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Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education

Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education

Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education

Certificate in Leadership and Education

The Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education is an online program providing advanced instruction in leadership, health policy and systems, and contemporary issues in athletic training education.

The purpose of the program is to prepare practicing athletic trainers and athletic training educators to debate and apply contemporary knowledge and skills in athletic training leadership and education.

Leadership and Education Faculty

  • Interim Dean +
      • Ann Lee Burch, PT, MPH, EdD Ann Lee Burch, PT, MPH, EdD
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        Dr. Ann Lee Burch is the interim dean and vice dean of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Burch received her doctor of education from Columbia University, Teachers College in 2005. She received her masters of public health from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health in 2002 and her masters of physical therapy from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1989. She was a postdoctoral fellow with the Research Group on Health Disparities at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her BA is in psychology from the University of Rochester.

        Prior to her appointment as vice dean, Dr. Burch served as the chair of the Physical Therapy Department from 2008-January 2012. Prior to ATSU, Dr. Burch was the director of physical therapy at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has held administrative and/or faculty positions at the International Center for the Disabled in NY, NY, Mercy College in NY, and Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY.

        Dr. Burch’s area of scholarly interest and application of that interest is in knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of health care providers and healthcare professional students towards underrepresented patient/client groups.

        Dr. Burch is the author of a Guide to Physical Therapy (Vault Publishers) which was written to increase information access about physical therapy to both high school graduates and re-entry adults. She was a co-investigator on an NIH grant at the University of Puerto Rico exploring the feasibility of an exercise program for breast cancer survivors living in San Juan.  Dr. Burch has lived in Symi, Greece, Taipei, Taiwan, Ahmdebad, India and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is committed to research, teaching and service that further the understanding of the impact of socioeconomic and cultural variables on health.

        She was a member of the class of 2014 cohort of Women in Educational Leadership at Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2017 she was the co-PI on a Centers for Disease Control, Association for Prevention and Teaching grant exploring a population health case study format for teaching and communicating the impact of social determinants of health on health disparities. She was recently appointed a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.  

  • Vice Dean +
      • Ann Lee Burch, PT, MPH, EdD Ann Lee Burch, PT, MPH, EdD
        Grey LinkedIn logo

        Dr. Ann Lee Burch is the interim dean and vice dean of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Burch received her doctor of education from Columbia University, Teachers College in 2005. She received her masters of public health from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health in 2002 and her masters of physical therapy from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1989. She was a postdoctoral fellow with the Research Group on Health Disparities at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her BA is in psychology from the University of Rochester.

        Prior to her appointment as vice dean, Dr. Burch served as the chair of the Physical Therapy Department from 2008-January 2012. Prior to ATSU, Dr. Burch was the director of physical therapy at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has held administrative and/or faculty positions at the International Center for the Disabled in NY, NY, Mercy College in NY, and Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY.

        Dr. Burch’s area of scholarly interest and application of that interest is in knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of health care providers and healthcare professional students towards underrepresented patient/client groups.

        Dr. Burch is the author of a Guide to Physical Therapy (Vault Publishers) which was written to increase information access about physical therapy to both high school graduates and re-entry adults. She was a co-investigator on an NIH grant at the University of Puerto Rico exploring the feasibility of an exercise program for breast cancer survivors living in San Juan.  Dr. Burch has lived in Symi, Greece, Taipei, Taiwan, Ahmdebad, India and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is committed to research, teaching and service that further the understanding of the impact of socioeconomic and cultural variables on health.

        She was a member of the class of 2014 cohort of Women in Educational Leadership at Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2017 she was the co-PI on a Centers for Disease Control, Association for Prevention and Teaching grant exploring a population health case study format for teaching and communicating the impact of social determinants of health on health disparities. She was recently appointed a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.  

Leadership and Education Admissions

  • Requirements +

    • Applicants for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education program must meet the following requirements prior to matriculation.

      1. Applicants are required to meet all ATSU and ASHS general admission requirements
      2. Candidates must have achieved a minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in their athletic training professional program or a minimum overall graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
      3. Candidates accepted for admission to the program will have earned a bachelor’s or higher degree prior to enrollment from a regionally accredited institution.
      4. Applicants must provide official transcripts from all educational institutions attended where a degree was conferred.
      5. Applicants to the Certificate program must demonstrate Board of Certification (BOC) certification as an athletic trainer.
      6. Candidates must submit an application form.
      7. All students are required to demonstrate proficiency in English when applying to the Arizona School of Health Sciences, A.T Still University. See the ASHS English Proficiency section for more details.
      8. Candidates are expected to be computer literate and experienced in word processing. All curricula require extensive computer usage. Accepted applicants are required to have a personal computer prior to matriculation and have access to a high-speed Internet connection.
        • See the Minimum Technology Specifications under the General Admission Requirements section.

  • Tuition and Financial Services+

    • Distance programs’ tuition is due the first day of class. For programs with payment per credit or course, the tuition covers the payment for the coming semester. Delinquent tuition penalties accrue at 1.5% per month, which is 18% per year. Tuition: $534 per credit hour.

The Family and Culture


Three medical students wearing white lab coats smiling, posed for a picture. Female medical students wearing white lab coats, smiling while consulting with a patient. Students gathered around a woman lying underneath an x-ray machine. Three medical professionals examining the ear of an elderly man. Physical Therapy students working together. A young woman wearing a white lab coat, talking with a small boy holding a teddy bear. Male medical professional examining a mouth mold. Physical therapy doctor examining the knee of a young woman. Group workshop featuring people seated in rows of chairs with their arms stretched out.

 

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Curriculum

Upon completion of the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education program, students will be able to:

  1. Practice and/or teach athletic training in a manner that integrates clinical experience, patient values, and the best available evidence.
  2. Employ and/or teach clinician-based and patient-based clinical outcome measures to determine the effectiveness of athletic training services.
  3. Use and/or teach healthcare informatics and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making in athletic training practice.
  4. Implement quality improvement initiatives into athletic training practice.


Length of program: The certificate program consists of four courses that could be completed over a year’s time.

To earn a graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education, all students must:

  • Complete with a passing grade (“C” or better) all prescribed courses and clinical rotations;
  • Discharge all financial obligations to ASHS-ATSU;
  • File all necessary graduation forms with the ATSU Registrar’s Office, 800 West Jefferson St., Kirksville, MO 63501; (800) 626-5266 Ext. 2356;

  • Leadership and Professionalism in Athletic Training +

    • This course offers an examination and application of theories of professionalism and leadership as they related to various aspects of the practice of athletic training. Topics include, but are not limited to: contemporary leadership theories, medical professionalism, organizational communication, personal effectiveness and productivity, communities of practice, leading change, and conflict management. The course requires students to be active participants in the learning process. We will rely on a series of readings (e.g. book chapters, classic and contemporary articles, and research studies), presentations, discussions, and both reflective and authentic applied assignments to provide a deeper understanding of leadership and professionalism and their impact the athletic training profession. By the end of this course you should have the foundational knowledge and a framework for action that will allow you to make informed decisions about your own leadership roles and pursue meaningful change in both your work setting and your profession.

  • Health Policy and Systems of Delivery +

    • This course provides a forum for exploration and discussion of current policy issues and trends in healthcare in general, and in athletic training more specifically. The course attempts to do three things: The first half of the course takes a broader approach to examine the U.S. healthcare system from a health policy and health politics perspective. Topics include general civics, the role of state and federal government in law and policy making, as well as organizing, financing, and delivering healthcare. The second half of the course will look more specifically at emerging policy issues. The second half of the course is designed to enhance the athletic trainer’s understanding of legal and risk management concepts as they pertain to daily clinical practice and the administration thereof. Concepts will include: accreditation, cardiac, heat and hydration, injury prevention and sport specialization, and concussion policy analysis.

  • Contemporary Issues in Athletic Training Education +

    • This course that will explore contemporary issues in athletic training education, with special emphasis on the continuum of education from professional programs through residency and fellowship training to post-professional degree programs, such as the doctor of athletic training and doctor of philosophy degrees, as well as continuing education and maintenance of competence. A global perspective of the structure of health professions education, accreditation, and current issues in higher education will be explored. Students will develop insights and discuss implications for the ever-changing nature of health professions education, with a focus on contemporary issues in athletic training education.

  • Applied Clinical Education and Mentoring +

    • This course is intended to improve the student’s understanding and application of best practices in clinical education and mentoring in athletic training professional education and residency/fellowship training programs. Focus will be on best practices regarding bridging the gap between didactic and clinical education, clinical education techniques and models, preceptor mentoring, and student/resident/fellow mentorship models. Focused discussion regarding developing assessment activities at the point-of-care to facilitate practice-based research is included. Contemporary issues in clinical education, facilitating transition to practice, and mentoring within the health professions will also be presented.

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