Athletic Training Major

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I came, I saw, I conquered
Julius Caesar

The mission of the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) is to provide students with the educational foundation and clinical experiences in athletic training necessary to pass the Board of Certification examination and become competent allied health professionals.

Athletic training students embark on an exciting career in a sport-related allied health profession. The ATEP is an intensive four-year program within the Division of Math, Science, and Technology of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. The program is challenging and rewarding. It requires passion, dedication, and commitment from its students in order to achieve professional goals. Clinical experiences complement coursework, and athletic training students gain hands-on experience in the health care of physically active individuals through physical therapy clinics, universities, high schools, and professional venues. The NSU Athletic Training/Sports Medicine department serves as one of many sites for athletic training students' clinical experience. Its certified athletic trainers (ATCs) work closely with the ATEP as approved clinical instructors.

The ATEP is accredited from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Students will graduate with a bachelor's degree in athletic training and be eligible to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. The examination tests for knowledge and skill in six major domains: (1) prevention of athletic injuries; (2) recognition, evaluation, and assessment of injuries; (3) immediate care of injuries; (4) treatment, rehabilitation, and reconditioning, (5) organization and administration; and (6) professional development and responsibility.

 

The athletic training major is designed to prepare students to become competent allied health care professionals who specialize in injury and illness prevention, assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation for physically active people. The curriculum provides a balance between classroom instruction and clinical experience that prepares students to become competent allied health care professionals in clinics, colleges, universities, high schools, and other settings.

NSU's athletic training major, established in 2003, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE), effective March 2007. Athletic training students will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in athletic training and will be eligible to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. The athletic training major is designed to ensure that students who graduate from the program meet all requirements necessary to pass the BOC examination.

Program Goals

The athletic training program will:

1. Develop communication, critical thinking, and professional skills to prepare students for the allied health field of athletic training.
2. Meet the standards, guidelines, and requirements for accreditation and from governing organizations such as the National Trainers’ Association (NATA), the Joint Review Committee-Athletic Training (JRC-AT) and the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
3. Provide an effective and interactive learning environment as well as a solid educational foundation both in didactic and clinical experience settings. The program will utilize modern educational media and advanced technology regularly in the clinical and educational settings. It will expose students to hands-on experiences, clinical settings, and professionals representing a wide range of allied and medical health care professions. Students will receive clinical instruction by professionals representing other medical and allied health disciplines, such as medical doctors, physical therapists, physician assistants, occupational therapists, and osteopathic physicians.
4. Create an optimal learning community of faculty, clinical athletic trainers, and students that will provide quality health care for NSU's NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic programs and varied affiliated sites at all levels of sport, from grade school to professional sports teams.
5. Prepare program students to attain graduate or professional school placement, or entry-level employment within six months of graduating from the program. Additionally, program graduates will obtain state licensure and other necessary professional designations from the appropriate regulatory agencies in the states where they will be employed.

The athletic training major is offered during the day on NSU’s main campus.

Learning Outcomes

A successful athletic training graduate is expected to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to prevent, evaluate, treat, rehabilitate, and document athletic related injuries in the of field of athletic training;
2. Analyze and comprehend the physical, psychological, and emotional demands of physically active individuals and the sports medicine professionals involved in their care;
3. Develop the effective  communication skills necessary for a successful allied health care career in athletic training;
4. Illustrate and differentiate the ethical practices as it relates to athlete/patient care.

Dual Admission Option

The dual admission program with athletic training allows qualified students to apply to graduate or professional school in physical therapy or occupational therapy programs at the same time they apply to the athletic training undergraduate studies program. Students accepted as dual admission by the graduate school will complete their undergraduate study in athletic training and then enter their selected graduate or professional school at NSU. The field of athletic training will provide a solid educational background, communication skills, and quality clinical experiences that will benefit the student in clinical patient care.

Please refer to Dual Admissions Web site for additional information.

• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy

Accreditation

NSU’s Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) is accreditated from the Commission of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). CAATE accredits athletic training programs upon the recommendation of the Commission’s Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Athletic Training (JRC-AT). The JRC-AT provides peer review of the program’s educational content based on educational standards adopted by the following national medical and allied health professional organizations:

• The American Academy of Family Physicians
• The American Academy of Pediatrics
• The American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine
• The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
• The National Athletic Trainers' Association

These organizations have cooperated to establish, maintain, and promote appropriate standards of quality for educational programs in athletic training and to provide recognition for exceptional programs. These standards and interpretations can be found at www.caate.net.

Career Opportunities

Secondary Schools

Public and private secondary schools offer many job opportunities for certified athletic trainers (ATCs). In addition to providing athletic training services, many certified athletic trainers teach classes at the high school level.

Colleges and Universities

Certified athletic trainers' jobs in colleges generally fall into two categories:

• athletic department staff member providing athletic training services.
• combination teacher/athletic trainer. A majority of colleges and universities require a master's degree.

Professional Sports

In professional sports settings, certified athletic trainers work only one sport, such as football, baseball, basketball, or hockey. Although teams perform only a select number of months per year, ATCs work year-round in athlete conditioning and rehabilitation.

Sports Medicine Clinics

This growing industry provides opportunities for certified athletic trainers to work with a variety of health care professionals and a range of patients. In addition to athletic injury rehabilitation, many clinics provide athletic training services for secondary schools.

Industry Venues

Other athletic training employment opportunities include corporate health programs, health clubs, clinical and industrial health care programs, and athletic training education programs.

Research and Education

To advance the profession, many ATCs, hold terminal degrees (Ph.D., Ed. D.), teach and/or conduct research in sports medicine and athletic training.