Eligibility And Requirements
What's Needed to Apply
Program Development
- Identify professional practice gap
- Create measurable learning objectives
- Target content and define domain
- Define appropriate delivery method
- Develop program materials
- Clinical bottom line
Assessment
- Align learning objectives
- Measure mastery of learning objectives
- Provide feedback to participants
Facilities/Faculty
- Ensure facility is conducive to program
- Meet faculty qualifications
- Meet proper student to program faculty ratio
Program Evaluation
- Utilize target areas in program evaluations
- Measure program review and improvement
- Provide evaluation form
Professional Conduct
- Adhere to defined conduct principles
- Renew status annually
Administration
- Ensure proper audience is defined
- Calculate continuing education units
- Update program directory
- Create operations manual
- Develop promotional materials
- Provide certificate
To help prospective providers stay on track through the application process, we have created a checklist that provides a step-by-step guide to develop a quality education program. Click on the "Preparing Your Application" section in the left menu panel.
Preparing Your Application
In educational program development, it’s recommended that educators adopt a “backwards design” approach. Begin by creating a needs analysis or “practice gap” and then define the skills (i.e. the learning objectives) participants will gain upon event conclusion. These two critical steps will work to define scope and specific targets to keep your program on track.
From this point, continue to develop documentation to track individual learning (participant assessment) and measurement tools to help improve program quality (program evaluation).
THINGS TO DO
-
Determine Practice Gap and Educational Need - Identify the knowledge, competency or
performance gap for the program. What is it that Athletic Trainer don’t know or what aren’t they doing in
practice?
To identify a professional pracice gap, ask:
- What is the practice-based problem?
- How do you know it is a problem?
- What data do you have to validate the problem?
- What is the reason the problem exists?
-
Develop Measurable Learning Objectives - Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to create an educational
framework for the program and define the knowledge or skills the participants are expected to acquire.
Check out this
resource and note the following tips:
- Examples of verbs associated with each level of learning.
- Examples of objectives associated with each level of learning.
- Recommended target levels of learning based on your target audience (i.e. prior knowledge, level of expertise within a specified area, etc).
- Determine Delivery and Timing - The delivery may influence the objectives. Will your program be delivered virtually or face to face (F2F)? Will your program be delivered asynchronously (not at the same time, on demand) or synchronously (at the same time, live)? For example, it would not be appropriate or logical to have an objective “Perform this hip flexor stretch in order to …” in a virtual asynchronous event. This particular objective requires the program faculty to actually watch, in real time (synchronously), a participant perform an action in order to adequately assess someone’s ability to perform.
-
Determine Topic and Content - Ensure the program content aligns with the latest edition of
the practice analysis and is offered at or above entry-level knowledge and skill for Athletic Trainers. The
practice analysis defines the current knowledge, skills and abilities required for practice in the athletic
training profession.
Athletic Training Practice Domains: Athletic training practice is covered through five domains identified
in the practice analysis latest edition. The practice analysis identifies essential knowledge and skills for
the athletic training profession and is updated every five-to-six years. The five practice domains are
identified below.
- Injury and Illness Prevention and Wellness Promotion: Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors with effective education and communication to enhance wellness and minimize the risk of injury and illness
- Examination, Assessment and Diagnosis: Implementing systematic, evidence based examinations and assessments to formulate valid clinical diagnoses and determine patients’ plan of care
- Immediate and Emergency Care: Integrating best practices in immediate and emergency care for optimal outcomes
- Therapeutic Intervention: Rehabilitating and reconditioning injuries, illnesses and general medical conditions with the goal of achieving optimal activity level based on core concepts using the applications of therapeutic exercise, modality devices and manual techniques
- Health Care Administration and Professional Responsibility: Integrating best practices in policy construction and implementation, documentation and basic business practices to promote optimal patient care and employee well-being
Health Care Education Clarification: If program content incorporates tasks from the practice analysis latest edition in a substantive manner or has a health care education focus, it may qualify for continuing education units (CEUs). If the program content addresses pedagogy or improving the skill of teaching, or assessing participant learning outcomes, it does not qualify for CEUs. For example, programs related to teaching a clinical skill, documentation or communication involve tasks in the current practice analysis and qualify for CEUs. Curriculum design, however, does not represent tasks in the current practice analysis so does not qualify for CEUs. - Determine MaxCap of Participants -The number of participants may influence the objectives. For example, if your event is a large virtual event hosting hundreds of participants, you will want to write objectives that do not require program faculty to individually observe/grade each participant. And remember, at minimum, the faculty to participant ratio should be 1:25.
- Create Participant Assessment - The participant assessment is highly individualized based on the learning objectives and will likely look different in each program. The assessment should "match" the learning objectives or be in alignment with them. For example, if one of your learning objectives asks participants to “Explain….”, then the participant should either explain in writing or auditorily. An inappropriate assessment to this objective is to provide a multiple-choice quiz; this does not afford the opportunity for a participant to explain something.
- Create Program Evaluation - A program evaluation measures the delivery and structure of your program as well as the program faculty and administrative components. The evaluations are to be used to make future program improvements.
- Identify Qualified Program Faculty - Contact subject matter experts who have previous experience in the program content. Obtain a curriculum vitae or résumé to document their qualifications (*required documentation for the annual report).
Enter program into the program directory at least 10 calendar days prior to the start of the event.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Target Audience
The target audience must include Athletic Trainers. Programs must be intended for the credentialed health care or wellness provider. Programs with other credentialed health care participants are acceptable to create common knowledge across disciplines and promote interdisciplinary education but cannot require Athletic Trainers to be credentialed as a physician assistant, physical therapist, chiropractor, etc. to attend continuing education (CE) programs. Programs targeted at non-credentialed fitness or wellness professionals and lay persons – such as patients, parents, coaches, administrators or educators – do not meet "Standards for BOC Approved Providers" (Standards).
Operations Manual
Every program is required to execute all Standards. The operations manual contains such policies as copyright, conflict of interest, non-discrimination and cancellation/refunds, etc., which are part of “General Standard VI: Administration” from the Standards. BOC Approved Providers are expected to not only create a policy manual with the minimum specified policies but are also expected to follow them accordingly. Please reference the template link in the "What's Needed to Apply?" Checklist.
The application process allows each organization to demonstrate the adherence of its CE practice to outlined Standards and "Policies & Procedures for BOC Approved Providers" (Policies & Procedures). An organization must currently be developing and/or presenting a future Athletic Trainer CE program.
The BOC has several expectations of those applying to be a BOC Approved Provider:
- Eligible organizations wanting to become a BOC Approved Provider must provide prepared program materials for a future CE program, demonstrating compliance with Standards and Policies & Procedures documents.
- BOC Approved Providers must monitor all CE programs for compliance to Standards and Policies & Procedures documents
- Annual renewal is required to maintain elite BOC Approved Provider status and continue to provide CE to Athletic Trainers. Renewal consists of an annual renewal fee and annual report.
