Clinical Education

The intercollegiate athletic training clinics are the designated physical facilities where comprehensive health care is provided to student athletes. These same facilities are where athletic training students primarily develop their clinical skills in a structured laboratory environment. Additional off-campus supplemental clinical experiences will occur with progression through the program.

As part of Clinical Education course requirements, students are assigned to one of the two athletic training clinics as their primary rotation, and are supervised by a staff member providing athletic training services to an assigned athletic population. Each semester a specific clinical emphasis is implemented utilizing the facility and sports most likely to enhance development in those clinical skills.

The clinical emphasis and sports coverage are:

• upper extremity - baseball, football, volleyball, tennis, track (throwers), and cheerleading;
• lower extremity - football, soccer, cross-country, track, and basketball;
• general medical - all sports; and
• equipment intensive - football.

Athletic training students are directly supervised by a staff athletic trainer providing athletic medicine services to these sports including but not limited to the following:

• practice preparation and coverage,
• game preparation and coverage
• first aid,
• injury/illness evaluation,
• follow up care,
• therapeutic modalities,
• rehabilitation, and
• other athletic medical services.

Students are evaluated on their clinical skill development and proficiencies through written tests, skill tests, and practical tests.

Clinical Education Requirements

The clinical education experience within the profession of athletic training is an opportunity for students to practice and refine skills and knowledge learned throughout the education process. Therefore, students are required clinical experiences of 15-25 hours per week. The intent of the clinical education is to expose students to various components of the athletic training profession (e.g., coaches, athletes, equipment, clinical settings, injuries/illnesses). At no time are the athletic training students expected or required to take the responsibilities of a certified athletic trainer. Clinical rotations will vary in length and settings.

On-campus clinical rotations will include the North and South Athletic Training Clinics. Sport experiences associated with the South Clinic include baseball and football. Sport experiences associated with the North Clinic include basketball (m/w), tennis (m/w), track & field (m/w), cross country (m/w), soccer (w), softball, volleyball (w). General medical experiences will also be a part of the on-campus rotations with regular clinic hours by the team physician.

Off-campus clinical rotations will include Newman Regional Heath (Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Outpatient Therapy Services – PT, and Emergency Department) and Physical Therapy Associates of Emporia. These sites will provide Interprofessional experiences for the students in the MSAT. The current off-campus clinical rotations are all within the city limits of Emporia, KS and will require minimal travel costs.

Year 1 Clinical Experiences

Students in their first year of the MSAT will enroll in Clinical Education I and II acquiring 250 hours of clinical experience per course. The clinical experiences will be on-campus. Students will spend approximately the first eight weeks in one clinic, and will rotate to the opposite clinic for the second eight weeks. The rotation will re-start for the spring semester.

Year 2 Clinical Experiences

Students in their second year of the MSAT will enroll in Clinical Education III and IV acquiring 350 hours of clinical experience per course. Additionally year two students will enroll in Interprofessional Practice I and II where they will gain immersive clinical experience. As part of Interprofessional Practice courses, students will participate in the immersive clinical experience. This is a practice-intensive experience that allows students to experience the totality of care provided by athletic trainers. Students will participate in the day-to-day and week-to-week role of an athletic trainer for a minimum of four weeks. The clinical experiences during Year 2 will be on and off-campus.