Immersive Clinical Education Experiences in Athletic Training: A Report From the NATA Professional Education Committee

Context Immersive clinical education experiences (ImCEs) are a recent addition to the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education standards. As such, there is little information on how athletic training programs design and implement ImCEs into the curriculum. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the structure of ImCEs among athletic training programs and practices relating to identifying and developing ImCEs. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants A total of 103 of 265 Coordinators of Clinical Education for Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education-accredited professional programs participated (women = 69, men = 29, 4 = prefer not to disclose, 1 = unanswered). Main Outcome Measures Coordinators of Clinical Education provided information about their program, timing and length of ImCEs, and the settings used. Program practices for preceptor selection and development, curricular design for simultaneous didactic coursework, and resources available to students were also investigated. Results The average number of ImCEs was 1.9, with a length of 4 to 28 weeks. Most programs have the first ImCE in the second year and primarily rely on college/university and secondary school settings. Programs reporting ImCEs less than 4 weeks in length and those requiring synchronous coursework during clinical immersion are of concern. Conclusions Athletic training programs are integrating ImCEs in a variety of ways. There may be confusion as to best practices and Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education requirements for ImCEs.