Career Center

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The School of Medicine has an outstanding opportunity for a Proactive Advising Specialist to join their team.

POSITION PURPOSE
The proactive advising specialist provides targeted, individualized support to medical students who are experiencing or are at risk of academic, professional, or personal difficulty, whose educational training exceeds four years in length, or whose curriculum is interrupted. This position meets frequently with medical students, designs individualized intervention plans and support programs, and provides information on available resources. The proactive advising specialist monitors student progression in medical school, processes leaves of absence and adjustments to expected graduation dates and generates reports for various constituents.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Student Counseling and Support Services

Meet individually with students experiencing or at risk of academic, professional, or personal difficulty, whose educational training exceeds four years in length, or whose curriculum is interrupted to develop student success plans and make referrals that are appropriate for the student’s goals and needs.

Advise medical students on School of Medicine degree requirements and UW and SOM policies and procedures while exercising discretion and maintaining confidentiality of sensitive student and program information.

Explore options to overcome challenges and increase student success, including actions such as leave of absence, return from leave, and change of expected graduation date. 

Process student expansions/change of graduation date, leaves of absence requests, and return from leave requests in school, university, and national database systems.

Monitor and track student status and progress at each WWAMI campus and collectively as one medical school, including alerting students of relevant upcoming deadlines to ensure that the student status is correct, paperwork is processed, and financial commitments are met. This includes tracking and advising students who are off cycle with curricular timelines and serving as the primary liaison for students on leave to Student Affairs, regional deans, and regional financial offices regarding student progress status.

Attend Student Progress Committee meetings and track decision outcomes. Meet with students to discuss the logistics of the committee processes and decisions and provide relevant resources and referrals. Monitor deadlines, notifying the committee chair, the associate and assistant deans for Student Affairs, and the Registrar when a student has/has not met the established deadlines. Communicate outcomes with regional deans, college mentors, and appropriate staff for administrative follow up.

Collaborate with and serve as consultant for deans, administrative staff, academic affairs, academic support specialists, College mentors, and regional personnel to monitor student progress and proactively identify and support students at-risk of academic, professional, and/or personal difficulty. Identify positive and negative influences that affect student progress and design deliberate, structured student interventions to deploy at the first indication of difficulty to encourage students to seek help.

Data Analysis

Collect and analyze current and historical academic data, including analyzing and preparing reports around the number, frequency, and type of leaves and expansions to identify trends and engage in continuous quality improvement for academic support services.

Other Responsibilities

Evaluate program efficiency and effectiveness. Identify and implement strategies for improvement within specific Student Affairs programs.

Conduct bi-weekly meetings to review student performance and support services. Develop agenda, determine long-term strategies, track progress, and provide communication updates to key stakeholders.

Participate in all areas within the Student Affairs office, including academic affairs, regional affairs, committees, and other activities such as medical school orientation and transition-to-clerkship programs. Attend staff meetings, class meetings, and professional development opportunities.

QUALIFICATIONS

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

Four to five years of experience working in undergraduate or graduate education, or equivalent.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to handle highly confidential information responsibly.

Knowledge of and familiarity with implicit bias and institutional racism and their impacts on the student experience in the educational environment.

Experience working with students from diverse racial, cultural, educational, and geographic backgrounds.

Ability to interpret, explain, and communicate complex program policies and procedures.

Proven leadership and strong oral and written communication skills.

Proven administrative and problem-solving skills.

Demonstrated experience working in large, highly complex environments.

Ability to work independently with a high degree of reliability, accuracy, and productivity.

Computer proficiency with word processing in a Windows and/or Mac environment.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE

Previous experience with medical education.

Experience working with underrepresented students in a university or similar setting.

Experience with program implementation and evaluation.

Demonstrated project and data management skills.

Evidence of ability to be innovative in the workplace.

OTHER CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The position intermittently requires evening and weekend time to participate in medical student programs, meet project deadlines and attend meetings.

Travel to regional WWAMI sites and national meetings may be required.

This position is based in the School of Medicine Seattle office. A hybrid telework arrangement may be available for 1-2 days per week on an occasional basis if unit business needs are met.

Application Process:  
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.