Creating a Winning Recruitment Strategy
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is the CAATE developing a Foundation?
The Foundation is being developed to support accredited programs in ways that an accrediting body cannot. The CAATE Board of Commissioners considered the current and desired state of accredited programs and decided that additional support for program enrollment, quality improvement and innovation in athletic training education, and supporting diversity within our student populations is needed.
How will the CAATE Foundation support accredited programs?
The CAATE Foundation will support accredited programs in three focus areas:
- Student & Trainee Recruitment – The CAATE Foundation will develop educational programming that supports best practices in graduate school and residency program enrollment. In addition, we are providing funding to support two annual scholarships with the expectation that the funds will increase over time. The CAATE Foundation will seek partnerships to raise awareness of the athletic training profession. We also anticipate increasing funding for ATCAS application waivers.
- Quality Improvement & Innovation – The CAATE Foundation will support the development of a recognition program to highlight leading practices in quality improvement and innovation in athletic training education.
- Diversity – The CAATE Foundation will support the development of a recognition program to highlight leading practices in efforts to increase the diversity of students enrolled in athletic training programs.
How will the CAATE Foundation be funded?
The CAATE Foundation’s scope is intentionally limited, requiring limited funding. We are currently planning to use ATCAS revenue to support the funding needs.
How will the CAATE Foundation work with other athletic training and healthcare organizations?
The CAATE Foundation will seek partnerships with other athletic training and healthcare organizations to further its mission and support accredited programs.
How can I get involved with the CAATE Foundation? How can I support its work?
We will be recruiting members of the CAATE Foundation Advisory Board during the spring volunteer recruitment process.
Meet the award recipients here.
Applications for the QI & Innovation Awards open Monday, February 3.
The CAATE Foundation’s mission is to serve as a catalyst to advance athletic training education through the promotion of quality improvement, innovation, diversity, and best practices for student recruitment. In support of its mission, the CAATE Foundation has developed an awards program to recognize programs for innovation and quality improvement in athletic training education.
Innovation Award: Recognizes a program’s use of strategic and intentional processes for identifying, implementing, and measuring new initiatives that advance program quality and/or learner achievement. Applications are due by Friday, April 11.
Quality Improvement Award: Recognizes a program’s use of a structured, data-driven process to evaluate systems and outcomes that include identifying areas for improvement, selecting and implementing measurable changes, and analyzing changes to ensure progression toward established quality improvement project benchmarks. Applications are due by Tuesday, April 1.
Award Identification and Recognition Procedures:
- The CAATE Foundation will seek submissions for the Innovation and Quality Improvement Awards on an annual basis.
- The CAATE Foundation will select one winner in each category—Innovation and Quality Improvement—for both professional programs and residency/fellowship programs. Additionally, there will be no limit on the number of honorable mentions awarded. The winners will be featured in a CAATE Town Hall, and summaries of their work will be posted on the CAATE website.
- Programs must be in good standing with the CAATE in order to submit an application.
- If noteworthy processes are identified through the Comprehensive Programmatic Review Process, the Annual Report review, or the quality improvement process, the program will be encouraged to apply.
Submission Categories: Applications addressing the CAATE core competencies are encouraged but not required. The CAATE Foundation further encourages applications that aim to address innovation and quality improvement in a variety of contexts, such as faculty development; preceptor development; social determinants of health; diversity, equity, and inclusion; assessment of student learning; clinical education; program marketing and recruitment; alumni engagement; and faculty and preceptor scholarship.