Combined B.A./M.S. Athletic Training
Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Athletic Trainer?
Athletic Trainers are allied health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. Click to access theNational Athletic Trainers’ Association, where you can find out more about the profession, as well as typical work settings. Visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statitics: Athletic Trainers website to learn more about the job outlook for Athletic Trainers.

What is the Advantage of a 5 Year Master’s Degree Program?

• Similar to other allied health professions such as Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, students will stay at Adrian College for only a fifth year and…
• Earn a B.A. in Exercise Science
• Earn an M.S. in Athletic Training

• Students will have more time before they have to commit to the major of Athletic Training…
• Choosing a major is a huge undertaking, and often students need a year or two of discovery before committing to a major.  With this new curriculum, students will have the opportunity to take some introductory and exploration courses before they decide to commit to the field of Athletic Training.
  
  
• Having earned an advanced degree, students will have more opportunities upon graduation…
• More earning power – on average $5-7,000.00 more annually
• More job opportunities
• 70% of ATCs hold a Master’s Degree or Higher
• With both a clinical emphasis and a thesis requirement, students will  prepared for a variety of graduate school opportunities
  
  
• No GREs or Graduate School Applications!
• As long as students are in good standing with regards to the Athletic Training Education Program’s retention criteria, they will be allowed to continue with their graduate work at Adrian College.  Our goal is to support our own students who have worked hard and earned the grades to remain at Adrian College as a graduate student.

What classes can I expect to take as a freshman athletic training student?
The first two years of the five year curriculum comprise the “Candidacy Phase.”  During the Candidacy Phase, students will study the necessary coursework to gain a strong foundation for success in Professional Phase coursework and clinical rotations. We feel it is important for students to get hands on experience early in their college career. Therefore, as a sophomore, you can expect to take some beginning classes in care and prevention of athletic injuries, laboratory experiences in the natural and exercise sciences, as well as an athletic training clinical observation course. The Candidacy Phase lays the foundation for the advanced professional courses you will attend as an upper-classman and a fifth year student. Please refer to the course sequence sheet to give you an idea of a typical four year program.

When can I start working directly with the athletes?
Under accreditation standards, athletic training students (ATS) may only perform clinical skills on athletes under the following circumstances:

• The student has learned, and been formally evaluated on the skill in a previous course
• The student is officially enrolled in the athletic training program
• The student is directly supervised

Clinical education seeks to create an environment where novice students have limited responsibility, and more seasoned students are allowed comprehensive responsibility. Therefore, students take an observation course during the Candidacy Phase. Once they have learned skills in the classroom and lab, they will start putting that knowledge to work starting their junior year at both on and off –campus clinical sites.

Is it hard to get into the Athletic Training major?
You may declare the major of athletic training as a freshman. However, because athletic training is an allied health profession, we need to make sure that all students are maintaining minimum academic standards before caring for athletes. Therefore, there are specific retention criteria in order to enter the Professional Phase of the program junior year. Additionally, there are specific health requirements that must be met prior to beginning your clinical rotations. You may view the application for retention here.

What can I expect during my clinical rotations?
Clinical education is an extremely important facet of our curriculum. You will gain a variety of experiences at a variety of healthcare sites. Clinical sites may include Adrian College athletics, Siena Heights athletics, local high schools, health centers, and rehabilitation clinics. Follow the clinical education link to find out more.

What are my responsibilities as an Athletic Training Student?

• Follow ATEP’s policies and procedures
• Follow the clinical site’s policies and procedures
• Maintain in good academic standing with the ATEP
• Report on-time to ALL assigned clinical rotations
• Treat fellow students, athletes, coaches, and clinical instructors with respect (see code of conduct)
• Maintain professional attire and a professional demeanor
• Be proactive. Take an active role in learning, and contribute to the productive operation of the clinical site
• Communicate with the program director, clinical coordinator, and clinical instructor if anything precludes you from completing your clinical or academic responsibilities.
• Maintain patient confidentiality at all times
• Participate in professional activities:
  • The athletic training education program strongly encourages students to become involved in professional organizations early in their academic career. While not mandatory, membership with the Athletic Training Student Organization (ATSO), National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association (GLATA), and Michigan Athletic Trainers’ Society (MATS) is a nice compliment to students’ academic experiences. Membership and conference attendance opens opportunities for scholarship, learning, and networking within the profession.

Can I play sports and be an athletic training student?
Athletic Trainers specialize in the emergency treatment, prevention, and care of athletic injuries.  Consequently, athletes or former athletes, are generally the population most interested, and in many cases most qualified, to work in this field.  At Adrian College, over half of the student body are student-athletes, and it is the ATEP’s desire to serve that population as well as possible.  In order to gain clinical experience, students must work with athletes during practice times and games.  If the athletic training student is also an athlete, there is a constant and severe conflict of scheduling between athletics and academics.  Consequently, for success, student-athletes in athletic training MUST have excellent time-management and communication skills.
Adrian College’s policy on AT majors who are athletes are as follows:

• Undergraduate student-athletes must limit their participation to the traditional season of ONE sport
• The student-athlete may only play a sport during the undergraduate portion of the program. Due to increases in clinical expectations and research responsibilities during the graduate program, the ATEP will NOT retain athletes during the graduate program.
• Undergraduate student-athletes must maintain constant communication with the clinical coordinator, the program director, and their coach to alleviate any clinical education and sport conflicts.
• Undergraduate student-athletes must complete ALL required course content and clinical education requirements in order to graduate

What is the status of the accreditation of the graduate athletic training program?
In order for students to be eligible to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) exam and become a certified athletic trainer (ATC), they must graduate from a CAATE accredited program.  When a program is accredited, it means they meet the minimum standards necessary to prepare entry-level professionals.

Accreditation is a process that takes several years to achieve.  Because Adrian College’s Master’s degree program in Athletic Training is so new, we have not yet become accredited. However, applicants should rest easy.  Our undergraduate program was just accredited with the highest score possible.  Therefore, we are confident that our graduate program will be equally as successful.  As long as the program is accredited by the time the student graduates, they may sit for the BOC exam to become a certified athletic trainer.  Feel free to contact Dr. Tina Claiborne with any questions regarding this process.