Jim Reidy, MS, LAT, ATC, who helped found the Athletic Training Residency at St. Luke’s University Health Network, has been selected as Chair of the Residency and Fellowship Accreditation Council (RFAC) for the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training (CAATE). Based in Washington, D.C., CAATE oversees the nation’s fellowship and residency programs for Athletic Trainers.
His work began when St. Luke’s Graduate Medical Education and Sports Medicine departments sought accreditation for the residency program in the specialty area of Orthopedics.
Today, he works across multiple committees and serves on the workgroup that manages education, standards, and peer review.
“My experiences have helped me to get a good perspective on the CAATE and its accreditation policies and procedures, including those focused on residency and fellowship growth,” Reidy said. “It has been very rewarding to collaborate with a group of athletic trainers, physicians and others across the country who are innovating and fueling the growth of our profession.”
Specialization in athletic training—long established in fields such as medicine and nursing—is a relatively new development for the profession, with formal standards first issued in 2014. Nationwide, there are currently only 17 residency programs and one fellowship program for Athletic Trainers.
Reidy helped establish St. Luke’s program in 2018, the ninth in the country, and played a key role in rewriting residency and fellowship standards in 2022. Looking forward, he hopes to help drive expansion.
“Although it is a residency-focused role, the work we are doing is changing how the profession is being educated… We are expecting 30-40 new programs over the next five years,” he said.
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