The ACBSP home office, committee members and board of directors have continued to press forward to the benefit of the ACBSP, the ACBSP certificants and the patients who are served by the certificants. This President’s message serves as an update to recent board related activities.
The ACBSP has formed one examination committee to help ensure that best practices regarding the ACBSP examinations continues to grow for the written and practical examinations. Holly Westbrook, DC, DACBSP®, EMT, CSCS was appointed as the chairperson of the newly formed ACBSP examination committee. The written examination chair is Scott Vanina, DC, DACBSP and the practical examination co-chairs are Todd Petersen, DC, DACBSP and Annie Babikian DC, DACBSP.
The new computer-based testing is moving forward providing examinees a comfortable at home setting to write the examinations and saving funds related to travel to write the written examinations. Both examinations continue to provide solid psychometric data regarding the validity of identifying competency in the candidates. The pass/fail scores are determined based upon the pass score (cut-score) as determined by the examination committees using the expertise of the ACBSP psychometrician. The examinations are designed to identify entry level competencies related to the work of the DACBSP® or CCSP®.
We all recognize that diversity and inclusion are important to society as a whole as well as the ACBSP. Inclusion is important for the ACBSP because diversity improves the fabric of what we do. We provide for all patients who enrich our lives. The various barriers and opportunities for the implementation of diversity in healthcare practices are known. There is a lack of consensus regarding how healthcare professionals work with diversity. A “neutral approach” does not meet today’s standards. To raise the awareness and enhance the competence of ACBSP related healthcare professionals, related educational programming, examination fairness and sports medicine networks a definitive pathway forward is required. To move forward the ACBSP will create a Diversity and/or Inclusion statement.
This November the ACBSP will host a strategic planning retreat to set the agenda for the ACBSP in the upcoming years. The board of directors, home office staff and examination committee chairs will meet to identify where the organization needs to move forward in the future. If you have ideas of key areas that need to be considered please drop me an email and share your thoughts. A recap of the meeting outcomes will be provided in a future president’s letter.
The ACBSP president can appoint up to two advisors. We welcome Drs. Erica Witter Davis, DC, DACBSP and Annie Babikian, DC, DACSBP as the presidential advisors during my term as president. Additionally, the future of the ACBSP is represented by the first honorary student advisor to the president, Jasmine Piper. Jasmine is a former soccer athlete who is finishing her DC education with a commitment to obtain her CCSP as soon as possible. We need to hear all these great advisors thoughts. I encourage you to support the board and advisors as well as engage them with your ideas and thoughts to improve the ACBSP.
The ACBSP position statements on sports related concussion and the periodic health examination (PPE) are slated to be updated within the next year. The next international
concussion consensus was to have been held in Paris, France on October 28-30, 2020. The conference, like so many others, was cancelled because of COVID. The ACBSP position statement on concussion will be updated accordingly.
There is continuing contraction and in some cases expansion of the ACBSP certificants abilities to practice sports medicine. The most common areas are around the periodic health examination and sports related concussion. The ACBSP is seeking a certificant in good standing in each of the states, or jurisdictional areas, to monitor and report back to the ACBSP the current status of your ability to perform a PPE and evaluate and manage sports related concussion, including return to play decision making. Another area of interest is to identify opportunities for the ACBSP to support State related opportunities for our certificants to fully practice as you are trained to. Contact Cindy Hayter @ cindy@acbsp.com if you would like to volunteer to help the ACBSP monitor these activities for your state.
As always, feel free to drop me an email @ BMoreau@uws.edu with your thoughts. Thank you for your continued support of the ACBSP.
Bill