Goals, Objectives and Program Description

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Goals, Objectives, and Program Description

VISION STATEMENT

Delta State University Athletic Training Education Program will provide a learning environment for undergraduate athletic training students committed to their professional growth and development in the field of athletic training.

MISSION STATEMENT

Delta State University Athletic Training Education Program in the Division of Health, Physical Education and Recreation functions within the mission of the university. The primary mission of the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) is to provide quality educational experiences through which students may receive didactic instruction and obtain the clinical skills necessary to practice as an athletic trainer certified by the Board of Certification, Inc (BOC) for Athletic Trainers. The ATEP conceptual framework provides the athletic training students with opportunities to gain and refine psychomotor skills specific to their professional course work. Recognizing the importance of excellence in teaching and instruction, the ATEP faculty, in their commitment to the combination of diverse clinical and intellectual experiences, collaborates in educating students. Through successful completion of the ATEP, graduates are prepared to enter the profession of Athletic Training and assume a leadership role in the implementation of changes evolving in the sports medicine arena.

PROGRAM GOALS

The Athletic Training Education Program aids in achieving the University Statement of Purpose through the following goals.

Transferring knowledge and values related to athletic training to students
Equipping students with needed skills and insights related to athletic training and by encouraging students to grow professionally and develop a strong sense of personal and professional integrity
Preparing future athletic training, sport, fitness, exercise science, and physical education professionals to live purposeful lives through undergraduate professional preparation and education
Providing services to the general community through research, professional service, continuing education, publications, presentations, and collaboration with the community

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the classroom, clinical and internship requirements of the Athletic Training Education Program, the student will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of prevention of athletic injuries and competency in the various methods and practices that could be used to help bring about a reduction in athletic injuries.
Integrate knowledge, skills, and critical thinking/problem solving abilities acquired into a framework for evaluating athletic injuries and illnesses.
Provide appropriate levels of emergency care for athletic injuries and differentiate between cases that require referral to emergency medical services or to physicians.
Construct, monitor, and modify a comprehensive rehabilitation program for athletes recuperating from illness and injury, facilitating their return to full athletic participation.
Initiate, organize, and administer an athletic training service program for a high school and/or college athletic program.
Provide information, counsel, and guidance covering a broad spectrum of issues of importance to overall health and well-being to the athletes, identify individuals in need of more advanced assistance
and intervention in these areas, and direct those individuals to appropriate internal and external agencies.
Recognize that the body of knowledge, which comprises the discipline, is continually being amended as a result of research efforts, and thus appreciate the need for continuing education in order to keep abreast of these changes.
Develop a sense of professional ethics and incorporate those ethical standards in their professional activities.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) is a two-fold program consisting of a didactic portion and a clinical experience portion. The total affect is to provide the necessary education to prepare students to qualify to take the Board of Certification Examination (BOC) for Athletic Trainers. Therefore, all athletic training students will be required to take the BOC on the first available date of candidate eligibility. This examination date is the one closest to student's graduation date.

The didactic aspect of the ATEP is a process to provide textual information. This portion incorporates academic work for a specific and specialized knowledge base. The clinical feature is designed as a two tiered hands on experience. The first consists of structured clinical education. The student will observe and perform clinical skills under the direct supervision of a certified athletic trainer and other allied health care professionals. During each academic year, the ATEP student will have a total of three clinical assignments (fall, winter and spring). Students, in cooperation with the clinical supervisors, are responsible for the health care of the athletes/patients at each assignment, respectively. This provides practical application of learned skills in real time, real life situations. The second is an internship experience which allows the student to prepare for professional duties as an entry-level athletic trainer post-certification.

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