As we work our way closer to the beginning of the Spring 2022 semester, it's time to consider your spring coursework, and now is the perfect time to think about the tools and resources that best complement your teaching. When considering the delivery of your coursework, one of the biggest challenges is how to ensure appropriate scaffolding and reinforce the skills we use on a in providing patient care. Students frequently struggle to obtain high-quality resources to reinforce the learning you're teaching, and many find that frustrating and time-consuming.

One of the things that students tend to struggle with is the implementation of neurologically based testing, specifically in the context of evaluation of concussion. Concussion evaluation and treatment has rapidly evolved in the past several years, and so a platform that's able to be nimble and stay up to date on the ever-evolving evidence is critical.

The ATu portal is a crucial resource for your students to reinforce their neurological screenings, as it includes:

• Cranial Nerve Assessment

• Vestibular and Ocular Assessment

• Balance screenings

• Upper and Lower Quarter Dermatome, Myotome, and Deep Tendon Reflex assessment

Vestibular/Ocular Assessment

Cranial Nerve Assessment

Balance screenings

And more!

The particular challenge with these skills is that they are SO specific in the technical details for accurate and reliable performance, and the ATu portal allows for students to practice with high-quality reference materials. While these skills may not be used daily, when they are deployed, there's no room for error in dealing with these challenging diagnoses. As such, high-quality and effective repetitions are VITAL.

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With the transition to the entry-level Master’s degree for athletic training, educators have been forced to condense the knowledge and skills of a 3+ year educational experience into two short years. Additionally, with the inclusion of immersive clinical experiences, classroom and laboratory learning time has been further concentrated. While the benefits of immersed clinical experience are known and valuable, it forces educators to make optimal use of the limited in-person experiences, and ATu is here to make our lives better.

One of the biggest challenges for graduate educators is balancing the integration of past knowledge (sometimes delivered by another institution or educator with unknown quality) with new content and layered situated learning to maximize retention. Accomplishing all this is a difficult feat regardless of time constraints, however, is exacerbated through the expedited nature of the timeline of graduate work. It requires graduate educators to be innovative and leverage technology solutions to facilitate out-of-classroom learning, which maximizes the value of in-class time. 

Educators provide optimal value when we provide students the opportunity to integrate knowledge in real-life situational environments. As such, any opportunity to provide high-quality, out-of-class preparatory experience is critical to success, and this is the true value of the ATu platform.

Envision the following:

1. Prior to class

Prior to class, students are provided a link to the ATu portal to review specific range of motion, palpation, and common orthopedic tests for the body region they will learn about.

2. Night before

Students complete a brief, 10 question quiz due the night before class with low stakes (either ungraded or worth minimal points) as a “keycard to the classroom”.

3. Start class

Educators quickly review the common errors in their quizzes, and start class with a targeted review of those common sticking points

4. During class

Educators then spend classtime with a targeted psychomotor demonstration and practice time, and supplement with real-life scenarios and clinical integration

5. Simulation Learning

Students complete a simulated experience at the end of the body region, to integrate all their knowledge on a simulated virtual patient. This encounter is graded automatically, can be completed multiple times, and students submit their certificate of completion with an affiliated grade to your LMS.

Think about how engaging that experience is! Classroom time is optimized for focused practice, clinical integration, and pearls of knowledge from experienced AT educators. This is VALUE added to the educational experience, and can truly transform the student experience.

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• Schedule an app demo with Dr. Chris Schmidt

• Join our weekly live faculty webinars

• If you are ready to adopt, explore the suitable purchase options for your school!

After a long hard year, the ATU team salutes all faculty for going above and beyond to keep learning going! As a special gift from ATU, we spent all year dreaming about clinical reasoning development using simulations. Throughout 2021, the team worked closely with faculty to develop clinical scenarios that will enhance clinical reasoning development in a low risk, asynchronous and formative way!

Each evidence-based simulation contains “Educator specific information” and a “Simulation Key.” These simulations are designed around addressing CAATE standards: 70,72,78

Emergency Care Simulations

Baseball (commotio cordis)

Clinic (hypoglycemia)

Lacrosse (anaphylaxis)

Soccer (asthma)

On-Field Care Simulations

Ankle Care (Lateral ankle sprain)

Finger Case (digit dislocation)

Dental Case (tooth avulsion)

Knee Case (ACL tear)

A special shout out to the amazing faculty who contributed to this work:

• Matt Mills- ATU program expert, Assistant Professor of Athletic Training, Springfield College

• Paul Geisler- Simmons University (Former Director Ithaca College Athletic Training Program)

• Jaclyn Schwieterman- Director and Chair, Athletic Training and Sports Medicine Program, Marietta College

• David Marchetti- Athletic Trainer and Clinical Professor, King’s College

• William Adams- Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina

• Timothy Kulpa- Clinical education director and Clinical Professor, King’s College

• Nicholas Tavoukjian, Certified Athletic Trainer, Ph.D. candidate, Azusa Pacific University

Wishing you a great new year of teaching and learning! 

Your Partner in Education,

The ATU Team

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 learn more about how atu ENHANCES student learning

• Schedule an app demo with Dr. Chris Schmidt

• Join our weekly live faculty webinars

• If you are ready to adopt, explore the suitable purchase options for your school!

As we continue to move through the "new normal" of higher education and AT education, it is increasingly clear that technology can assist with the development of highly functioning athletic trainers. Through the use of simulation, students can gain repetition and develop pattern recognition to allow for more effective clinical care with their respective patient populations. This has increasingly been evident through the challenge of developing and maintaining high-quality clinical affiliations and helps mitigate some of the uncertainty regarding the availability of clinical sites. This exciting development is consistent with the CAATE standards, which allow for simulation to supplement clinical experience to demonstrate compliance with the standards.

As such, the ATu faculty team is excited to announce the launch of ATu simulations - ROM/MMT and Physical Agents (Sign up for your complimentary faculty access here to explore the ATu web app today), which can allow your students to engage in clinical decision-making in a low-stakes environment to augment clinical experiences. By allowing students to gain exposure to an increasing variety of health conditions to supplement in-class experiences and clinical exposures, students can gain the confidence needed to make appropriate and reasonable clinical decisions.

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Additionally, the use of "Mini-Games" to reinforce key learning points or skills can allow for students to get the virtual "reps" that are needed to engrain quality procedures and protocols through the skill development process. These simulations can allow for students to quickly verify their understanding of key clinical concepts, and allow them to more easily integrate into their clinical experiences upon arrival.

We're thrilled to provide these additional resources to enhance student learning and look forward to your feedback. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to set up a 1 on 1 talk to discuss how to integrate these into your current pedagogy.

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learn more about how atu ENHANCES student learning

• Schedule an app demo with Dr. Chris Schmidt

• Join our weekly live faculty webinars

• If you are ready to adopt, explore the suitable purchase options for your school!

For the past year, the ATu team has been beefing up the web app suite. Our goal is to make learning easy by providing a web-based centralized solution to the Athletic Training Education community.

Here’s how our apps support the CAATE standards:

CAATE Standards / Section IV: Curricular Content	ATu package
Prerequisite Coursework and Foundational Knowledge
54: Professional program	✔
55: Foundational Knowledge	✔
Care Plan
69: Develop a care plan for each patient.	✔
Examination, Diagnosis, and Intervention
70: Evaluate and manage patients with acute conditions	✔
71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis	✔
73: Select and incorporate interventions	✔
74: Educate patients regarding appropriate pharmacological agents	✔
75: Administer medications or other therapeutic agents	✔
76: Evaluate and treat a patient with brain injury	✔
78: Select, fabricate, and/or customize assistive devices	✔
Prevention, Health Promotion, and Wellness
79: Develop/implement strategies for long-term health conditions	✔
86: Select/fit/remove protective equipment to reduce the risk of injury/re-injury	✔

ATU: Assistive Devices

• Fitting Crutches and Canes

• Ascending/Descending Stair Instruction

CAATE Standard: 78

78: Select, fabricate, and/or customize prophylactic, assistive, and restrictive devices, materials, and techniques for incorporation into the plan of care.

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ATU: Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation

• Overview of common cardiac conditions

• Assessment of Vital Signs including lung sounds and cardiac auscultation

CAATE Standards: 71/79

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice. T

79: Develop and implement strategies to mitigate the risk for long-term health conditions across the lifespan.

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 ATU:Emergency Care

Overviews of emergent conditions including:

• Cardiac Compromise

• Respiratory Compromise

• Environmental Conditions

• Cervical Spine Injury

• Fractures and Dislocations

• Anaphylaxis

• Drug Overdose

• Diabetes

• Emergent interventions for the above conditions

CAATE Standard: 70

70: Evaluate and manage patients with acute conditions, including triaging conditions that are life threatening or otherwise emergent

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ATU:Exercise Patterns

• Videos of mobility, stretching, and strengthening exercises for full body based on pain, mobility limitations, and sensory deficits

• Post-operative guidelines for common surgeries

• Performance training for injury prevention

CAATE Standard: 73

73: Select and incorporate interventions (for pre-op patients, post-op patients, and patients with nonsurgical conditions) that align with the care plan.

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ATU:Gait

• Video breakdown of gait pattern with application of ROM and muscle activity

CAATE Standard: 71

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice

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ATU:NeuroExam

• Videos of

  • Motor Control Videos of Assessments

  • Sensation Videos testing of all types

  • Muscle Tone assessment for UE and LE

  • Typical and pathological performance of deep tendon reflexes

  • Coordination testing

  • Variety of Balance and Gait Assessments

  • Assessment of Vestibular Dysfunction

  • Cranial Nerve Exam

CAATE Standard: 71/76

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice

76: Evaluate and treat a patient who has sustained a concussion or other brain injury, with consideration of established guidelines.

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ATU:Orthopaedics

• Breakdown of presentations of various pain patterns and injuries with ideas for physical exam, special tests, manual therapy, and exercises

• Combines orthopedic evaluation and interventions

CAATE Standard: 69/71/73

69: Develop a care plan for each patient.

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice

73: Select and incorporate interventions (for pre-op patients, post-op patients, and patients with nonsurgical conditions) that align with the care plan.

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ATU:PNF

• Video breakdown of principles and philosophy of PNF.

• Videos of techniques, patterns, and progression of skills development for advancing functional abilities

CAATE Standard: 73

73: Select and incorporate interventions (for pre-op patients, post-op patients, and patients with nonsurgical conditions) that align with the care plan.

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ATU:Patient Education

• Information and videos for patients to utilize for home programing and to better understand their condition

CAATE Standard: 69/71/73

69: Develop a care plan for each patient.

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice

73: Select and incorporate interventions (for pre-op patients, post-op patients, and patients with nonsurgical conditions) that align with the care plan.

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ATU: Pharmacology

• Information on a variety of medications and clinical implications of utilization of these medications

CAATE Standard: 74/75

74: Educate patients regarding appropriate pharmacological agents for the management of their condition, including indications, contraindications, dosing, interactions, and adverse reactions.

75: Administer medications or other therapeutic agents by the appropriate route of administration upon the order of a physician or other provider with legal prescribing authority.

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ATU: Physical Agents

• Information about all types of physical modalities including Purpose, use, contraindications or precautions, set, and patient education

CAATE Standard: 73

73: Select and incorporate interventions (for pre-op patients, post-op patients, and patients with nonsurgical conditions) that align with the care plan.

ATU: Physical Agents Simulations (Fall release)

Short patient-based scenarios are designed to help students apply and interpret learned knowledge in a simulated clinical environment.

CAATE Standard: 73

73: Select and incorporate interventions (for pre-op patients, post-op patients, and patients with nonsurgical conditions) that align with the care plan.

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ATU: ROM, MMT, and Palpation

• Videos of

• Palpation for bony landmarks and soft tissues

• ROM and MMT for all joints and movements

• Neuro-screens for all dermatomes, myotomes, and reflexes

CAATE Standard: 71

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice.

ATU: ROM, MMT, and Palpation (Fall release)

Short patient-based scenarios are designed to help students apply and interpret learned knowledge in a simulated clinical environment.

CAATE Standard: 71

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice.

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ATU: Special Tests

• Videos of special tests for full body

• Background information and evidence base of on all special tests

CAATE Standard: 71

71: Perform an examination to formulate a diagnosis and plan of care for patients with health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice.

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ATU: Evidence-Based Taping

• Videos demonstrating the theory, application, and evidence behind common taping interventions

CAATE Standard: 78/86

78: Select, fabricate, and/or customize prophylactic, assistive, and restrictive devices, materials, and techniques for incorporation into the plan of care.

86: Select, fit, and remove protective equipment to minimize the risk of injury or re-injury

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ATU: Surface Anatomy Palpation (Fall release)

• In-depth demonstration of palpation of common and relevant anatomic structures

CAATE Standard: 54/55

54: The professional program requires prerequisite classes in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, anatomy, and physiology at the postsecondary level.

55: Students must gain foundational knowledge in statistics, research design, epidemiology, pathophysiology, biomechanics and pathomechanics, exercise physiology, nutrition, human anatomy, pharmacology, public health, and health care delivery and payor systems.

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learn more about how atu ENHANCES student learning

• Schedule an app demo with Dr. Chris Schmidt

• Join our weekly live faculty webinars

• If you are ready to adopt, explore the suitable purchase options for your school!