Majoring in Athletic Training: What you can expect

Students wanting to major in Athletic Training at any college or university spend time working in a clinical setting as an athletic training student with intercollegiate sport teams – in addition to taking Athletic Training courses.  These experiences provide the time and practice needed to master essential skills enabling students to make a smooth transition from athletic training students to certified athletic trainer employed at a professional, educational, clinical or industrial/corporate site. Many perspective students ask about the time commitment expected of them when they consider a major in Athletic Training. Below is a general description of the typical four year experience you can expect with respect to your academics, and specifically to the practical or ‘on the job training’ you will experience as an Athletic Training major. You may want to refer to the “4-Year Course Guide” link as you read further.

During the freshmen year as well as the fall semester of your sophomore year, Athletic Training majors take classes that prepare them for the major they will officially enter during the spring of their sophomore year.  During these three semesters you will take courses that will introduce the athletic training profession, certify you as first responders, provide you a basic knowledge in human anatomy and physiology, train you in taping, wrapping, and various injury prevention and management skills, and teach you how to assess injuries. Additionally, during the fall of your sophomore year you will spend time in the athletic training room or at varsity contests where you will observe what upper-level students and staff athletic trainers’ responsibilities include during practice, game and rehabilitation clinic times.

At the end of your fall sophomore semester you will be formally interviewed and evaluated for entrance into the Athletic Training Education Program assuming you have completed the necessary course work and have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (C+/B-).  Beginning with the spring semester of your sophomore year and continuing through your senior year, you will continue your athletic training education by taking additional courses in the areas of rehabilitation, pharmacology, assessment, administration, nutrition, anatomy, physiology and more.

One component of your coursework will include experiential courses enabling you to apply classroom knowledge/skills in the clinical setting. You will complete five of these courses which are entitled Practicum I, Practicum II, Practicum III, Collision Sport in Athletic Training and Clinical in Athletic Training. These courses assimilate academic content with hands-on clinical experience while working with high school and college teams and sports medicine related clinics. During each clinical experiences you will work with athletic trainers and physical therapists as they provide medical care for athletes and the physically active.

Beginning with Practicum I, taken during the spring of your sophomore year, you will assist upper-level students and staff in providing care for athletes. As a junior taking Practicas II and III, you will assume a primary role while assigned to a Messiah varsity team. Your role and responsibilities will increase in-line with your increasing knowledge. Under the supervision of a certified athletic trainer, you will take an active role now in assessing injuries, honing your rehabilitation skills, using modalities that assist in the healing process, and working daily with the certified athletic trainer that is supervising you in all areas of managing patient care.  During the fall of the senior year, you will complete your Collision Sport in Athletic Training at an off-campus site working with a football program. This invaluable experience will develop your skills still further.  Finally during the spring semester senior year you will observe and work at a physical therapy related clinic. With each Practicum, a certified athletic trainer or physical therapist will be assigned to supervise you daily. Their role will be to teach and challenge you to grow commensurate with your knowledge and level of ability. The relationship between the student and certified athletic trainer is unique among most majors at Messiah College allowing for extensive individualized attention over many semesters.

The purpose of combining classroom courses with practical experiences is to train you to effectively apply your knowledge and develop strong patient-care skills. Past graduates of our program and the employers of them commend the graduates of our program for the quality of training they have received as well as for the character traits our students exhibit..

If you want to major in Athletic Training and are also interested in being on one of our intercollegiate sport teams, click on the Student Athlete link to the right.