;

• An MSc in Physician Associate studies – introduced in January 2016, this two year degree programme

(National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) Level 9) will lead to a professional and registerable

qualification where graduates will have an opportunity to embark on a new and innovative career within

the health service.

Physician Associates (or Physician Assistants - PAs) were first introduced in the United States over 50 years ago

and more recently have gained recognition and precedence in both training and use within the United Kingdom

(UK), National Health Service (NHS)1. The value of this internationally developed career role is to contribute to

the core skilled workforce needs of our health service for the benefit of patients and doctors alike.

RCSI is the first to introduce this new employment category into Ireland. As the academic partner of the RCSI

Hospitals Group (one of 6 regions being developed to independent health trust status in Ireland), and as the

national agency for training and continuing professional development (CPD) for surgeons, RCSI is in a unique

position to champion the development of this new career role in Ireland.

RCSI seeks an ambitious and successful leader to champion the foundation of this initiative and to work in close

collaboration with stakeholders across the higher education and health service sectors to in bringing this exciting

programme to fruition.

1 https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/physician-associateassistant/physician-associate

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1.2 Objective

The Director of the PA Programme will liaise with clinical colleagues and supervisors to synthesise and develop

the clinical and educational components of the programme, addressing all cultural, sectoral, regulatory and

logistical challenges.

The programme, the first of its kind in Ireland, uses modern pedagogic techniques including a blend of classroom,

online and independent learning as well as integrated clinical consulting and patient simulation. The programme

joins longstanding and innovative degree programmes of Medicine, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy in an enriching

environment where all educators and clinicians are focused on developing the next health professional

generation. The post supports objectives contained in the RCSI Strategic Plan 2013-2017 “Growth and

Excellence” and enables the continued evolution of RCSI’s educational and professional training portfolio.

http://www.rcsi.ie/files/newsevents/docs/20130626103244_FINAL%20SHORT_RCSI_FMHS_Strategy.pdf

RCSI is proud to make this another ‘first’ in Irish higher education and health professions development and we

want to find the PA leader with whom we can jointly achieve this national milestone.

1.3 Profile

The Director of the Physician Associate Programme will have a track record in a leadership role, experience in

clinical teaching and programme development and knowledge and experience in introducing the Physician

Associate grade into a national health service.

1.4 Specific Responsibilities include:

• Develop and continuously renew the Physician Associate curriculum, assessment and related course

material (MSc, Level 9, National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)) based on international best practice;

• Lead programme accreditation through to Medicine & Health Sciences Board and National University of

Ireland (NUI) Senate approval;

• Define and establish the admissions and administrative processes and procedures in consultation with RCSI

registry and relevant committees;

• Oversee the ongoing management and quality assurance/ quality improvement of the Physician Associate

Programme and its compliance with policies and standards of RCSI, NUI and Quality & Qualifications Ireland

(QQI) and relevant acts (e.g. Qualifications Quality Assurance Education & Training Act);

• Evaluate professional registration and implement a nationally recognised professional register for graduates

of the programme (or internationally recognised programmes) for employment within the Health Service (e.g.

Health & Social Care Professionals Council (CORU), The Faculty of PAs in the UK (FPA); UK and Ireland

Universities Board for PA Education (UKIUBPAE));

• Liaise with the Heath Service Executive, Department of Education & Skills and Department of Health to

embed the Physician Associate grade within the health service;

• Provide leadership and direction in the delivery and development of Physician Associate education and

training at RCSI through teaching, research and scholarship;

• Engage with academic and clinical staff of the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences to enhance relevant

research capacity;

• Conduct extensive engagement internally, working closely with colleagues in the Department of Surgical

Affairs and Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences and across RCSI, and externally to develop and deliver

the departmental strategy in keeping with RCSI’s overall Strategy – currently “Growth and Excellence”: RCSI

Strategic Plan 2013-2017;

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• Mentor students, and monitor student assessment and progress;

• Contribute effectively to RCSI governance, including development and delivery of Quality Improvement Plans

for the programme;

• Participate in the affairs of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and its constituent committees;

• Maintain a strong relationship with the profession, including practitioners working in different settings;

• Line management of the relevant programme staff to ensure delivery of the remit of this role, including annual

PDP management;

• Manage financial aspects of the programme, including annual budget generation for activities and projects;

• Responsible for programme marketing and stakeholder engagement in collaboration with the RCSI marketing

manager and relevant departments;

• Employ a collaborative ethos in all aspects of academic practice;

• Perform such other duties across RCSI programmes and sites as may be required from time to time;

• Comply with statutory legislation and department rules and requirements in furtherance of your own, staff and

student welfare and safety;

• Represent the best interest of RCSI at all times by enhancing the Departments reputation in both practice,

teaching and research;

1.5 Person Specification: Essential

• A qualified PA with a higher degree in a relevant health-related discipline;

• Substantial experience in senior level educational activities and academic leadership with exposure to

development of the Physician Associate model and significant experience in the delivery of Physician

Associates educational programmes internationally;

• Excellent knowledge of the educational landscape in higher and professional education;

• Previous experience of teaching, assessing and managing students in a clinical academic

environment;

• Proven communication skills, with an ability to influence a diverse team of academic, administrative and

technical professionals in a changing environment with the ability to manage complex relationships at all

levels;

• Excellent computer, presentation, verbal and written communication skills;

• Personal drive, energy and enthusiasm to deliver and inspire the achievement of excellent results;

• Strong commitment to quality improvement;

• Requires minimum direction, high personal energy, positive approach to dealing with challenges and

ambiguity;

• Experience in the management of budgets and financial planning;

Desirable

• A doctorate (e.g. PhD/MD/EdD) in a relevant discipline or Membership/Fellowship in Surgery;

• International reputation for extensive expertise in a relevant field, demonstrated through academic

achievement;

• Proven leadership skills to deliver competitive advantage for RCSI in the Physician Associate domain;

• Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, sometimes ambiguous environment;

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1.6 The Process: Interview and presentation

Shortlisted candidates must be available to attend a panel based presentation and interview in person and/or by

video conference.

Application Procedure

Applications for this post must be made through the RCSI Careers website www.rcsi.ie/careers You will be required to register, upload your CV and to fill in a short application form. Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday the 18th of November 2016 @ 5:30pm.

1.7 Enquiries

• For any informal enquiries please contact Deirdre Fahy in the HR department on +353(1) 402 2442 or email deirdrefahy@rcsi.ie

About RCSI

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), founded in 1784, is a focused degree-awarding health

sciences institution, with one of the world’s leading international medical schools. RCSI runs degree

programmes in Medicine, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Nursing and postgraduate research degrees (MSc,

MD, PhD) in Ireland. It has 4 international campuses in the Middle East (Dubai & Bahrain) and Malaysia

(Penang & Kuala Lumpur). It is also the national training body in Ireland for Surgery. RCSI’s qualifications

are highly recognised around the world and RCSI graduates are part of a global network of over 17,000

alumni in more than 82 countries.

RCSI’s main campus is located on St. Stephen’s Green in the heart of Dublin’s vibrant city centre. With an

impressive 200 year-old building at its centre, today’s campus has a range of modern facilities including state-of-

the-art research laboratories, libraries, student accommodation and recreational facilities.

RCSI campuses reflect the truly international character of the College. In Dublin, RCSI educates a substantial

cohort of international students, alongside Irish and other EU students. The 4,000-strong student body comprises

students from more than 70 countries worldwide.

The RCSI Institute of Research is one of Ireland’s foremost research centres in medical and health sciences. Its

research theme of Translational Health Research – “from bench to bedside to population” – focuses on enhancing

human health and well-being.

RCSI holds a distinctive position in the Irish Higher Education landscape with a number of unique attributes:

• A singular focus on healthcare education and research.

• An unrivalled international presence in healthcare education.

• A long-standing engagement in life-long learning, as the national agency traditionally responsible for surgical

and other postgraduate specialty training, and more recently of Pharmacy in association with the Irish

Institute of Pharmacy which is abased alongside its city centre campus.

• A strong record of innovation in teaching and learning, focused on a high quality student experience.

• A distinctively entrepreneurial culture, by virtue of being self-sufficient in an international marketplace, and as

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a not-for-profit organisation, with minimal dependence on the State.

RCSI’s focused academic and research orientation means that it can be very impactful in the international arena -

it ranks as the 46th most international institution by the most recent Times Higher Education Ranking of World

Universities (2015), and is in the overall top 250 universities in their 2016 rankings.

Campuses

Graduates of medicine across all of RCSI’s campuses complete rigorously evaluated programmes that allow for a

common degree award of the National University of Ireland.

In Dublin there are over 3,000 students from approximately 50 countries, and approximately 900 staff. RCSI is

based in the heart of Dublin city.

In Bahrain, the College established a medical university - the RCSI Medical University of Bahrain (MUB) – in

2004. It provides a full spectrum of undergraduate courses in Medicine and Nursing, and postgraduate studies in

Nursing and Healthcare Leadership to over 1,200 students annually.

In Dubai RCSI’s Institute of Leadership run postgraduate courses in healthcare management and leadership for

experienced healthcare professional staff.

In Malaysia, RCSI runs Penang Medical College in association with University College Dublin, since

1995. This is a ‘twinning’ model where mostly Malaysian medical students complete the first half of their

training in Ireland and then return to complete their studies in Penang, to an Irish curriculum. By 2015,

over 1,400 medical students have graduated from this programme.

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From 2011, RCSI extended its long-standing educational involvement with Malaysia when it established

an undergraduate medical programme in Kuala Lumpur, as a partner to a new public-private partnership

university - Perdana University. The first group of students, availing of the RCSI curriculum and RCSI

specialist academic staff members, commenced in Autumn 2011 and qualified as RCSI graduates in

2016.

New Academic & Education Building

The College is completing a €112 million state-of-the-art educational facility in Dublin city centre. The ten-storey building, which will total more than 120,000sq ft in size, will contain three floors of surgical and clinical training suite, including a mock operating theatre and clinical training wards. It will also include a 500-seat auditorium, a library spanning three floors and a sports hall. The new facility will be operational for the Autumn 2017 intake of students.

Education

Undergraduate Education

The medical school in RCSI is one of the world’s leading international medical schools. Its curriculum is

international and is accredited by the medical and educational regulators in Europe (Ireland), Middle East

(Bahrain) and Malaysia. RCSI runs the traditional European format undergraduate programme of 5 years (6

years if a pre-medical year is needed) and also runs Ireland’s first graduate entry programme since 2006 (a four

year programme based on the North American medical education model).

Postgraduate Training

RCSI delivers postgraduate education and professional training through the School of Postgraduate Studies, the

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Institute of Leadership and the School of Nursing and Midwifery; through its Faculties of Radiology, Dentistry,

Nursing, and Sports & Exercise Medicine; and through the National Surgical Training Centre. Postgraduate

degrees provided include taught master programmes such as Healthcare Ethics and Law, Surgery, Nursing and

Quality and Safety in Healthcare. It also provides research-focused MDs and PhDs, with many of the doctoral

students working through structured PhD programmes in Biomedical Sciences and Population & Health

Services Research (http://www.rcsi.ie/SPGS and http://www.rcsi.ie/sphere). RCSI provides the national training

programmes for specialties such as Surgery and Radiology. It also provides opportunities for continuous

professional development and for meeting on-going professional and regulator training needs. RCSI’s unique

portfolio of involvement in undergraduate and postgraduate health professional education and training means

that aspects pertinent to one part of the professional career can be matched to aspects in another (e.g. targeting

early training to clinical and academic needs of later aspects of careers).

Research Institute

The RCSI Research Institute is one of Ireland’s foremost research centres. RCSI is committed to performing high

levels of research activity, commercialising intellectual property arising from its research, and developing

collaborative links with industry, educational and research institutions both nationally and internationally.

Reflecting its unique healthcare focus, its research theme is Translational Health Research: - “from bench to

bedside to population” Office of Research and Innovation: http://www.rcsi.ie/research_office Research

Strategy: http://www.rcsi.ie/index.jsp?a=1761&n=942&p=266 . RCSI built Ireland’s first hospital campus Clinical

Research Centre in 2000, alongside Beaumont Hospital, its main teaching hospital in Dublin. This supports

RCSIs translational focus, and provides ready opportunities for clinician-based research studies.

The Strategic Academic Recruitment Programme (StAR Programme)

RCSI's Strategic Academic Recruitment (StAR) Programme is an ambitious initiative to accelerate the delivery of

innovative, impactful research in the health sciences across a range of ground-breaking work including the

creation of novel medical devices and the development of new therapeutics and new diagnostic tests. Backed by

significant investment of €50 Million over 5 years commencing 2015, to recruit over 50 high achieving early and

mid-career academics and research personnel and to support their establishment plans, our ultimate objective is

to transfer impactful research discoveries more quickly to clinical practice for the benefit of patients.

http://www.rcsi.ie/index.jsp?a=5031&n=1979&p=107

Our objective is to recruit outstanding candidates in research areas where RCSI has proven strengths.

Recognising the pivotal role of research in extending the frontiers of innovative healthcare, RCSI prioritises the

nurturing of research talent through the commitment of a wealth of resources, all focused on a collegial academic

and teaching environment that encourages each RCSI researcher to develop and grow.

Strategic Plan

In June 2013, RCSI launched a new strategic plan for the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, “Growth &

Excellence” 2013-2017, focusing on the area of degree awarding activities of the College. The plan contains five

strategic goals to which we are committed, along with a roadmap of how we will address these goals and

key performance measures for their success. The foundations of our strategy are growth and excellence – we

see our future success contingent on our ability to grow RCSI’s international presence and reputation as a centre

of excellence in healthcare professional education.

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RCSI holds a distinctive position in the Irish Higher Education landscape with a number of unique attributes:

• A singular focus on healthcare education and research;

• An unrivalled international presence in healthcare education;

• A long-standing engagement in life-long learning, as the national agency responsible for surgical and other postgraduate specialty training;

• A strong record of innovation in teaching and learning, focused on a high quality student experience;

• A distinctively entrepreneurial culture, by virtue of the need to be self-sufficient in an international marketplace, and as a not-for-profit organisation, with minimal dependence on the State;

In articulating our Mission and Vision, and developing our strategic priorities for the Faculty of Medicine & Health

Sciences, we are mindful of addressing the needs of current and future students, in all disciplines, whilst taking

into consideration the overall challenges in the higher education environment in Ireland, the strategic priorities

of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), competition in the international higher education landscape and

challenges facing the healthcare profession as a whole. The strategic plan is available on the RCSI

website www.rcsi.ie/strategy2013 - below contains an overview of our strategic priorities, mission, vision and

values.

RCSI Strategic Priorities

• EXCELLENCE in Education: to be a recognised leader in teaching and learning in the health professions;

incorporating best practice and the latest technologies and methods in how we educate our students;

• LEADERSHIP in International Medical Education: To grow internationally by expanding our international presence and the offerings we provide overseas, by

increasing the intake of international students to Ireland and by attracting students from new geographies;

• IMPACTFUL Research and Innovation in Health Sciences and Education:

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To continually build our research capability and optimise our research performance;

• ENHANCED Organisational Capabilities: to ensure that our people, internal processes and capabilities,

and infrastructure are best in class, operationally excellent, and are capable of supporting and enabling the delivery of our overall strategy;

• STRONG Strategic Partnerships: to develop further and leverage the relationships we have with our

internal and external partners and stakeholders so that we can grow, achieve more, and continue to

deliver excellence in education and research.

RCSI Mission

“To educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health”:

• “To educate” The primary function of RCSI is to empower and facilitate its students, to optimise

their futures as healthcare professionals and scientists. ("The central task of education is to implant a will

and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people" ~Eric Hoffer)

• “nurture” RCSI aims to do more for its students than impart knowledge. We aim to care for, encourage,

challenge and motivate them to realise their full potential.

• “and discover” RCSI’s aspiration is to deliver impact in research which, coupled with education, is at the

core of RCSI activities.

• “for the benefit of human health” The end beneficiary of the College’s work in education and research

are people and patients everywhere. The term “human health” is all-encompassing and sufficiently

conveys RCSI’s aspiration to advance healthcare provision not just at its bases nationally but also

globally through its graduates and its research.

RCSI Vision

“To be recognised internationally as a leading centre for professional education, research and innovation in healthcare”:

• “recognised internationally” RCSI’s ambition is to be a globally identifiable respected brand by its

peers in third level education, its clinical partners and employers of its graduates and prospective students

• “a leading centre” RCSI aims to be synonymous with excellence as measured by the strength of

student demand, the quality of its graduates and the impact of its research

• “for professional education, research and innovation in healthcare” RCSI curricula are outcome

focussed. Graduates are ready to perform to the highest professional standards and RCSI research is

impactful – achieving high levels of citations by others.

RCSI Values

RCSI’s shared values will be reflected in all College policies and procedures, to create an environment of

trust and mutual understanding. The core RCSI values are:

• Respect – we commit to transparency, integrity and respect for all persons who engage with RCSI -

students, staff, patients and the general public.

• Collegiality – we provide a nurturing, social and inclusive community conducive to collaboration, and development.

• Scholarship – we provide a stimulating and challenging environment that promotes excellence in

teaching and learning.

• Innovation – we foster a culture of discovery to create research with impact and an entrepreneurial

energy, balanced with disciplined financial stewardship to secure our independence.

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Governance Structure

RCSI is governed by a Council and College Board. It is an independent degree-awarding institution, a

surgical Royal College and Professional Training Body - two high-level boards govern these domains of activity

in parallel (as depicted below):

• The Medicine & Health Sciences Board (MHSB) is the governing body responsible for all degree-

awarding educational activities of RCSI;

• The Surgery & Postgraduate Faculties Board (SPFB) is the governing body responsible for the

postgraduate training, competence assurance and professional examination activities of RCSI;

Figure 1: Overview Governance – Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

RCSI is led by a Senior Management Team, chaired by the Chief Executive Officer and comprises of the

Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Director of Surgical Affairs, Director of Research, Director of

Finance, Director of Corporate Strategy and Director of Human Resources. Operational management is

conducted through a series of management meetings and working groups. The current Faculty of Medicine &

Health Sciences Executive is chaired by the Dean.

In expanding our degree-related activities, we applied and achieved independent degree awarding status

from the Irish

Department of Education & Skills in 2010. The Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences (FMHS)

oversees this degree- awarding activity.

Note: This Job Description may be subject to change to reflect the evolving requirements of RCSI in delivering its Strategy and Vision.

Council

College Board

Me ic e e

Quality Committee

rger P gr e

Faculties Board

Academic Council

Department of Surgical Affairs

Committee for Surgical Affairs

School of Medicine

School of Nursing & Midwifery Faculty of Nursing &

Midwifery Faculty Board

School of Pharmacy

School of Postgraduate Studies

Faculty of Radiology Faculty Board

School of Physiotherapy

Institute of Leadership

Faculty of Dentistry Faculty Board

Faculty of Sports & Exercise Medicine

Faculty Board

Student Academic

Academic Departments

Health Professions Education Centre

Sub-Committees Working Groups

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