Athletic training is recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care field. A Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) is an educated and skilled professional that meets the entry-level educational competencies and clinical proficiencies established by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Education Council (NATAEC) and successfully completes the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification (NATABOC) examination.

An athletic trainer is knowledgeable and skilled in the following areas:

1. Prevention of athletic injuries

2. Clinical evaluation and Diagnosis

3. Immediate care of injuries

4. Treatment, rehabilitation and reconditioning of athletic injuries

5. Health care organization and administration

6. Professional development and responsibility

To be eligible to become an ATC you must complete an approved athletic training education program (ATEP) from an accredited college or university in the United States. Lee University is accredited by the Joint Review Committee for athletic training education programs.  Completing our ATEP ensures that you will have addressed all educational competencies and clinical proficiencies established by the NATAEC and possess the entry level knowledge and skills of a certified athletic trainer and will be eligible to take the NATABOC examination.

Certified athletic trainers practice in a variety of settings and roles. The traditional setting, where many athletic trainers are employed, is the athletic training room within an interscholastic or intercollegiate athletic program. Other sites include professional sports, hospitals, fitness and wellness centers in an industrial setting, physical therapy facilities, sports medicine clinics, and others.

Our clinical education provides a unique learning environment for athletic training students to apply knowledge, acquire new skills, and practice them under the guidance of a certified athletic trainer. Under the supervision of certified athletic trainers, students of athletic training have the opportunity to gain “hands on” experience in the care of athletes and the physically active. The clinical education plan provides a means to integrate academic knowledge and clinical practice.

Our clinical education plan includes clinical rotations in a high school, our Lee University Athletic Training Room, Lee University’s Health Clinic, physical therapy clinics, and orthopedic sports medicine clinics.  This wide variety of placement is highly embraced to ensure the students of athletic training are exposed to numerous health care facilities in order to promote employment diversity among our graduates.  Because clinical placement may occur outside of the city of Cleveland travel expenses may incur during these clinical placement opportunities.  Our goals for clinical education are that student will:

·     Utilize clinical experiences for peer practice & skill acquisition and development

·     Interact with many differing health care professionals, each having separate philosophies & experiences that will provide students with innovative skills that will enhance student development

·     Engage in peer teaching to enhance understanding and retention

·     Gain confidence in self by practicing skills under direct supervision of allied health professionals ( e.g. Certified Athletic Trainers, Orthopedic Surgeons, Physician Assistants, Physical Therapists & Nurses)

·     Accumulate many hours in field settings where critical thinking and problem solving will occur on a daily basis

·     Develop a mentorship relationship with clinical instructors which will foster a professional code of conduct that reflects Christian commitment.

Weekly meetings, specific skills to master and a method to evaluate mastery provide a way to facilitate the integration of academic knowledge and clinical skills. This competency-based program has been developed to guide students through their education experience, enhance the learning environment, provide faculty and staff athletic trainers with an assessment tool, and optimize the quality of care provided to the physically active population.

The Lee University Athletic Training Education Program is part of the Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Secondary Education (HESSE). The function of the program shall be to enhance health care for the habitually active community of the university. The program will service the college community by endeavoring to help its members attain higher levels of performance through proper health care and appropriate injury/illness preventive measures.

The program’s educational philosophy encompasses current research and formal instruction in prevention, recognition, evaluation, and rehabilitation of conditions and injuries sustained by the physically active in various settings. The student will have the opportunity to develop applied technical and clinical skills incorporating analytical problem-solving abilities to assist with the daily operation of traditional and non-traditional athletic training settings.

It is an aim of the program to establish and maintain a corps of athletic training students that shall be trained in the educational competencies and clinical proficiencies required for an entry-level athletic trainer. The purpose of the program is multidimensional, the students will:

·     Acquire competent clinical skills that utilize analytical and critical thinking emphasis

·     Enhance health care of the physically active population on campus and in our community

·     Encounter volunteerism & cross-cultural experiences that will enhance their professional and personal growth

·     Develop a professional code of conduct that upholds NATA’s code of ethics.

·     Experience numerous clinical rotations to facilitate a widened appreciation for ATC job performance, employment opportunities’, and business marketability in the health care arena.

At the completion of the program, the athletic training student should be able to function as an entry-level professional and be eligible to challenge the NATABOC certification examination.