Resources

Preceptor Responsibilities

(CAATE Standards, 2020)

  • Preceptor: Preceptors supervise and engage students in clinical education. All preceptors must be licensed health care professionals and be credentialed by the state in which they practice. Preceptors who are athletic trainers are state credentialed (in states with regulation), certified, and in good standing with the Board of Certification. A preceptor’s licensure must be appropriate to his or her profession. Preceptors must not be currently enrolled in the professional athletic training program at the institution. Preceptors for athletic training clinical experiences identified in Standards 14 through 18 must be athletic trainers or physicians.

  • Supervision: Supervision occurs along a developmental continuum that allows a student to move from interdependence to independence based on the student’s knowledge and skills as well as the context of care. Preceptors must be on-site and have the ability to intervene on behalf of the athletic training student and the patient. Supervision also must occur in compliance with the state practice act of the state in which the student is engaging in client/patient care.

  • Standard 45

    • Preceptors are health care providers whose experience and qualifications include the following:

    • Licensure as a health care provider, credentialed by the state in which they practice (where regulated)

    • BOC certification in good standing and state credential (in states with regulation) for preceptors who are solely credentialed as athletic trainers

    • Planned and ongoing education for their role as a preceptor

    • Contemporary expertise

    • Annotation: Preceptor education is designed to promote an effective learning environment and may vary based on the educational expectations of the experiences. The program must have a plan for ongoing preceptor training.

  • Standard 46

    • Preceptors function to supervise, instruct, and mentor students during clinical education in accordance with the program’s policies and procedures. Preceptors who are athletic trainers or physicians assess students’ abilities to meet the curricular content standards (Standards 56 through 94).

CAATE Standards for Accreditation of Professional Athletic Training Programs (2020)

Resources and Tools

Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) involve gathering information, also known as outcomes, about the patient population that is patient-center and captures the patient's perspective of their overall function and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) (Hoch, Druvenga, Gerguson, Houston, & Hoch, 2015). By collecting this information, it helps clinicians understand the result of their health care practices and effectiveness from the patient's perspective (Evans & Lam, 2011). Utilizing PROs in your clinical practice helps to include the patient's experiences, preferences, and values and provides a objective measurement of their ability to function not only in physical activity but also their activities of daily living (Snyder, McLeod, & Sauers, 2007).

You can find more information about PROs at the links below:

Patient Reported Outcomes

Standardized Patients

Standardized Patients (SPs) can be beneficial for students and preceptors during clinical education. According to Armstrong and Jarriel (2015), SPs are trained individuals that portray an actual patient with a specific pathology. SPs are meant to create real-life experiences for the students to help develop both evaluation, diagnosis, treatment plans, and other skills. The student not only focuses on the clinical skills but also their professional demeanor and interaction with the patient (Armstrong & Jarriel, 2015).

Armstrong, K. J. & Jarriel, A. J. (2015). Standardized patient encounters improved athletic training students' confidence in clinical evaluations. Athletic Training Education Journal, (10)2, 113-121. https://doi.org/10.4085/1002113

Articles in this section discuss standardized patients and the use in Athletic Training Education and Clinical Education.