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Athletic
Training
Frequently
Asked Questions
Download a printable Word Document of this information
What is an
Athletic Trainer?
Athletic Trainers
(ATs) are health care professionals who collaborate with
physicians to provide preventative services, emergency
care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and
rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions.
Where do
Athletic Trainers work? What settings?
Certified Athletic Trainers can be found almost anywhere
people physically active.
Some examples are:
-
High Schools/Secondary schools
-
Colleges and Universities
-
Professional sports
-
Sports medicine clinics
-
Hospitals
-
The military
-
Industrial and commercial
-
Performing Arts
Further information on
these settings may be found
here.
I am
confused by the title "Athletic Trainer."
Please clarify.
The statutory
title of athletic trainer is a misnomer but is derived
from the profession's historical roots.
Athletic trainers
provide medical services to all types of people - not
just athletes participating in sports - and do not train
people as personal or fitness trainers do.
However, the
profession continues to embrace its proud culture and
history by retaining the title.
In other
countries, athletic therapist and physiotherapist are
similar titles. The
National Athletic Trainers' Association represents more
than 45,000 members in the U.S. and internationally, and
there are about 50,000 ATs practicing nationally.
NATA
represents students in 350 accredited collegiate academic programs.
The athletic
training profession began early in the 20th century, and
NATA was established in 1950.
What is the
difference between an Athletic Trainer and a Personal
Trainer?
Athletic training
is often confused with personal training.
There is,
however, a large difference in the education, skillset,
job duties and patients of an athletic trainer and a
personal trainer. Athletic
trainers provide physical medicine, rehabilitative and
preventative services. Athletic
trainers treat a breadth of patients, including but not
limited to: professional, college, secondary school and
youth athletes, dancers, musicians and military
personnel. Athletic
trainers can work in a variety of locations including
schools, physician clinics, hospitals and manufacturing
plants.
How do you
become a Certified Athletic Trainer?
Students who want
to become certified athletic trainers must earn a degree
from an accredited athletic training curriculum in order
to be eligible to sit for the comprehensive test
administered by the Board of Certification.
Accredited
programs include formal instruction in areas such as
injury/illness prevention, first aid and emergency care,
assessment of injury/illness, human anatomy and
physiology, therapeutic modalities, and nutrition.
Classroom
learning is enhanced through clinical education
experiences. More
than 70 percent of certified athletic trainers hold at
least a master's degree.
What is the
average starting salary of an Athletic Trainer?
According to the
National Athletic Trainers' Association's most recent
survey, the average yearly salary is $57,203 with
geographical average ranges from
$52,730 to $67,088.
This number depends on the level of degree held
by the Certified Athletic Trainer and the job setting.
With more potential employers starting to
understand the importance of the field, that number is
on the rise!
When should
I apply to the UWA Athletic Training Education Program?
What are the requirements for eligibility for admission
into the program?
Complete
application materials including recommendation forms
from three faculty members to the Athletic Training
Program Director
no later than April 1/December 1/July 1 of the semester
prior to desired program admittance.
(Usually these should be submitted during the freshman
or first year in the pre-professional program.
All course
requirements do not have to be completed prior to filing
application).
You must meet the following requirements in order
to be eligible for unconditional admission to the
program:
Current Students
1.
Have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in
all hours attempted in general studies curriculum
requirements completed prior to the application
deadline.
2.
Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in
all hours attempted in the athletic training major
requirements completed prior to the application
deadline.
3.
Submit completed application
materials including recommendation forms from three
faculty members to the Athletic Training Program
Director.
4.
Hold current American Red
Cross Professional Rescuer First Aid and CPR or American
Heart Association BLS for Health Care Providers
certification or Emergency Medical Technician
equivalency.
5.
Successfully complete the
Athletic Training Practicum courses AH 101 and AH 102
(Exception: Students meeting the transfer criteria
listed below may be admitted without previously
completing these courses but will have to successfully
complete these courses or approved substitute courses as
part of their curriculum)
6.
Interview with the Athletic
Training Curriculum Selection Committee.
Transfer Students
1.
Documentation of previous clinical experience supervised
by a BOC Certified Athletic
Trainer or a state credentialed Athletic Trainer, if
any. A
minimum of at least 120 hours is recommended and
preferred, but not required.
2.
If previous documented clinical experience in athletic
training is submitted, one of the three recommendation
forms must be from the student's primary supervising
athletic trainer from the previous institution.
The remaining two recommendation forms must be
from the faculty of the student's previous institution.
Follow
this link for any further information you might need:
http://at.uwa.edu/admissio.asp
What
are the academic requirements once I am in the program?
Yes,
in order to progress in the athletic training
professional program, students must meet the following
requirements:
1.
Achieve a minimum grade of "C"
in each athletic training major course attempted.
For any athletic training major course in which the
student earns less than a "C" the entire course must be
repeated. Students may repeat an athletic training
(AH) course only once.
2.
Maintain a cumulative quality-point ratio of 3.0 in all
hours attempted in the athletic training major
requirements.
3.
Maintain a cumulative
quality-point ratio of 2.5 in all hours attempted in
general studies course requirements.
4.
Maintain good standing with
the University according to UWA student policies and
procedures.
5.
Maintain current American Red
Cross Professional Rescuer First Aid and CPR or American
Heart Association BLS for Health Care Providers
certification or Emergency Medical Technician
equivalency.
What are the
Athletic Training Program costs?
The
following is a list of additional estimated expenditures
beyond those of tuition, room, board, fees, etc. for
which students enrolled in the athletic training program
are responsible.
1.
Purchase of authorized
athletic training uniforms. $70 annually
2.
Assumption of all costs and
arrangements for travel to and from clinical facilities
for clinical experiences. (variable depending location
and frequency, but all clinical sites are within 60
miles)
3.
Verification of a negative
drug screen according to guidelines established by the
clinical agencies utilized by the athletic training
program. $30
4.
Negative criminal background
check conducted according to guidelines established by
the clinical agencies utilized by the athletic training
program. $52
5.
Annual recertification of
American Red Cross Professional Rescuer First Aid and
CPR or American Heart Association BLS for Health Care
Providers certification or Emergency Medical Technician
equivalency. $27 biennially
6.
Initiate the Hepatitis B
vaccination series while enrolled in AH101 or provide
documentation of completed series or complete the
necessary waiver. $80 per injection for maximum of
three.
7.
Annual fees for online
clinical proficiency tracking software. $80
8.
Annual fees for professional
liability insurance policy. $30
How long
does the program take to complete?
The Bachelor of
Science degree in athletic training consists of two
components: (1) The pre-professional program (usually
freshman year or first year for some transfers) and (2)
the professional program (sophomore through senior
years).
Traditional students who begin as freshmen and are
admitted to the professional component before the
sophomore year are expected to complete the degree in
four years (8 semesters).
Transfer students admitted immediately prior to
the fall semester should expect to complete the degree
in three years (6 semesters).
Depending on when you enter the program will
directly correlate to the amount of time needed to
graduate.
What
would be my clinical assignments?
Usually each
student in the professional program is assigned to a
preceptor involving a different clinical assignment each
semester.
Primarily each clinical assignment revolves around a
particular sport.
These sport rotations involve pre- and
post-practice & event preparation which includes taping,
wound care, treatment, rehabilitation in addition to
prevention, injury/illness diagnosis, immediate
treatment & management during practice and events.
All students will
have football for at least one semester and the other
clinical assignments will be made to ensure appropriate
opportunities with upper and lower extremity injuries
for both genders as well as general medical experiences.
In addition to these clinical responsibilities a
portion of each clinical assignment involves injury
evaluation, medical documentation, treatment and
rehabilitation in the UWA Athletic Training & Sports
Medicine Center. Furthermore,
at different points throughout the curriculum students
are assigned clinical experiences with the Rush Medical Clinic,
ATI Physical
Therapy, Demopolis High School, Meridian High School and
WestRock Company Paper Mill.
Finally, students are also assigned to work with
preceptors in providing athletic training services at
area high school events.
Is the
Athletic Training Program accredited?
Yes! We are
currently accredited by the Committee on Accreditation
of Athletic Training Education through 2029 which is
when we are scheduled for our next reaccreditation
review.
Are there
scholarship opportunities?
Yes! We have numerous
scholarships and opportunities for financial assistance
available to our students.
For further information, please refer to our
scholarship web pages at
http://www.uwa.edu/Scholarships_-_Academic_and_Leadership.aspx
and
http://www.uwa.edu/Scholarships_-_Alumni_and_Outside.aspx.
Do you have
a Master's Degree or Graduate Program in Athletic
Training?
Yes, we currently
do have a Master of Athletic Training.
Please see
http://www.uwa.edu/atmasters for more information.
We also have
opportunities for Graduate Assistants to receive their
Master's degree in a variety of academic programs.
Most commonly, our graduate assistant athletic
trainers pursue the Master of Science in Physical
Education and
choose either the athletic training or exercise science
concentration area. On
average, the program takes two years to complete.
Can I have a
job and still be in the Athletic Training Program?
Yes, you can!
We understand the
financial responsibilities of being a college student
and encourage students to be proactive in finding an
appropriate job on or near campus.
Time must be a factor into the consideration of
future employment.
A majority of the clinical experience
opportunities are usually during the afternoon and
evening hours as well as some weekends.
As long as carry out the mandatory clinical
assignments during the related hours as scheduled, we
have no issue with supplemental employment.
Can I play
sports at UWA and be in the Athletic Training Program?
Yes, you sure
can! Many of our
Athletic Training students do participate in sports at
UWA. Participating
in intercollegiate athletics requires approximately 20
hours per week for most of the academic year and
athletic training clinical hours also average around 20
hours per week.
While we have had a number of athletic training
students be successful in both athletic training and
intercollegiate athletics, it does require excellent
time management, diligence, communication and
understanding of priorities.
As long as the mandatory clinical are being
filled, we have no issue with participation in UWA
athletics.
Can I/
should I be an Athletic Training major if I want to go
on to Physical Therapy or Physician Assistant School?
Physical Therapy,
Occupational Therapy, and Physician's Assistant programs
are all graduate degrees (either Master's or Doctoral)
which are pursued after completion of a baccalaureate
degree. No
particular degree is required to pursue any of these
fields, but there are specific prerequisites required
for each.
You can certainly wrap these prerequisites into the
Athletic Training major.
Our program will prepare you for a career in
athletic training which can be very rewarding by itself.
There are a number of people who desire multiple
credentials to further enhance their employment and
career opportunities.
We have had a number of students do just that.
Students desiring to add PT, OT, or PA onto the
ATC credential can be advised all along regarding the
specific prerequisites and successfully complete our
program before admission into these professional
programs.
If I apply
this year and don't make it into the athletic training
program, can I reapply next year?
Absolutely! Our
goal through the application review process is to choose
those individuals who we believe are best prepared and
will best represent the profession. Many times,
circumstances can put candidates at a disadvantage, but
that does not mean they are not meant to pursue athletic
training. Keep trying.
How do I
find more information on the UWA Athletic Training
Program?
Any other information you
might be interested in can be found on our website,
http://at.uwa.edu/
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