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Position Summary
The Assistant Director of Career & Experiential Learning for Clinical Healthcare Pathways supports the advising, experiential learning, and pathway development efforts for students pursuing clinical healthcare careers, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and related health professions. Reporting to the Director of the Health Professions Advisory Office, this role integrates advising, experiential learning, mentorship, and employer/community engagement into a coordinated student experience that supports progression from exploration through professional school application and placement. The Assistant Director plays a key role in helping students identify and access clinical experiences, mentorship opportunities, healthcare-related service, and experiential learning opportunities that strengthen readiness for competitive healthcare pathways and professional training programs.
About the Work Unit
Career Advancement and Engagement (CAE) connects Vanderbilt students with meaningful career opportunities through advising, experiential learning, employer partnerships, and industry engagement. The division is transitioning to a pathway-based model that integrates advising, experiential learning, and employer engagement across key industries and professional pathways.
Within this structure, healthcare pathway leaders support students pursuing both clinical and non-clinical healthcare careers through coordinated advising, experiential learning, alumni engagement, and employer/community partnerships. This integrated model helps students connect academic preparation to healthcare professions while expanding access to meaningful experiences and professional opportunities.
Key Functions and Expected Performance
Student Advising & Career Preparation
- Provide individual and group advising to students pursuing clinical healthcare profession
- Support students in navigating healthcare career exploration, experiential preparation, and professional school application planning
- Help students develop professional narratives, application readiness, and long-term pathway clarity
- Guide students through milestone progression from exploration through application and placement
Experiential Learning Integration
- Connect students to clinical, service-based, research, and community healthcare experiences
- Support development and coordination of experiential learning opportunities aligned with healthcare pathway goals
- Help students translate healthcare experiences into professional competencies and application readiness
- Coordinate with healthcare providers, faculty, and community partners to expand experiential opportunities
Mentorship & Community Engagement
- Support development of healthcare mentorship and alumni engagement initiatives
- Build and maintain relationships with healthcare organizations, providers, and community partners
- Assist in connecting students with physicians, healthcare professionals, alumni, and mentors
- Support pathway-specific events, panels, and experiential programming
Programming & Student Engagement
- Develop workshops, panels, and programming related to healthcare pathway preparation and readiness
- Support student organizations and pathway-based engagement initiatives
- Assist with communication and dissemination of healthcare-related opportunities and experiences
- Contribute to pathway-specific resource development and student education material
Data, Outcomes & Continuous Improvement
- Track student engagement, experiential participation, and pathway progression
- Support reporting related to healthcare pathway participation and outcomes
- Identify opportunities to improve student access, engagement, and readiness
- Assist in developing scalable approaches to healthcare advising and experiential learning
Supervisory Relationships
This position does not have direct supervisory responsibility but may oversee student workers, mentors, or program participants connected to healthcare pathway initiatives.
This position reports administratively and functionally to the Director of HPAO
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor’s degree required
- Master’s degree in higher education, counseling, public health, healthcare administration, student affairs, or related field preferred
Experience and Skills
- Minimum 3–5 years of experience in healthcare advising, higher education, student development, experiential learning, or related fields required
- Understanding of clinical healthcare professions and professional school pathways preferred
- Experience supporting students pursuing healthcare careers or professional school preparation preferred
- Strong advising, coaching, relationship-building, and communication skills required
- Experience coordinating experiential learning, mentorship, or healthcare-related programming preferred
- Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and coordinate across academic and healthcare environments
- Familiarity with career management platforms and student engagement systems preferred
- Commitment to student development, equity of access, and pathway-based student support required