Coronavirus Updates and FAQs

 

Frequently Asked Questions (updated 3/25/20)

 

CAATE Statement on Coronavirus on the Delivery of Clinical Education: March 19, 2020

The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) continues to monitor the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on all levels of our accredited programs. In response to the growing concerns over the loss of clinical education sites due to closures or the prohibition on all non-essential personnel, the Commission provides the following guidance regarding the use of telemedicine/telehealth to deliver clinical education.

Effective immediately, programs may begin to use telemedicine/telehealth  to support the delivery of athletic training clinical education. Prior Commission approval or Commission notification is not required at this time. This decision is part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to offer appropriate flexibility to our stakeholder programs who are facing unprecedented challenges to the delivery of athletic training education.

Institutions that use simulation and/or telemedicine/telehealth are encouraged (not required at this time) to develop a programmatic policy detailing a maximum percentage of the total clinical education that can be delivered through one or both of these educational modalities. Such a policy should take into consideration their own unique institutional circumstances, including availability of adequately trained personnel, the best available evidence for incorporating simulation and/or telemedicine/telehealth, and the need to prepare athletic training students for contemporary clinical practice with patients.

Programs are reminded of the specific annotations to Standards 15, 17, and 18 of the 2020 Standards, which will apply to ALL programs choosing to use either simulation and/or telemedicine/telehealth, that states, “When specific opportunities are not possible, programs may use simulation (and now telemedicine or telehealth as of 3/19/2020) to meet portions of this standard. Students must have adequate patient/client interactions (athletic training clinical experiences) to prepare them for contemporary clinical practice with patients…”.  It will be up to each program to demonstrate how their blend of in-person, simulation, and telemedicine/telehealth clinical learning assures that students have adequate patient/client interactions to prepare them for contemporary clinical practice with patients. Despite the extraordinary circumstances that the Coronavirus pandemic has created, the Commission remains committed to assuring quality education and the appropriate preparation of future health care providers to deliver safe and effective care to our patients.