Campus Title: Health Professions Advisor
State Job Title: Staff Associate
Department: Academic Affairs
Job Code: HA5300
FLSA Status: Exempt
Funding: 7115-0100
Bargaining Unit: APA
Job Type: Full-Time Permanent
Timeframe: 52 Weeks
Shift: Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
Regular Days Off: Saturday and Sunday (occasional evenings and weekends required)
Supervision Received: Reports to the Director of Academic Advising and Transfer Transition.
Supervision Exercised: May supervise Trust Fund/Work Study students, Peer Advisors, Graduate Assistants, and Office Interns.
Salary: $57,000 to $70,000 Annually (salary commensurate with education and experience)

General Statement of Duties:

With the primary goal of student success, the Health Professions Advisor provides comprehensive, student-centered advising and pathway support to undergraduate students exploring or pursuing careers across clinical, allied health, behavioral and mental health, public health, administrative, and nonclinical healthcare fields. Using a holistic case management advising approach, the Advisor supports students in academic planning, career exploration, experiential learning, credentialing opportunities, workforce readiness, and graduate or professional school preparation.

Working collaboratively within a dual advising model alongside faculty advisors, academic departments, the Career Center, and external healthcare and community partners, the Health Professions Advisor assists students in navigating complex educational and career decisions while promoting retention, persistence, equity, and timely degree completion. The position serves as a central student support resource for learners interested in health-related pathways and helps students identify academic, experiential, and professional opportunities aligned with their personal and career goals.

The Health Professions Advisor collaborates closely with administrators, faculty, healthcare workforce partners, and student support offices to deliver proactive, data-informed advising services and contribute to institutional retention and workforce development initiatives. Responsibilities include coordination of health pathway programming, support for experiential learning and credentialing opportunities, graduate and professional school preparation, outreach initiatives, and supervision of student employees and peer mentors.

Student satisfaction through timely, responsive, and equitable service is a paramount expectation of this position. In addition to regular working hours, the Health Professions Advisor may occasionally be expected to support evening and weekend programs, student events, outreach initiatives, and time-sensitive student concerns.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Essential duties include but are not limited to the following. Responsibilities are grouped by function.

Academic Advising and Student Support

• Provide comprehensive, holistic academic advising to an assigned caseload of undergraduate students, in collaboration with faculty advisors, to support informed decision-making, retention, and on-time graduation.
• Analyze and interpret student data, transcripts, academic histories, and placement results to develop individualized academic plans, and offer guidance on University policies, academic programs, degree requirements, institutional resources, and career pathways.
• Assist students with registration, add/drop, withdrawals, changes of curriculum, and related academic processes, reviewing academic records to ensure appropriate course recommendations, including walk-in advising support during peak enrollment periods throughout the year.

Health Professions Pathway Advising

• Provide specialized advising support to students exploring (e.g., Exploratory) or pursuing careers across clinical, allied health, behavioral and mental health, public health, administrative, research, and non-clinical healthcare fields, supporting them in evaluating pathways related to direct workforce entry, credentialing opportunities, transfer, and advanced graduate or professional education.
• Maintain current knowledge of prerequisite requirements, admissions expectations, and progression timelines for graduate and professional programs including, but not limited to, Medicine, Dentistry, Physician Assistant, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, Nursing, Social Work, Counseling, and related healthcare disciplines.
• Serve as a student-facing resource for healthcare credentialing pathways such as Emergency Medical Technician, Patient Care Technician, Phlebotomy, Behavioral Health certifications, and other workforce-aligned credentials that support early career exposure and employment opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Career Center, faculty advisors, healthcare organizations, alumni, and community partners to coordinate early engagement programming and connect first-year, transfer, and continuing students to clinical, research-based, community-based, and experiential learning opportunities.
• Assist students with professional preparation activities including resume development, interview preparation, personal statements, graduate school applications, and professional identity development, and collaborate with student organizations, mentoring initiatives, alumni networks, and community partners to strengthen healthcare career exploration and professional networking opportunities.

Outreach, Retention, and Institutional Collaboration

• Advocate for students by identifying barriers to success and connecting students to appropriate campus and community resources including tutoring, counseling, accessibility services, financial aid, and wellness support services.
• Monitor academic progress throughout the semester and use early alert platforms, including Starfish (WSU 360), to identify at-risk students and implement timely, targeted outreach and intervention strategies.
• Contribute to institutional retention, persistence, and healthcare workforce development initiatives through data-informed advising strategies and collaborative planning.
• Design, coordinate, and deliver advising materials, programs, workshops, and events that promote student engagement, success, and retention.
• Participate in admissions events, orientations, open houses, and community engagement activities aligned with healthcare pathway development.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, Academic Deans, staff, and key campus stakeholders, and represent the advising office on University-wide committees and at institutional meetings.

Records, Compliance, and Technology

• Maintain accurate and timely electronic records of advising meetings, outreach, case notes, referrals, and student progress within University systems.
• Maintain confidentiality of student information in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and all applicable University policies and procedures.
• Maintain proficiency in University technology systems, including Banner, Degree Works, Starfish (WSU 360), Argos, Zoom, and related advising and reporting platforms.

Supervision and Professional Development

• Assist with recruiting, hiring, training, and supervising peer advisors, student employees, graduate assistants, and interns.
• Remain current with trends and best practices in academic advising, healthcare pathway advising, student success, workforce development, and graduate/professional school preparation.
• Participate in professional development opportunities that include workshops, conferences, webinars, and professional associations aligned with advising, NACADA core competencies, and healthcare workforce initiatives.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work expected of this position and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Social Work, Student Affairs, or a related field from an accredited institution (or current enrollment in such a program).
• Minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in higher education (e.g., academic advising, admissions, financial aid, career services, student affairs, or programs serving first-generation college students).
• Strong interpersonal, communication, presentation, and advising skills, with the ability to work effectively with a diverse population of students, faculty, staff, and University personnel.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to individual and cultural differences and the ability to interact respectfully and equitably with students from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Ability to clearly explain institutional academic policies, financial aid procedures, degree completion requirements, and other expectations of college life to students and families.
• Working knowledge of FERPA regulations and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential student information appropriately.
• Strong organizational skills, initiative, and attention to detail, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively and manage multiple complex tasks and competing priorities under tight deadlines.
• Proficiency in data management and reporting systems, with the ability to interpret student outcome data to support advising and retention efforts.
• Experience creating and delivering presentations, workshops, or training sessions.
• Demonstrated commitment to student success and student-centered advising practices.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as required for student-facing programs and events.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in student-facing roles such as academic advising, counseling, mentoring, or tutoring within a higher education setting.
• Experience advising specific student populations, including first-year students, transfer students, students on academic warning or probation, or students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
• Knowledge of developmental, proactive, appreciative, or holistic advising theories and approaches, consistent with NACADA Core Competencies.
• Familiarity with health career pathways, pre-health advising, or the academic prerequisites and processes associated with graduate and professional programs in health disciplines (e.g., pre-medicine, physician assistant, allied health, public health, behavioral and mental health).
• Experience supporting students who are navigating health-related academic or career decisions, including pathway exploration across clinical, administrative, non-clinical, and behavioral and mental health fields.
• Familiarity with University systems such as Banner, Degree Works, Navigate360, Starfish, or comparable advising and early alert platforms.
• Prior supervisory or peer leadership experience in a higher education environment.
• Active membership or involvement in NACADA or a regional academic advising association.
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish or another language reflective of the student population served.

Salary:

Salaries for current Westfield State University employees and individuals currently working for the state of Massachusetts must be calculated individually in accordance with collective bargaining agreements as well as state policies. State job specifications may be found on the Department of Higher Education's webpage.

Employee Benefits:

Benefits are an important component of an employee's total compensation package.

• Health Insurance: Westfield State offers a variety of HMO, POS, and PPO-type health insurance plans for eligible employees. Coverage is effective on the 1st of the month following the date of hire. Exceptions to employees hired on the 1st of the month, coverage is effective immediately.
• Retirement: the MA State Employee Retirement System provides eligible employees with a retirement pension following a 10-year vesting period. In lieu of the retirement pension, eligible employees may select the Optional Retirement Plan with a maximum 5% employer matching contribution.
• Tuition Waivers & Discounts: eligible employees, including spouses and dependent children, receive reduced tuition at MA state colleges, community colleges, and universities.
• Paid Time Off: employees receive 12 paid holidays and generous vacation, personal, and sick leave benefits.
• Additional information regarding employee benefits is available on the University's Benefits & Wellness webpage.

Disability Accommodations

Westfield State University is committed to the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities and will ensure the availability of reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact Human Resources at (413) 572-8809 or visit us in the Horace Mann Building, 1st floor.

Background Check

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion and review of a background check. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration.