About the role
Opportunity Information
Position Overview
Sutter Health seeks an experienced internal and highly motivated Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) leader to serve as the Director of APC Clinical Education and Student Placement. This systemwide leadership role is responsible for the strategic oversight, coordination, and continuous improvement of advanced practice clinician student clinical placements across Sutter Health.
As part of Sutter Health Academic Affairs, this position supports the organization's broader workforce development strategy by strengthening clinical education partnerships, expanding learner capacity, and ensuring high-quality clinical learning experiences for Advanced Practice Clinician including Nurse Practitioner (NP), Physician Assistant (PA), and Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) students. The Director will work collaboratively with academic institutions, clinical leaders, preceptors, and operational partners to develop scalable, sustainable approaches to APC education that align with Sutter Health's academic mission and Destination 2030 workforce goals.
This role serves as the central point of leadership for APC student placement activities across the organization and supports the development of a coordinated, systemwide approach to advanced practice clinical education.
Key Responsibilities
APC Student Placement Strategy and Oversight
- Provide systemwide oversight of NP, PA, and CNM student clinical placements across Sutter Health.
- Develop and implement strategies to expand high-quality clinical training opportunities while balancing operational and educational priorities.
- Partner with clinical leaders, service lines, and local placement coordinators to optimize placement capacity and learner distribution.
- Establish standardized processes, policies, and expectations for APC student placements across the organization.
- Monitor placement metrics, capacity utilization, learner demand, and institutional partnerships.
Academic Partnerships
- Serve as the primary Academic Affairs liaison for APC educational institutions.
- Develop and maintain strong academic partnerships to support workforce pipeline goals.
- Collaborate with educational partners to align clinical experiences with curricular objectives and accreditation requirements.
- Support affiliation agreement development and ongoing partnership management.
Educational Quality and Program Development
- Promote excellence in clinical education across APC learning environments.
- Establish standards for learner experiences, evaluation processes, and educational quality.
- Monitor student and preceptor feedback and implement quality improvement initiatives.
- Support development of innovative educational models, including longitudinal, interprofessional, and distributed learning experiences.
- Collaborate with UME, GME, and faculty development leaders to advance educational best practices.
Faculty and Preceptor Engagement
- Develop and oversee systemwide APC preceptor recruitment, engagement, and retention strategies.
- Partner with clinical leaders to identify and cultivate high-quality preceptors.
- Create and support faculty development opportunities related to teaching, assessment, coaching, and feedback.
- Promote recognition and support programs for APC and physician preceptors.
Operations and Administration
- Provide oversight of APC placement workflows, systems, and operational processes.
- Collaborate with Academic Affairs staff and local stakeholders to coordinate placement logistics.
- Ensure compliance with institutional policies, accreditation standards, regulatory requirements, and affiliation agreements.
- Develop reports, dashboards, and performance metrics related to APC education and workforce development.
- Participate in strategic planning and continuous quality improvement activities within Academic Affairs.
- Participate in the Sutter APC Counsel planning and programming.
Workforce Development and Strategic Initiatives
- Support Sutter Health's workforce pipeline strategy through effective APC learner engagement and recruitment.
- Identify opportunities to transition learners into employment pathways within Sutter Health.
- Collaborate with workforce development, recruitment, and operational leaders to align educational activities with future workforce needs.
- Contribute to broader Academic Affairs initiatives related to health professions, education and workforce sustainability.
Qualifications
Qualifications
Required
Current licensure as either
Nurse Practitioner (NP), or (APRN)
Physician Assistant (PA-C)
- Active California licensure and certification.
- Minimum five years of clinical practice experience.
- Demonstrated experience in clinical teaching, precepting, learner supervision, or health professions education.
- Experience leading projects, programs, or educational initiatives.
- Strong interpersonal, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to work effectively across diverse clinical, operational, and academic environments.
Preferred
- Experience in academic leadership, clinical education administration, or workforce development.
- Familiarity with APC educational standards and accreditation requirements.
- Experience managing multi-site educational programs.
- Experience in faculty development, curriculum design, program evaluation, or educational quality improvement.
- Master's degree or doctoral degree relevant to healthcare, education, leadership, or administration.
Leadership Competencies
Strategic Thinking
Ability to develop scalable solutions that support organizational workforce and educational goals.
Relationship Building
Creates strong partnerships across academic institutions, clinical departments, and operational teams.
Educational Excellence
Committed to high-quality learner experiences and continuous improvement in clinical education.
Influence and Collaboration
Effectively engages stakeholders and builds consensus across complex systems.
Operational Effectiveness
Demonstrates strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities across a large health system.
Innovation
Identifies opportunities to improve learner placement processes, educational quality, and workforce development outcomes.
Reporting Structure
Reports to
Director, Undergraduate Medical Education (UME), Sutter Health Academic Affairs
Works collaboratively with Academic Affairs leadership, clinical operations leaders, workforce development partners, educational institutions, and local clinical education stakeholders across Sutter Health.
Measures of Success
- Growth in APC student placement capacity across Sutter Health.
- Successful development and maintenance of academic partnerships.
- Student and preceptor satisfaction outcomes.
- Recruitment and retention of APC preceptors.
- Compliance with accreditation and affiliation requirements.
- Implementation of standardized placement processes and educational quality measures.
- Contribution to Sutter Health workforce pipeline and recruitment goals.
Why This Role Matters
The Director of APC Clinical Education and Student Placement plays a critical role in advancing Sutter Health's academic mission and workforce strategy. By creating a coordinated, systemwide approach to APC student education, this leader will help develop the next generation of advanced practice clinicians while strengthening Sutter Health's ability to recruit, retain, and grow a highly skilled clinical workforce.
Join Us and Enjoy
Join a dynamic and physician-led organization committed to clinical excellence, collaboration, and career growth. Enjoy a competitive compensation and benefits package, a supportive team environment, and a strong commitment to work-life balance and professional development!
Organization Details
Sutter Health is a not-for-profit, community-based healthcare system committed to advancing care for everyone. Our teams work together to provide the best treatment and experience for every patien