Assistant Clinical Professor, Dental Hygiene

About the Department/College


The College of Health and Human Services is Northern Arizona's hub for inclusive and equitable health and wellness education. With programs available in Flagstaff, online, and at 20+ statewide sites, we prepare high-quality professionals to lend a healing hand. The Dental Hygiene Department houses an ADA-CODA accredited Dental Hygiene Bachelor of Science program offered in person as well as an online degree completion program.

The Dental Hygiene Department is nationally recognized for educating dental hygiene professionals since 1973. The department houses an ADA-CODA accredited Dental Hygiene Bachelor of Science program offered in-person at the Flagstaff Mountain Campus, as well as an online degree completion program. The Dental Hygiene Department operates an 18-chair clinic and dental lab, which is open to the public, and allows students to hone their skills.

About the Position


This position is for our Junior Clinic Director position in the Department of Dental Hygiene. The Junior Clinic Director provides leadership and oversight for junior-level clinical education within the dental hygiene program. This role ensures effective clinic operations, supports student learning and assessment, maintains compliance with program standards, and facilitates communication among faculty, staff, and external clinical partners.

The candidate will instruct multi-faceted dental hygiene students in the classroom, clinic, and/or online using distance learning technology. The faculty member's scholarship, teaching, and service responsibilities will be determined based on the faculty member's areas of dental hygiene expertise, special interest, and the Department of Dental Hygiene's needs.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Teaching undergraduate dental hygiene courses
• Teaching in a clinical setting
• Supervising and providing hands-on training in clinic
• Performing service to the department/college/university
• Attending and participating in departmental and college events

Responsibilities Include


Clinical Operations & Coordination

• Teach foundational Junior Clinic Courses, DH311 and DH312
• Develop and manage clinic schedules for junior clinic courses (DH311, DH312), including coordination of external rotation experiences as applicable.
• Collaborate with the Department Chair and Academic Program Coordinator to order, manage, and distribute student instrument kits.
• Assist in arranging clinical faculty coverage in cases of absence or scheduling conflicts.
• Troubleshoot operational issues including supplies, equipment, digital patient records, and clinic management systems (e.g., Dentrix® and TalEval).
• Work with the Academic Program Coordinator to coordinate routine maintenance, repairs, and recommendations for new clinical equipment.
• Address real-time clinic operational issues, including patient care disruptions and faculty absences, and communicate outcomes at the end of each semester.

Student Support & Evaluation

• Coordinate and oversee clinical evaluation processes, including daily performance assessments, patient care evaluations, and radiography competencies.
• Conduct individual mentor meetings with each student at least once per semester to review clinical progress, chart audits, requirements, and provide guidance on remediation and grading.
• Compile, calculate, and report final grades for both didactic and clinical components of junior-level clinic courses.
• Maintain accurate tracking of student clinical requirements and progress toward competency.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Perform chart audits (minimum of one per student per semester) to ensure accuracy and integrity of patient records; report findings to the Quality Assurance (QA) Advisor.
• Collaborate with the QA Advisor to implement policy updates and ensure compliance through training and monitoring.
• Conduct Emergency Eyewash Station inspections and maintain required documentation logs.

Faculty Support & Development

• Facilitate regular communication among full-time and part-time clinical faculty, utilizing the Clinic Committee as a primary forum.
• Provide calibration and standardization activities for clinical faculty to ensure consistency in student evaluation and patient care.
• Train junior clinic faculty on clinic policies, procedures, and use of clinical technologies and software systems.

Program & Site Coordination

• Maintain regular communication with external stakeholders, including the Public Health Coordinator, Hopi Coordinator, and affiliated clinical rotation sites.
• Participate in annual site visits to enrichment/rotation sites to evaluate effectiveness based on student feedback, site feedback, and direct observation.
• Prepare and present annual reports on site performance and clinical outcomes for program assessment and accreditation purposes. Training & Communication
• Serve as the primary point of communication for junior clinic students and faculty.
• Provide training for students and faculty on clinic policies, procedures, and systems, including Dentrix®, TalEval, and imaging technologies. • Ensure timely and clear dissemination of clinic-related information, updates, and expectations.

Service

• Service is accomplished by active participation in the activities to the profession of dental hygiene, the department, college and/or university, and the wider community. Service is also leading as consultants, educators, advocates, and scholars at the local, state, national and international levels within the profession and in communities. Service will be determined based on the faculty member's areas of dental hygiene expertise, special interest, and Department of Dental Hygiene needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Dental hygiene license.
• Master's degree in Dental Hygiene, Public Health, or directly related field or completion of a Master's degree in Dental Hygiene, Public Health, or a directly related field by December 31, 2026.
• One year of Dental Hygiene and/or public health teaching experience.
• Three years of full-time (32+ hours/week) clinical and/or public health dental hygiene experience.
• Eligible for licensure as a Dental Hygienist in Arizona.

*A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Learning Management System (LMS).
• Five years of Dental Hygiene teaching experience in a university setting.
• Five or more years of clinical dental hygiene experience
• Experience as clinical director or coordinator in a dental hygiene program.
• Evidence of a record of scholarly activity or other creative endeavors related to dental hygiene.
• Online teaching and course design experience.
• Public health experience.
• Experience in curriculum development, implementation, and assessment.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities


Knowledge:

• Knowledge of learning management system.
• Knowledge of instructional design, effective pedagogy, and innovative learning methodologies.
• Knowledge of best practices in teaching and learning in traditional and hybrid classroom environments.
• Knowledge of online course development and delivery.

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills.

Abilities:

• Communicates effectively.
• Develops and maintains good working relationships.
• Facilitates learning in multiple modalities.
• Teaches a wide variety of courses.
• Works in a collaborative environment with faculty, staff, and students.
• Ability to work effectively with people from different backgrounds.

Compensation


Commensurate with experience. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

Pre-Employment Check


Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Also, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States.


This position has been identified as a safety/security sensitive position. Therefore, per AZ Revised Statute, Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, employment history investigation, degree verification (in some cases) and fingerprinting. If you are applying for a job that requires a CDL, you will be required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and adhere to the clearinghouse requirements.

Notice of Availability of the Annual Fire and Security Report


Each year Northern Arizona University releases an Annual Security Report . The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at View phone number on click.appcast.io or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Immigration Support/Sponsorship


Northern Arizona University will not provide any U.S. immigration support or sponsorship for this position.

Submit your Application


Vacancy will remain open until filled. Applications received before the deadline shown above will receive full consideration.

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button on this page.


Application must include (saved as PDF and/or Word documents):
1. a cover letter highlighting your particular qualifications for this position;
2. a curriculum vitae; and
3. names and contact information for three references.


Please do not include any other documents as they will not be considered.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at View phone number on click.appcast.io, View email address on click.appcast.io, or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.