Excuse My French Canada

Pardon my French, but I've always been told not to compare myself to others—however, can we compare countries?

Given that the athletic training curriculum and practice are constantly evolving, I thought it would be insightful to take a look at what our Canadian counterparts in the BOC International Arrangement (IA) are doing.

The Canadian Athletic Therapist's Association (CATA) have developed a competency framework consisting of 165 competencies, which are categorized into seven areas:

◾ Athletic Therapy Expert

◾ Professional

◾ Collaborator

◾ Communicator

◾ Scholar

◾ Health Advocate

◾ Leader

These competencies help identify and prioritize the essential tasks and skills needed to meet the demands of the profession. They also serve as the foundation of the knowledge and skills required to pass the National Certification Exam (NCE).

On the other hand, the US BOC Practice Domains for Athletic Trainers cover about 200 competencies, spread across the following domains:

◾ Risk Reduction, Wellness, and Health Literacy

◾ Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis

◾ Critical Incident Management

◾ Therapeutic Intervention

◾ Health Care Administration and Professional Responsibility

Although both countries primarily speak English (and we know translations can be tricky), I'm curious: do we really define terms like "professional responsibility" and "leader" the same way?

Perhaps it's time we consider whether athletic trainers should have a more direct focus on a "cheffe/chef"-domain in advancing our practice. (For those who don't speak French, I'm talking about a leadership).

Directly defining leadership as a practice domain has a certain 'je ne sais quoi' about it, doesn't it?

Reference

Canadian Athletic Therapist Association Scope of Practice

Board of Certification International Arrangement - BOC International Arrangement for Athletic Trainers