How Do ATs Pick CE Courses?

How do you determine your athletic training professional development and continuing education units (CEs)? At what point do you feel confident enough to implement new knowledge into your practice?

Continued learning and maintaining competence as a healthcare provider are essential aspects of professionalism—an expectation recognized by society. To uphold these standards, athletic trainers must report 50 CEUs every two years, ensuring ongoing growth and adaptability in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare knowledge and skills. This structured cycle of competency review reinforces the commitment to excellence in patient care.

CE requirements are meant to ensure that athletic trainers continue to:

• Stay on the cutting edge in the field of athletic training

• Obtain current professional development information

• Explore new knowledge in specific content areas

• Master new athletic training related skills and techniques

• Expand approaches to effective athletic training

• Further develop professional judgment

• Conduct professional practice in an ethical and appropriate manner

Tasks added to scopes of practice are often acquired through advanced professional training. As practitioners gain experience and competency in these advanced skills, their individual scope of practice naturally expands. Over time, when a significant number of professionals adopt and integrate a particular skill into their practice, role delineation studies reflect its value and solidify its place within the profession.

From a regulatory standpoint, questions to be considered to determine if an advanced skill is within an individual’s scope of practice:

1. What training program(s) were attended to learn the new skill or technique?

2. Was the time spent adequate to acquire the skill?

3. Does the program meet the standards and criteria established for these types of programs?

4. How is competence determined through the advanced skill program?

5. What are the measures of competence used by the program and what is the validity of these measures?

6. Is there evidence within the profession related to the particular procedures and skills involved in the changes in scope?

7. Does the professional include clinical evidence/research validating this technique?

8. Is there evidence that the procedure or skill is beneficial to client care?

Bigger picture question, how are you choosing your professional development and CEs, and how these courses bettering yourself and impacting the profession?

Reference:

Hortz, B. Scope of Practice: Factors to Consider. NATA. Accessed 3/4/25 from: scope-of-practice.pdf