Selection and Evaluation Guidelines for Clinical Education Settings in Athletic Training

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Allied Health Education
• Clinical Education Standards

Background:

• Clinical education is crucial for athletic training program success.
• Existing evaluation methods require refinement for athletic training settings.
• A validated framework for physical therapy settings was adapted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate standards and criteria for selecting and evaluating athletic training clinical education settings.
• To create practical evaluation tools for stakeholders.
• To enhance the quality of athletic training clinical education.

Main Methods:

• Systematic adaptation of 20 physical therapy clinical education standards.
• Survey process involving program directors, clinical instructors, and students.
• Analysis of respondent critiques and ratings for relevance and practicality.

Main Results:

• A final set of 12 standards and 31 criteria were accepted.
• Student evaluation forms include 23 criteria linked to the accepted standards.
• Key standards encompass learning environment, program planning, ethical standards, administrative support, and clinical education coordinator roles.

Conclusions:

• The 12 standards and 31 criteria serve as guidelines, not minimum requirements, for assessing clinical settings.
• These tools can inform impressions of specific clinical settings and general clinical education requirements.
• Further research should explore gender and ethnic group perceptions and develop clinical instruction standards.