Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Program Director

Medical University of South Carolina; Charleston (SC); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

The Medical University of South Carolina seeks a Program Director for the EDS Clinic. This leadership role oversees daily operations, coordinates multidisciplinary care for EDS patients, and partners with clinical and administrative teams to ensure timely access and a high‑quality patient experience.

Required: Bachelor’s degree in Nursing; five years of clinical experience with two in leadership. A Master’s in Nursing or Education is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing is required.
• Master’s degree in Nursing or Education preferred.
• Minimum five years of clinical work experience, with two in leadership.
• Current SC licensure as a registered nurse or compact state; BLS required.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead EDS clinic operations and patient experience.
• Design, implement, and manage clinic workflows for timely access and coordinated care.
• Partner with physicians, APPs, nurses, access teams, and system departments to improve clinic flow.
• Monitor patient access trends, volumes, referrals, and feedback to guide improvements.
• Oversee staff onboarding, development, scheduling, and performance management.
• Ensure compliance with policies, protocols, and regulatory readiness.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project management

Healthcare operations

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Nursing

Master’s degree in Nursing or Education

Doctorate in nursing or related health science

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Job Description Summary

The Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Clinic serves a medically complex patient population with EDS and related connective tissue disorders requiring multidisciplinary care coordination, specialty referrals, patient advocacy, and comprehensive longitudinal support. The Program Director is responsible for overseeing operations within a highly specialized clinic environment that demands strong leadership, exceptional organizational skills, and the ability to coordinate across multiple clinical and administrative teams. The program director will serve as a dyad leader with the Medical Directo, EDS.
The EDS Clinic Program Director reports to the Director of Ambulatory Services and provides direct operational leadership for the EDS program and clinic. Under limited supervision, the Program Director is responsible for overseeing day-to-day clinic operations and proactively assessing, developing, and implementing processes that support safe, efficient, and patient-centered care for individuals and families served by the EDS clinic. This role partners closely with MCP leadership, Ambulatory Leader, ICCE leaders, physicians, APPs, nurses, medical office staff, system departments, and other stakeholders to support timely access, coordinated communication, fiscal accountability, regulatory readiness, and a consistent, high-quality patient experience.

Entity

MUSC Community Physicians (MCP)

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Cost Center

CC006144 MCP - Charleston EDS Clinic

Pay Rate Type

Salary

Pay Grade

Health-31

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Job Description - Program Director, EDS Clinic

Job Summary

The Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Clinic serves a medically complex patient population with EDS and related connective tissue disorders requiring multidisciplinary care coordination, specialty referrals, patient advocacy, and comprehensive longitudinal support. The Program Director is responsible for overseeing operations within a highly specialized clinic environment that demands strong leadership, exceptional organizational skills, and the ability to coordinate across multiple clinical and administrative teams. The program director will serve as a dyad leader with the Medical Directo, EDS.

The EDS Clinic Program Director reports to the Director of Ambulatory Services and provides direct operational leadership for the EDS program and clinic. Under limited supervision, the Program Directoris responsible foroverseeing day-to-day clinic operations and proactively assessing, developing, and implementing processes that support safe, efficient, and patient-centered care for individuals and families served by the EDS clinic. This role partners closely with MCP leadership, Ambulatory Leader, ICCE leaders, physicians, APPs, nurses, medical office staff, system departments, and other stakeholders to supporttimelyaccess, coordinated communication, fiscal accountability, regulatory readiness, and a consistent, high-quality patient experience.

Minimum Training and Education

Bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) required. Three years of progressive work experience and two years of management experience preferred. Experience in ambulatory practice operations, specialty clinic workflows, patient access, care coordination, staff supervision, and process improvementstronglypreferred. Mustdemonstratethe ability toestablisheffective working relationships with diverse patients, families, providers, clinical staff, administrative staff, and system partners. Requiresstrong communication, critical-thinking, problem-solving, analytical, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate teams and manage competing operational priorities in a complex clinical environment.

Skills/Qualities/Knowledge

• Knowledge of the unit's patient population, health care trends, community and regional resources and service availability to these populations.
• An ability to establish working relationships with diverse groups and individuals, medical staff and other health care disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to work and communicate effectively with physicians, patients and staff; talent for motivating teams and individuals to accomplish goals
• Strong problem-solving, analytical skills and interpersonal skills
• Experience in leading teams, coaching/motivating staff, knowledge of financial systems and analysis, computer systems, and applications.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and strong decision making and organizational skills are essential.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office with emphasis on Excel and pivot tables and experience with practice management software.
• Experience with development and review of Profit & Loss statements, and the budgetary process preferred.
• Proven track record in customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.

• Skilled at taking teams to the next level through effective leadership, empowerment, and management.
• Skilled in personnel management, organizing, planning, exercising initiative, judgment, problem solving, decision-making, development and maintaining effective relationships with providers, clinical and clerical staff, patients and the public.
• Skilled in analyzing situations accurately and taking effective action.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Skilled in organizing work, prioritizing, and achieving goals and objectives.
• Knowledge of EHR.
• Participate in patient care as needed

Required Licensure, Certifications, Registrations:

N/A

Physical Requirements

Continuous requirements are to perform job functions while standing, walking, and sitting. Ability to bend at the waist, kneel, climb stairs, reach in all directions, fully use both hands and legs, possess good finger dexterity, perform repetitive motions with hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, and recognize objects close at hand and at a distance. Maintain corrected vision asrequired, work in a latex-safe environment, and work indoors. Frequently lift and/or carry objects weighing approximately 20 pounds unassisted. Lift from 36 inches to overhead approximately 15 pounds. Infrequently work in dusty areas and confined or cramped spaces.

Job Responsibilities

20% - Lead EDS clinic operations and patient experience

• Design, implement, and manage clinic workflows that supporttimelyaccess, coordinated care, and consistent communication for EDS patients and families.
• Develop andmaintainservice standards and operational protocols that create a high-quality experience at every touch point.
• Partner with providers, APPs, nursing, access teams, scheduling, referral partners, and system departments to reduce barriers and improve clinic flow.
• Review trends in patient access, volume, referrals, patient feedback, operational escalations, and clinic growth opportunities.
• Report key operational metrics consistently to support program visibility, accountability, and long-term clinic success.

20% - Function as an effective programmatic and clinic leader

• Demonstratehigh standardsof patient care, service, professionalism, and accountability.
• Serve as a role model for staff and support a culture of teamwork, respect, and patient-centered care.
• Delegate appropriately and guide staff in managing conflict, recurring problems, and department-specific issues.
• Support change byidentifyingoperational needs, recommending solutions, and helping the team adopt new workflows.
• Monitor daily staffing levels and adjust asappropriate basedon clinic volumes, provider schedules, and patient needs.
• Engage in SHIELD follow-up, safety reporting, and service recovery activities asrequired.
• Collaborate with key departments to build pathways for access for EDS patients along with the EDS Medical Director

20% - Manage day-to-day clinic operations

• Oversee daily operations, monitoroperational challenges, and implement solutions that improve efficiency and reliability.
• Ensure new providers and team members receive comprehensive onboarding experience specific to EDS clinic workflows.
• Continuouslymonitorcompliance with policies, protocols, documentation standards, and operational expectations.
• Hold monthly staff and provider meetings to review updates, barriers, metrics, and improvement opportunities.
• Follow up on concernsin a timely mannerand provide clear, concise communication to leadership and team members.
• Fill in and provide coverage for any gaps in staffing to ensure consistent and safe clinic operations.

15% -Maintainworkflows, policies, protocols, and resources

• Use established outcome measures and operational data toidentifybest practices for EDS clinic workflows, policies, and protocols.
• Review and update protocols regularly andfacilitatemedical director review, approval, and signature at least annually or sooner whenindicated.
• Promote effective and efficient use of protocols when applicable.
• Collaborate with regulatory, infection prevention, human resources, clinical leadership, and other departments as needed.
• Ensureappropriate equipment, supplies, rooms, and support resources are available and in good working order.

15% - Monitor quality, compliance, and staff training needs

• Monitor compliance with standards of care through observation, verbal reports, audits, documentation review, and patient feedback.
• Providetimelyfeedback to staff and leadership when opportunities for improvement areidentified.
• Engage Nursing Professional Development, clinical leadership, orappropriate systempartners whenadditionaleducation or corrective action plans are needed.
• Support implementation of action plans to address identified deficiencies and sustain improvements.

10% - Manage workforce activities and staff development

• Complete job postings, interviewing, hiring, orientation, performance management, corrective actions, and conflict resolution in partnership with leadership and human resources.
• Support ongoing staff development through coaching, mentoring, feedback, and training.
• Ensure staff understand expectations for patient communication, documentation, teamwork, regulatory compliance, and quality care delivery.
• Recognize employee contributions and reinforce behaviors that support the mission and values of the clinic and organization.

Additional Job Description

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from an accredited school of nursing is required along with a master’s degree in Nursing or Education plan; a doctorate in nursing or related health science is preferred. A minimum of five years of current clinical work experience, two of which should include experience in leadership, education, quality and outcomes measurement, and project management. Experience in the coordination of the Magnet Recognition Program in accordance with the Standard of Care requirements of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) highly preferred. Must possess experience with collecting & submitting data to national databases; competent in Word, Excel & PowerPoint; excellent verbal & written skills; and multidisciplinary collaboration required. Current South Carolina licensure as a registered nurse or compact state required. Current American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS) certification or American Red Cross BLS for Healthcare Providers certification is required

If you like working with energetic enthusiastic individuals, you will enjoy your career with us!

The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. MUSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by state laws and/or federal regulations. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment based upon applicable qualifications, merit and business need.

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