Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program - Director of Clinical Education (DCE)

Job ID

UF9962 -0909-1852

Position Classification

FT Faculty UDMPU (12 month)

 

Position Summary

The University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) is seeking a dedicated faculty member for the Director of Clinical Education (DCE) for its new OTD Program. As the DCE, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our students. This position involves teaching, coordinating and overseeing the academic clinical education component of the program. You will ensure that our clinical education program not only meets all regulatory and accreditation standards but also fosters a supportive and innovative learning environment where students can thrive and excel.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Director of Clinical Education will:

• Collaborate with the department chair to design the clinical education component of the curriculum.
• Ensure compliance with accrediting body standards and regulations.
• Manage the planning, implementation, and assessment of clinical education.
• Establish contracts with a sufficient number of clinical education sites that offer high-quality, diverse learning experiences to meet students’ educational needs.
• Develop and maintain relationships with clinical sites and clinical educators.
• Integrate clinical education experiences with academic coursework.
• Ensure the development of students as clinicians in all domains of professional clinical practice and assess student learning and performance.
• Communicate with all relevant stakeholders, including the program faculty, students, clinical education sites, and clinical faculty regarding the curriculum, clinical education sites, and changes in healthcare that impact clinical practice and education.
• Orient students to clinical education protocols and provide resources.
• Assist students in obtaining placements and generate new sites, when applicable.
• Monitor and evaluate student performance during clinical education placements.
• Implement policies for student progression through clinical education placements.
• Review clinical education experiences for quality and appropriateness.
• Promote, coordinate, plan, and provide development opportunities for clinical instructors using effective instructional methodologies and technologies.

Key Responsibilities as a Faculty. As a faculty member, The Director of Clinical Education will:

• Teach within areas of clinical expertise.
• Educate and advise students within the Occupational Therapy and other feeding programs.
• Contribute to the field through scholarly work.
• Participate in services to the departmental, school, college and university.

Additional Responsibilities:

• The Director of Clinical Education will perform other administrative duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in occupational therapy or related field (PhD, OTD, EdD, or equivalent) from an accredited institution.
• Current unrestricted license to practice occupational therapy or eligibility for licensure in Michigan.
• At least two years of documented experience in occupational therapy, including clinical practice.
• Professional experience as a clinical educator, instructor, preceptor or documentation of training in the roles and responsibilities of a clinical educator.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as a faculty member or teaching in an occupational therapy program.
• Strong leadership and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal abilities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Additional Information

• The Director of Clinical Education reports to the OTD Program Director, Associate Dean of the SHRS and the Dean of CHP.
• ·Rank and salary will be commensurate with experience. The university has excellent benefits including medical and dental insurance, retirement plan with match and tuition benefits for employees and their dependents.

The College of Health Professions (CHP) provides a transformative education grounded in the Mercy and Jesuit traditions. We are committed to preparing compassionate and competent health professionals, who are dedicated to serving and leading while respecting diversity and human differences, valuing social justice, and advocating for equitable healthcare within a global society. UDM is ranked 43rd in the country and 2nd in the state of Michigan by the Wall Street Journal America’s Best Colleges 2025.

The values that guide this work are:

Learning: We commit to academic excellence that fosters integrity, intellectual rigor, personal development, and student-centered learning in an environment that values reflection and inclusivity.

Mercy: We commit to heartfelt solidarity with those suffering and in need, and to engage in transformative acts of mercy and justice; love, compassion, forgiveness, caring, and kindness.

Justice: We commit to confronting oppressive systems as we recognize all persons’ innate dignity and uniqueness reflected in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the Mercy and Jesuit traditions.

Service: We commit to selfless service and advocacy in recognizing and responding to the needs of all with a focus on the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable populations.

Community: We commit to collaborating with others at a local, national, and global level, whose mission is to improve health equity, eliminate health disparities, and enhance health outcomes.

Physical Requirements

The job may require lifting lightweight objects (1 to 15 pounds) with no repetitive bending or stooping.

Work Environment

Regular exposure to a standard office and classroom conditions. Environment subject to change pending semester workload and inclusion/exclusion of clinical site to consideration of environment.

Salary/Pay Information

Rank and salary will be commensurate with experience. The university has excellent benefits including medical and dental insurance, retirement plan with match and tuition benefits for employees and their dependents.

Anticipated Schedule  

Schedule subject to change pending semester workload and inclusion/exclusion of clinical sites.

Additional Information

Travel: This position necessitates travel. Site visits to clinical locations are frequently required to evaluate the site’s suitability and monitor student performance. These visits may be initiated by the site, the student, or the DCE.

Employee Benefits

At the University of Detroit Mercy, we continually strive to provide a high-quality, comprehensive benefits package to our valued employees. We offer our employees the following benefits: 

• Medical -

o Three health plans to choose from with a large national provider network

•Dental -

o UDM’s School of Dentistry FREE to you and your dependents

o Option to purchase additional dental plan through UNUM

•Vision – 

o Under United Healthcare, you are able to get one exam every 24 months

o Under Heritage Vision, an eye exam and lenses (not Frame) are provided every 12 months

        (Plans are available to employees to purchase as an option)

• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Accounts offered

• Employee Assistance Program -

o Provided to everyone in your household

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

• Life and AD&D 

o 1x base salary up to  Dollar One Hundred Thousand. 

• Option to purchase additional life insurance, accident insurance, and/or critical illness insurance

• Tuition Remission Benefit for you, your spouse, and children. 

• Retirement Plan -

o UDM provides matches up to 8%

 

Michigan’s largest, most comprehensive private University, University of Detroit Mercy is an independent Catholic institution of higher education sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and Society of Jesus. Detroit Mercy seeks qualified candidates who will contribute to the University’s mission, diversity, and excellence of its academic community. University of Detroit Mercy is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer with a diverse student body and welcomes persons of all backgrounds.