The Development, Implementation, and Value of the Athletic Training Milestones for Assessing Progressive Clinical Behaviors

Abstract

The development of the Athletic Training (AT) Milestones began as an effort to enhance and facilitate assessment of learners in athletic training residency programs. However, during the development process, it became apparent that the AT Milestones could have much greater utility for the profession if they were developed to assess progressive clinical behaviors of learners from professional programs, through specialist training, and along the continuum of one's career. The AT Milestones were developed to facilitate the observation and assessment of clinical behaviors across the six general core competences adapted from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the eight specialty areas identified by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The authors utilized the theoretical framework outlined by the Dreyfus Model, the ACGME core competencies model, and with a vision towards competency-based education (CBE) and developmental outcomes when completing the AT Milestones. The AT Milestones have content validity and can be used to assess and provide feedback about progressive clinical behaviors. The tool can be used for self-reflection by the learner in addition to providing peer and mentor feedback in both a formative and summative manner. Additionally, the explicit narratives found within each of the milestones can help serve as a guide to plan and continue development and progression of learning throughout one's career. The tool seeks to articulate a shared vision for highly competent athletic training practice to which we hope all educators and clinicians aspire. The AT Milestones provide added value to the profession in the form of a valid instrument to assess competence and growth both within AT education and across the continuum of professional practice, ultimately advancing and promoting growth and change in the profession.