Overview of the Program
The Health and Exercise Science Department offers an Athletic Training Program (ATP) accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). This program is provided for students who wish to prepare for a career as an athletic trainer. Athletic Trainers are medical professionals who are experts in injury prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation, particularly in the orthopedic and musculoskeletal disciplines. This major may also be combined with other allied health care professional programs.
Students wishing to apply for admission to the ATP must be enrolled during or have completed by the fall semester of their sophomore year the following courses: HES 200, HES 234 and HES 309. HES 203 must be taken in the fall semester of sophomore year. Sophomore students are evaluated during this fall semester and admission into the ATP is competitive and limited. Application to the ATP is completed during the sophomore fall semester. Information about the application process is available on the ATP website.
Transfer students must complete the fall application process to be admitted into the ATP as a sophomore level student that following spring. Core coursework must be completed in the sequential manor. ATP program officials are rarely able to approve transfer credit for courses in the major, so please contact the Program Director if you desire to transfer.
Sophomore students accepted into the major begin clinical experiences (HES 303) during the spring semester. During January of the sophomore year, Athletic Training student majors are encouraged to complete a four-week career exploration in a sports medicine clinic, high school or related allied health care setting. During the junior (HES 307 and HES 311) and senior (HES 312, HES 318, and HES 353) years clinical experiences will include application of skills and techniques involved with the prevention, assessment, recognition, rehabilitation, reconditioning and disposition of injuries/illness to the physically active patient. These courses must be completed sequentially and all associated clinical proficiencies must be completed prior to continuing onto the next clinical experience. All clinical experiences are completed under the direct supervision of athletic trainers and other allied health care professionals. Upon completion of the major the student will be qualified to sit for the BOC examination to become a BOC Certified Athletic Trainer.
There are 14.5 course credits required for the major: HES-200, HES-203, HES-206, HES-222, HES-234, HES-235, HES-303, HES-307, HES-308, HES 309, HES-311, HES-312, HES-318, HES-320, HES-353, NUR-253, and NUR-337.
Retention
Students should maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 or better with at least a C- in the required courses for the athletic training major. Core courses must be taken in an established sequence. Failing to earn a C- or better in any course will require the course to be retaken and may require an extra year to graduate or removal from the major.
Students must complete all competencies associated with courses at a level of 3 or higher in order to pass the course and move on to the next sequences course. All seniors must complete all proficiency assessments at a level of 3 or higher to complete their degree. Failure to complete competencies or proficiency assessments at this level will result in retaking the course associated or removal from the major
Students must complete clinical experiences satisfactorily. Students are responsible for attending during scheduled times as determined by the preceptor and/or program faculty, completion of pre-experience paperwork (i.e., bloodborne pathogen training, CPR certification, student handbook, technical standards, communicable disease policy, confidentiality agreements, TB testing, site orientations, background checks, etc.), timely completion of clinical experience evaluations, logging of clinical hours, and completion of patient encounter tracking. In addition, rules and regulations in the student handbook must be followed. Students must also receive satisfactory evaluations from their preceptors as determined through conversation with the program faculty, the student, and the preceptors. In addition, students must stay in good standing with the college. Behavioral or Academic warnings, probation, or sanctions will result in a meeting with the program officials to determine appropriate course of action with regards to the student’s ability to complete the program and its clinical experiences. Failure to complete any of the required experiences, failure to complete program paperwork and responsibilities in a timely manner, failure to comply with rules and regulations, or failure to progress through clinical experiences with satisfactory evaluations from preceptors, will result in disciplinary action. Such disciplinary action could include warnings, probation, added assignments, referral to the proper college administration unit, removal from the clinical experience or course, requirement to recomplete the clinical experience or course, being placed on probation, or removal from the program. These decisions will be made in conferences between the student and the program faculty, with involvement from the Provost’s office and/or Dean of Students’ office as needed.