New VNG Seminar

This course discusses the role of athletic training within the current healthcare system and the important role of practice-based research to improve the effectiveness of healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. At the point-of-care, clinicians can utilize the patient-oriented assessment model to gather data to aid in clinical decision-making and for supporting comparative effectiveness of athletic training services. Working collaboratively to engage in comparative effectiveness efforts can improve patient outcomes, and add to the body of evidence, specific to the athletic training profession.

This course aims to cover the following objectives, which will be presented in three individual online modules:
1. Describe the important role of practice-based research to improve patient care
2. Describe the practice-based research network model as a means for conducting point-of-care research to evaluate the end results of athletic training services
3. Discuss the roles of the researcher and clinician in practice-based partnerships
4. Highlight the requisite knowledge and skills for clinicians to engage in practice-based research

Please note that following the three modules, you will be asked to answer 10 knowledge questions about the content presented in the modules. Additionally, be sure to view each module in its entirety. It is recommended to take notes as you will not be permitted to return to a module once you proceed forward.

** This EBP home study course will take approximately 45 minutes to complete **

To receive 0.75 EBP CEU for this home study course, you must receive at least a 70% on the knowledge assessment. Following the completion of the course and knowledge assessment, you will receive an email from the AT-PBRN informing you of your score as well as your EBP CEU certificate, if warranted. Please note it may take 4-5 days to receive this email.

If you have any questions at any point throughout the home study course, please contact the AT-PBRN using the following link: Contact the AT-PBRN

While the role of HIT and healthcare informatics in assisting in fundamental tasks of evidence-based practice (e.g., searching the literature and managing knowledge) is well-recognized in athletic training, more advanced utilization of HIT and healthcare informatics is not as prominent. Despite the importance of the HIT and healthcare informatics, athletic trainers may lack the appropriate knowledge and strategies to effectively implement the use of HIT and healthcare informatics during routine clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this 2-hour module is to introduce the concepts associated with more advanced usage of HIT and healthcare informatics in athletic training clinical practice.

This course aims to cover the following objectives, which will be presented in four individual online modules:
1. Discuss current healthcare information technologies (HIT) and healthcare informatics initiatives within the global healthcare system and the athletic training profession
2. Describe common HIT that can be utilized to enhance patient care including the Internet, electronic health records, mobile devices, and social media platforms
3. Describe the role of HIT and healthcare informatics in facilitating evidence-based, patient-centered care, and quality improvement
Explain the data-to-wisdom continuum framework within the context of informatics and how the framework can be applied to patient care and quality improvement
4. Discuss legal (eg, patient privacy) and professional (eg, maintaining professionalism in an online environment) considerations related to the use of HIT and healthcare informatics for patient care

Please note that following the four modules, you will be asked to answer 10 knowledge questions about the content presented in the modules. Additionally, be sure to view each module in its entirety. It is recommended to take notes as you will not be permitted to return to a module once you have proceeded forward.

** This EBP home study course will take approximately 1.25 hours to complete **

To receive 1.25 EBP CEUs for this home study course, you must receive at least a 70% on the knowledge assessment. Following the completion of the course and knowledge assessment, you will receive an email from the AT-PBRN informing you of your score as well as your EBP CEU certificate, if warranted. Please note it may take 4-5 days to receive this email.

If you have any questions at any point throughout the home study course, please contact the AT-PBRN using the following link: Contact the AT-PBRN

This course provides an overview of evidence-based practice and is designed to enable the athletic trainer’s clinical decision-making process in a manner that integrates clinical experience, patient values, and the best available evidence. This course will assist in providing the athletic trainer with strategies to enable them to search and appraise the evidence in a more succinct and timely manner, that will promote better patient care.

This course aims to cover the following objectives, which will be presented in six individual online modules:
1. Describe the role of evidence-based practice in health care
2. Identify strategies to efficiently search the literature
3. Describe common concepts that are assessed during critical appraisal of published research studies
4. Evaluate the levels of evidence or strength of recommendation of research articles
5. Discuss the integration of the best available evidence into clinical practice
6. Appreciate patient values with respect to clinical decision-making

Please note that following the first three modules, you will be asked to answer 12 knowledge questions about the content presented in the modules. Then, after viewing the last three modules, you will be asked to answer 13 knowledge questions about the content presented in those modules. Additionally, be sure to view each module in its entirety. It is recommended to take notes as you will not be permitted to return to a module once you have proceeded forward.

** This EBP home study course will take approximately 3.0 hours to complete **

To receive 3.0 EBP CEUs for this home study course, you must receive at least a 70% on the knowledge assessment. Following the completion of the course and knowledge assessment, you will receive an email from the AT-PBRN informing you of your score as well as your EBP CEU certificate, if warranted. Please note it may take 4-5 days to receive this email.

If you have any questions at any point throughout the home study course, please contact the AT-PBRN using the following link: Contact the AT-PBRN

This course aims to cover the following objectives, which will be presented in five individual online modules:
Appreciate the benefits of routine evaluation of patient-rated outcome measures as it pertains to patient-centered, whole person health care, evidence-based practice, and driving treatment decisions
Define and describe fundamental concepts of clinical outcomes assessment included disablement models, clinician vs. patient-rated outcomes, generic vs. specific patient-rated outcome measures, and single vs. multi-item patient-rated outcome measures
Identify commonly used patient-rated outcome measures for use in athletic populations
Implement strategies to evaluate patient outcomes in clinical practice
Discuss the value of using outcomes data collection for professional advancement

Please note that following the five modules, you will be asked to answer 10 knowledge questions about the content presented in the modules. Additionally, be sure to view each module in its entirety. It is recommended to take notes as you will not be permitted to return to a module once you have proceeded forward.

** This EBP home study course will take approximately 1.75 hours to complete **

To receive 1.75 EBP CEUs for this home study course, you must receive at least a 70% on the knowledge assessment. Following the completion of the course and knowledge assessment, you will receive an email from the AT-PBRN with your EBP CEU certificate, if warranted.

If you have any questions at any point throughout the home study course, please contact the AT-PBRN using the following link: Contact the AT-PBRN

Course Instructors:

Tamara McLeod, PhD, ATC, FNATA

Although many athletic trainers use clinical practice guidelines, position statements, and consensus statements to identify best practices for the management of various illnesses and injuries, fewer understand the differences between these types of documents and the development process for these documents. This course aims to differentiate between clinical practice guidelines, position statements, and consensus statements and describe the process of how these documents are develop. Using the published documents regarding sport-related concussion, examples between the similarities and differences in recommendations made among these documents will be illustrated. Specifically, focus will be on similarities and differences in diagnosis, prevention, assessment, management, and the use of neurocognitive testing. A discussion of the historical changes in recommendations from Vienna and the 2004 NATA statement through the 2014 NATA statement and the recently released Berlin consensus statement will also be included.

This course aims to cover the following objectives, which will be presented in four individual online modules:  

1. Describe the development process for clinical practice guidelines
2. Differentiate between types of clinical practice guidelines
3. Discuss the process used to develop the Berlin concussion consensus statement
4. Identify best practices according to the Berlin concussion consensus statement
5. Compare recommendations from various statements and guidelines for use in clinical practice

According to the education levels described by the PDC, this continuing education course is considered to be Advanced Level, and is appropriate for all athletic trainers.

Course Instructor:
Sue Falsone, PT, MS, SCS, ATC, CSCS, COMT, RYT

Although most athletic trainers deal with patients who are in pain, very few clinicians understand the complexity of pain perception and the individuality by which it presents itself from patient to patient.  Often, patients of the same gender, around the same age, with the same diagnosis, present very differently when it comes to the amount of pain they are experiencing.  This presents a difficult scenario for the athletic trainer, who may be utilizing past clinical experience to manage a current patient.  Truly understanding the biopsychosocial aspects of pain and understanding the most recent literature on pain sciences will be helpful to the clinical athletic trainer, who is often tasked with helping a patient simply “feel better”.   Pain affects movement, so athletic trainers who are attempting to change an athletes’ movement patterns first must address the pain perception that can be altering the movement patterns.  Proper modality selection and counseling is a must in order for the athletic trainer to be effective  in the field of pain management.

Pain is a multifactorial experience and should be addressed via a comprehensive biopsychosocial intervention model.  Pain and nociceptive stimulation do not go hand in hand, meaning pain can be present in the absence of nociceptive stimulation. Therefore, the clinician needs to understand not only the physical neurology of the sensation of pain, but the emotional, psychological, social, and personal experiences that factor into the creation of pain perception.  With this comprehensive understanding, the clinician should be able to select an appropriate intervention to modulate pain based on the needs of the individual patient

This course aims to cover the following objectives, which will be presented in five individual online modules:

1. Appreciate that pain is a multi-factorial experience, and should be treated via a multi-factorial approach including physical, emotional and biopsychosocial considerations
2. Identify different pain theories and the basic neurology underlying the sensation of pain
3. Understand how pain may affect normal movement patterns
4. Implement different modalities to address pain and improve movement
5. Understand the effects of different modalities on pain modulation and describe the mechanism of action for these modalities

This course is designed to improve the knowledge and understanding of medicolegal aspects of concussion.  Athletic trainers in all settings who work with athletes suffering from concussions should have a thorough understanding of the medicolegal aspects of these cases.  Understanding the current landscape of concussion legislation, knowing how to analyze best practice guidelines, and how to incorporate concussion management protocols into practice are proactive ways the practicing athletic trainer can work to mitigate the risk of litigation.  This presentation will cover these topics with the following objectives:

The specific objectives for this course include the development of the participant’s ability to:

1. Describe the current landscape of concussion legislation
2. Discuss basic legal terminology
3. Analyze the importance of best practice guidelines in concussion management to prevent potential litigation
4. Incorporate current concussion management protocols into medical practice to prevent potential litigation
5. Review current litigation trends

According to the education levels described by the PDC, this continuing education course is considered to be Essential Level, and is appropriate for all athletic trainers.

(1.25 Category A CEUs – FREE)

Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) are the most common injuries associated with physical activity and athletic participation. Up to 70% of individuals who sustain a single LAS will eventually develop chronic ankle instability (CAI), which has been associated with long-term consequences such as decreased health-related quality of life and decreased physical activity. To help mitigate consequences related to CAI, recent studies have investigated different approaches in managing patients who suffer a LAS, including the use of patient-reported outcome measures, clinician-reported outcome measures, and various treatment approaches. Although LAS present a major challenge for health care providers, particularly athletic trainers, little is known about the overall effectiveness of current treatment strategies for LAS. Thus, there is a pressing need to identify effective treatment strategies that will optimize patient outcomes and reduce re-injury risk.

While treatments should be individualized, balance training has been shown to be an effective strategy to improve postural control and reduce recurrent LAS risk, and should be a part of every LAS rehabilitation protocol. ATs should use a combination of patient-reported outcome measures and clinician-rated outcome measures to guide the treatment and management of LAS and to improve patient outcomes, reduce the risk of LAS re-injury, and prevent the onset of CAI.

The specific objectives for this course include the development of the participant’s ability to:

1. Discuss the progression of an acute lateral ankle sprain to chronic ankle instability
2. Describe the evidence regarding the treatment of lateral ankle sprain injuries
3. Identify patient-reported outcome measures and clinician-rated outcome measures appropriate for lateral ankle sprain rehabilitation

According to the education levels described by the PDC, this continuing education course is considered to be Advanced Level, and is appropriate for all athletic trainers.

(0.75 EBP CEUs – FREE)

Although injury prevention is a domain for athletic trainers (ATs), implementation science is a burgeoning area and many ATs may not have had specific education on preventive training program (PTP) implementation. This course aims to describe the most recent evidence on the benefits PTPs have on athlete injury risk, injury rate and sport performance. Additionally, ATs may not have the time to run PTPs every single day in their clinical setting. Coaches, particularly at the high school level do not utilize PTPs.  ATs can train coaches to effectively implement PTPs with their athletes, however ATs may not have background on the most effective strategies to train coaches. This course will present a framework that ATs can use to begin the PTP implementation process within their own settings.

The specific objectives for this course include the development of the participant’s ability to:

1. Discuss the current state of evidence for preventive training programs (PTPs)
2. Describe the 7-steps for successful PTP design and development
3. Prepare strategies for PTP implementation in different sport-specific or setting-specific scenarios, including but not limited to, youth sport, girls’ basketball, and the military.

According to the education levels described by the PDC, this continuing education course is considered to be Essential Level, and is appropriate for all athletic trainers.

(1.0 EBP CEUs – FREE)