Characteristics of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or National Athletic Trainers' Association -accredited athletic training programs associated with first -attempt passing rates on the NATABOC examination

Athletic training is an allied health profession recognized by the American Medical Association requiring certification by examination. There are two routes towards certification as an athletic trainer: attending a university with an accredited athletic training program or with an internship program By 2004, the only route towards certification will be by attending a Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) accredited athletic training program. CAAHEP looks at passing rates on the NATA Board of Certification (NATABOC) examination when granting accreditation. This study examined characteristics of programs associated with first time passing rates. ^ Directors from 39 CAAHEP or NATA accredited athletic training programs completed a descriptive 17-question survey regarding academic characteristics, faculty characteristics, and program characteristics. Analysis used Spearman's rho correlation coefficient, with significance of p = <.05. Four program directors were interviewed to gather additional insight. ^ There were three program characteristics that showed a significant positive association with first attempt passing rates: the number of full-time and part-time approved clinical instructors (ACIs), and the number of students in the program. Further investigation found a statistically significant association between a low ratio of ACIs to athletic training students and first time passing rates. ACIs are certified athletic trainers (ATCs) who have received special training in order to supervise athletic training students. CAAHEP mandates a 1:8 ratio of ATCs to athletic training student. This study showed that a smaller ratio of ATC to student in combination with ACI training was significantly associated with higher first time passing rates. The number of courses above the required 13 delineated by the Education Council showed a significant negative association with first attempt passing rates. ^ Universities seeking or maintaining accreditation should incorporate characteristics associated with a higher passing rate on the NATABOC examination. Characteristics include utilizing a large number of full-time and part-time ACIs, admitting a large number of students into the program while maintaining a low ACI to athletic training student ratio, and offering curricula that focuses on the 13 courses that have been deemed relevant to the athletic training curriculum by the Education Council. ^

Forging professional public health nursing in a southern state: Florida's public health nurses, 1889-1934

From 1889 to 1934, Florida's nurses belonging to a new group of professional women ushered in a pioneering phase of public health nursing in Florida. During this era, the nurses' ability to confront health and professional issues varied a great deal but in quiet and forceful ways they tackled cultural and environmental problems to assist people who were ill or help prevent people from becoming ill. This dissertation places the development of professional public health nursing in its social context by uncovering the relationships public health nurses formed with clubwomen, the medical profession, city leaders, midwives, and others. In 1888, there were few graduate nurses in the state, no state board of health and no organized nursing service to respond to Jacksonville's great yellow fever epidemic. By 1934, national and state leaders of public health nursing had built up the profession to become an essential part of the State Board of Health's service to the community. Between these milestones, in the era of white supremacy and Jim Crow, public health nurses combined their professional training with a pioneer spirit of innovation and risk-taking. In the predominately rural state, the public health nurses' resolve to overcome environmental hazards and cultural obstacles stands out as they attempted to reach those who were unserved or underserved by modern medicine.