Tag: Bridgewater College

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Barbara Long Elected CAATE Comissioner

Article reposted from Augusta Free Press
Author: Augusta Free Press

Dr. Barbara H. Long, an associate professor of health and human sciences and division head of the division of professional studies at Bridgewater College, has been elected to the post of commissioner by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

Dr. Long will begin her duties in August 2017, although she will attend the February CAATE meeting as an observer. She will hold the position for at least three years, with a possibility of renewal for up to six years’ service.

Among the duties of the CAATE commission is to develop standards for athletic training accreditation, act on accreditation requests and issues and assure the public that accredited institutions meet minimal quality assurance standards. A spokesman for CAATE noted that Dr. Long’s interest in serving as a commissioner centered on a commitment to transparent dialogue with all stakeholders, and a focus on both current and future needs of the profession of athletic training.

“Being elected as a CAATE commissioner is an honor and allows me to provide a voice for programs, like Bridgewater’s, that are small, yet develop outstanding clinicians in the athletic training profession,” said Dr. Long. “To be selected by the majority of program directors across the country as a Commissioner is humbling and a tribute to the name that Bridgewater College has for being a strong athletic training program.”

Long, who graduated from Bridgewater College in 1988 with a degree in biology, earned her master’s degree in sports medicine and fitness management from the United States Sports Academy and her Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Shenandoah University. She was certified by the Board of Certification as an athletic trainer in 1989 and licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine as an athletic trainer in 2002.

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to nearly 1,900 undergraduate students.

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Barbara Long Receives CAATE Service Award

Dr. Barbara H. Long, an Associate Professor of Health and Human Sciences and division head of the division of professional studies at Bridgewater College, is one of two recipients of the 2016 Bob and Lynn Caruthers Service Award, which is presented annually by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

The national award is presented to those who demonstrate the character and performance traits the Carutherses displayed in their careers, which includes significant and distinguished service to professional and specialized accreditation, and excellence when working directly with constituent institutions.

Additional emphasis is placed on the delivery of accreditation programs and the institutions that house them. CAATE presents this award annually at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association convention.

Long, who graduated from Bridgewater College in 1988 with a degree in biology, earned her master’s degree in sports medicine and fitness management from the United States Sports Academy and her Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Shenandoah University. She was certified by the Board of Certification as an athletic trainer in 1989 and licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine as an athletic trainer in 2002.

Long’s service to CAATE began following a site visit at Bridgewater that inspired her to improve upon and contribute to the quality assurance process of accreditation. She has served as a site visitor since 2007 and has fulfilled a variety of roles since 2012. In 2011 she also assisted in developing the substantive change of degree process with the Substantive Change Ad-Hoc Task Force.

Long became a member of the review committee in 2010, fulfilling the role of a review team coordinator from 2011-2013, and was name as the review committee chair in 2013.

“Barbara’s extensive work and dedication to the work of the CAATE over the past nine years is commendable,” said Dr. Paula Maxwell, associate dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Studies at James Madison University, in her nomination letter for Long.  “Not many people would be able to keep pace with the amount and quality of work Barbara has completed during this time.”

Last year’s Caruthers Award recipient, Dr. Douglas Gregory of the Lakeview Medical Center in Suffolk, Va., said that Long “has committed countless hours to develop and improve site visit report reviews.”

“During her five years as review committee chair, she has been available to review committee coordinators for discussion and interpretation of CAATE standards,” Gregory continued. “She has reviewed every site visit report during these five years – a remarkable dedication to the CAATE accreditation process.”

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to more than 1,800 undergraduate students.

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Bridgewater College to offer master’s program in athletic training

Bridgewater College announced today that it will establish its first graduate degree program – a Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) – building off one of the college’s strongest and most in-demand undergraduate programs. The college anticipates welcoming its first group of graduate students in May of 2017.

Bridgewater has offered a highly successful and well-regarded bachelor’s degree in athletic training since 2001. After the 2016-17 academic year, the college will no longer admit undergraduate athletic training students and will instead admit undergraduate students to a 3+2 master’s program in addition to admitting graduates of other four-year institutions to its two-year post-baccalaureate master of science program.

The two-year, 63-credit post-baccalaureate program focuses on preparing the athletic trainer of the future. The program continues the college’s exceptional undergraduate tradition of successful credentialing by engaging students in enhanced areas of inter-professional education, deeper understanding of the science of human function and dysfunction, recognition of relevant research and ways to incorporate that information into clinical practice. The students will also benefit from the college’s strong liberal arts tradition, melding professionals who understand the skills required of healthcare providers with those who can navigate positive strategies for communications, civic responsibility, ethics and healthcare in a more global context.

“It’s an important step for the college to strategically add graduate programs to its offerings,” said Bridgewater College President David W. Bushman. “We want to meet the educational needs of our student body and the greater community. The past successes of our prestigious and prominent undergraduate-level athletic training program make it the logical place to take what will be just the first step on the journey into graduate education.”

“Bridgewater’s first graduate program is one that has demonstrated success and maintains alignment with the institution’s core ideals,” said Barbara H. Long, associate professor of health and human sciences and head of the Division of Professional Studies. “For more than 15 years, we have been educating athletic training students in a liberal arts context. That combination has made our graduates extremely successful throughout the region, demonstrating that liberal arts and professional programs are not exclusive of one another. The Division of Professional Studies faculty are very excited to start a new chapter in a storied Bridgewater College history.”

Long added that the MSAT program will delve deeply into the profession, allowing students to gain real-world experience on campus and at a variety of off-campus clinical sites. She noted that the final-year capstone course focuses on full-time engagement in the real-world healthcare of a variety of patient populations. This full-time engagement immerses students into healthcare settings yielding not only proficient professionals but ones that are more confident and mature practitioners upon graduation.

To learn more about the MSAT program at Bridgewater College, go to bridgewater.edu/MSAT.

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to more than 1,800 undergraduate students.

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