OPEN POSITION

​Faculty Curriculum Director: Compassionate Action and Real Engagement in the Community (CARE) Course Co-Director (2 Positions Available)


CARE Course Description

CARE is a new pre-clerkship core course to be launched in September 2023. CARE is a longitudinal course throughout the MS1 and MS2 years that is comprised of three components: interactive didactic sessions to enhance knowledge and skills in empathy, compassion, and self-compassion; clinical observorships; and service learning through real engagement with community partners. The overarching goal is to cultivate, enhance, and retain clinical learners' compassion for self and others by giving them a set of tools to rely on from evidence-based practices, and to develop those skills through clinical interactions and service learning with community partners. There will be three Directors of the CARE course who will facilitate 3-hour interactive didactic sessions every three weeks.  Each will be responsible for a cohort of approximately 45 MS1 students, and in 2024, both 45 MS2 and 45 new MS1 students. The two faculty recruited for these positions will join Lisa Eyler, PhD, Director of the Center for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education, as course Directors.

General Responsibilities

The CARE Course Directors will provide direction, leadership, and instruction on a continuing basis to the students and staff associated with the course.  Course Directors should be committed to providing compassionate instruction, comfortable with engaging in and facilitating inclusive conversations, and committed to providing a supportive learning environment for students. They should also be open to learning about and leading contemplative activities including meditation, medical humanities, and arts- and theater-based practices.  The Directors will have primary responsibility for assuring students acquire the knowledge base, skills, and attitudes regarding compassionate care for self and others, compassionate interpersonal communication skills, and equitable and inclusive clinical practice rooted in empathy appropriate to building the foundation for their training and future practice of medicine. In addition, the Directors will help facilitate student development of goals and objectives related to their personal and professional identity in medicine, their approach to both self and clinical care, and their role in the health system. They will be responsible for the implementation of the course’s educational objectives.

Course Planning and Implementation

  • Design, implement and evaluate the CARE course in collaboration with fellow CARE Directors.
  • Collaborate with fellow CARE Directors to review established curriculum, exchange ideas to enhance the learning experience and environment, and learn from each other’s successes and challenges over the course of the entire two-year CARE course.
  • Recruit and direct the involvement of guest speakers and panelists in the CARE course.
  • Participate in COAST Curriculum Steering Committee and associated curricular meetings, review student progress, including service on the CLEAR Committee, address course-related issues, and assist with long-range, strategic planning of course goals and objectives.  

Teaching Activities

  • Participate in teaching activities related to the CARE Course.  Teaching methods will include lectures, discussions, reflections, guided activities, guest speakers and panelists and other methods as appropriate.
  • Facilitate student reflection activities by modeling compassionate communication and establishing inclusive and supportive learning environments for students.
  • Assist students in developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to become an outstanding compassionate physician.
  • Evaluate student performance considering instructional goals; provide feedback to students as part of the development of appropriate skills and attitudes.

Individual Student Mentoring and Advising

  • Advise medical students on academic issues related to the course.  
  • Guide students in the development and/or continuance and implementation of activities related to developing mastery of the course material.

Professional Development  

  • With resources from the Center for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education, engage in professional development to enhance compassionate pedagogical skills and learn techniques relevant to course content and activities (e.g., contemplative training, narrative medicine, etc.)
  • Participate in a learning community with other clinical educators focused on empathy and compassion training.

This is a Core Pre-Clerkship level course, and the CARE Course Directors will receive financial and administrative support consistent with School of Medicine policies.

Please submit a CV and letter of interest to Dr. Lisa Eyler (lteyler@health.ucsd.edu) by Friday, March 31, 2023.