My sister is certified by the National Athletic Traniner's Association (NATA). As part of her certification, she must earn so many "points" to keep her membership active. One of the ways she can earn points is by volunteering to help during regional NATA certification exams. She went to today's exam as the human subject for the practical part of the exam. Students placed stickers on her body near the anatomical position identified by the exam administrator and dressed her fake wounds.
I got in on the action as well. They also needed people to read the written part of the exam aloud to students requesting assistance under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). I was a bit nervous because i knew there would be quite a bit of medical terminology on the exam. I had my sister help me on my pronunciations before the exam started. The word i hated saying the most was spondylolisthesis. The phrase i most enjoyed was gertie's tubercle which is apparently part of the knee. I took a few hours to get through the 150 question exam but i got paid for my time there and they gave us a free lunch.
I had no clue what most of the answers were on the exam -- apparently neither do most of the students. Only about 17% of the people who take the exam pass all three parts (written, practical, and simulation) on their first attempt. I was surprised at how many of the questions involved organizational-type questions such as who has authority in certain situations (i.e. the athletic director, team physician, athletic trainer, referee, etc). There were also questions about liability, confidentiality and all that other boring legal stuff. It's a shame that administrative stuff has become just as important as the medical training.
Posted by Matthew at August 6, 2006 11:41 PM