Athletic Training

Mission

The athletic training program is dedicated to providing a supportive environment that encourages personal and intellectual growth while preparing students to contribute and to be socially responsible and globally aware in the athletic training profession at the clinical, professional, research and educational levels.

Outcomes

The Clarke University Athletic Training Program/Department graduates will:

1. Identify the knowledge and skills of the athletic training profession.
2. Comprehend and explain the uniqueness of the individuals’ structural, functional, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual dimensions.
3. Apply evidence-based practices in the rapidly changing healthcare environment.
4. Analyze applicable professional behaviors at the clinical, educational, and research levels.
5. Justify ethical decision-making processes at the clinical, education, and research levels.
6. Create a collaborative environment with other healthcare professionals to develop, administer, and utilize effective clinical skill management, communication, scholarship, and professional development.

Students graduating from Clarke University’s Athletic Training Program (ATP) will receive a Bachelor of Science Degree in Athletic Training. It is incumbent on the student to work closely with his or her advisor to plan a program of study that meets the general education, co-requisite, and prerequisite requirements of the ATP. Students with a double major or those continuing on to the Physical Therapy Program may be required to take summer courses to complete the ATP in four years.

Philosophy

The Philosophy of the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) is: Athletic Training is a health profession dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life through the prevention, recognition, management and reconditioning of injuries to physically active persons. A guiding principle for athletic trainers is to use functional ability to effectively and efficiently facilitate return to full participation in physical activity.

At Clarke, a liberal arts education serves as an integral component of athletic training professional education. Indeed, the athletic training student develops an understanding and appreciation for the structural, functional, psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of humans. Individuals are recognized as unique composites of body, mind, and spirit and in response, athletic training interventions are based on their specific needs.

The faculty recognizes that the delivery of health care is undergoing significant change and that the future of health care and athletic training, specifically, is uncertain. Accordingly, the athletic training graduate must appreciate the diversity in roles and practice settings and understand that athletic training is not an aggregation of facts and techniques but an evolving field. The faculty believes that the best preparation for such changing roles is a commitment to life-long learning and critical thinking. Consequently, student reflection and critical thinking are fostered during all phases of the ATEP in order to develop the problem solving skills that are essential to competent practice.

Graduates have requisite skills to practice athletic training as generalists who can appropriately adapt to practice across all health care settings and patient conditions. It is essential that graduates are prepared to collaborate with other health professionals in the delivery of health care services. Athletic training graduates are expected to be culturally sensitive, professional, and service oriented practitioners who demonstrate safe and effective practice within an ethical framework. Clinical management, communication, and scholarship form the foundation for professional practice.

Purpose

The Clarke University ATEP’s purpose is to develop students, who have a cognitive, skill, and affective base in the following areas: prevention of athletic injuries; recognition, evaluation, and immediate care of athletic injuries; rehabilitation and reconditioning of athletic injuries; health care administration; and professional development and responsibility. Additionally, the students will be encouraged to develop and master these skills and techniques within a liberal arts setting, in preparation for their careers as health care professionals/Certified Athletic Trainers.

The Clarke University ATEP’s goal is to provide formal instruction in the necessary areas and opportunities, in clinical settings, for the Athletic Training Students to master cognitive, skill, and affective bases in the domains of Athletic Training. Students will show mastery of the necessary skills. By completing clinical rotations and coursework, the ATEP feels that the Athletic Training Student will be better prepared to become certified and an integral part of the Athletic Training profession.