This interactive online course, developed by Chad Starkey, PhD, will give you an expanded, state-of-the-art understanding of techniques, protocols, instrumentation advances, and other concepts associated with electrotherapeutic intervention.

The course is problem centered. This method first identifies the principles necessary to solve common problems and then guides you through the process of learning how to apply these principles to solve a series of realistic problems. It's a powerful, effective way to learn.

You assume the role of an athletic trainer at a sports medicine clinic and spend a "week" with a virtual mentor (Sandy Williams) who introduces you to clients, asks you to interact with them, and guides you through a series of real-life situations and exercises. This unique interactive approach guides you through the learning exercises and parallels what you'll encounter in actual settings.

The course leads you through the following sessions:

Session 1: Pre-Screening Patients—Before using electrical stimulation, you must screen your patients to determine whether contraindications to treatment exist as well as specific precautions you should take. In addition, you review nine case histories to decide if electrotherapy would be appropriate.

Session 2: Selecting the Correct Electrical Stimulator—After identifying patients who could benefit from electrical stimulation, you determine which form of treatment would provide optimal results. In addition, today’s session teaches you to select the correct current type (based on the client’s specific condition) when applying stimulation; associate different current types with their common generator types; and identify the specific properties of different types of electrical pulses.

Session 3: Determining the Proper Electrode Configuration—Today you learn how to decide which electrode configuration type you should use. Isabel helps you to apply the concept of current density to various electrode configurations and to identify factors used to determine electrode configuration.

Session 4: Selecting the Treatment Parameters—Working with Isabel again, you learn how to determine the output protocol appropriate for each treatment.

Session 5: Treatment Duration and Patient Summaries—Isabel explains how to estimate the correct treatment duration for your patients.

Finally, an online test will evaluate your understanding of the material covered by the entire interactive course.

Session 1: Pre-Screening Patients
Session 2: Selecting the Electrical Stimulator
Session 3: Determining Electrode Configuration
Session 4: Selecting Treatment Parameters
Session 5: Athlete Summaries