Interprofessional Education and Practice in Athletic Training

National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education's picture
Submitted by National Center... on Dec 3, 2015 - 8:42am CST

Resource Type: 
Other

Professional preparation in athletic training has grown from modest roots based in physical education in the 1960s to its emergence as a recognized health profession today. The profession has long embraced interprofessional practice (IPP), but many times has not been included in discussions held at the institutional, governmental, and international levels. As a result, the concept of interprofessional education (IPE), which has been an emphasis in medicine, nursing, and allied health since the 1990s, has not been a part of most athletic training programs. Investigations into IPE and IPP in athletic training have found that the concepts were misunderstood by athletic training educators because of a lack of common language and appreciation for their role in the future of health care. In 2012, the National Athletic Trainers' Association Executive Committee for Education authored “Future Directions in Athletic Training” to make recommendations regarding the evolution and promotion of IPE in athletic training. A primary part of this strategy was to develop a paper regarding IPE and IPP in athletic training to provide the profession and other stakeholders with background information and present model pedagogy that could be implemented in professional athletic training programs. The resulting document was created using a structured process that included a work group of authors from a wide range of settings.

Author(s): 
Anthony P. Breitbach
Russ Richardson
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