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Parallel to the mission of Â鶹ÊÓƵ the mission of the Athletic Training Program is to provide students with a comprehensive learning experience that leads to a mastery of athletic training skills while developing students who will, professionally and personally, be able to engage and serve their communities, by incorporating the core values of Â鶹ÊÓƵ – Excellence, Community, Justice, Service, and Faith – into their lives. 

1.  Students will attain the necessary knowledge and skills to demonstrate professional preparedness, including a capacity for life-long learning and professional growth.
   1. Attain a level of skill and education to allow for professional certification in Athletic Training.
   2. Analyze basic and factual knowledge from educational experiences in order to provide appropriate patient-centered care.
   3. Develop skills necessary to work within a team-approached health care model.
   4. Demonstrate skills to access and integrate information independently using resources available in order to perform critical thinking and make decisions.
   5. Select and engage in opportunities that allow for personal and professional growth in areas of students’ individual interests.
2. Students will develop advanced knowledge, skills, and experience in reading, understanding, and integrating current health-related research.
   1. Define the foundational concepts of evidence-based practice.
   2. Develop clinical questions and utilize strategies to attain evidence-based answers.
   3. Access, assess, and accurately interpret a variety of research data within their educational experiences.
   4. Select and provide appropriate healthcare based on best available evidence.
3. Students will experience opportunities, as an individual or part of a cooperative group, that allow for engagement in community, justice, and service.
   1. Develop strategies to communicate accurate and evidence-based information to the community in order to allow for meaningful interactions.
   2. Demonstrate involvement in the profession of athletic training and health care through service and leadership.
   3. Demonstrate appropriate care for and interactions with diverse patient populations.
4. Students will communicate effectively.
   1. Demonstrate oral communication that is organized, coherent, accurate, and professionally prepared and delivered while using appropriate vocabulary per the situation.
   2. Demonstrate written communication that is purposeful, appropriately structured for the discipline, delivered in a professional manner and, when needed, properly supported by evidence.
   3. Demonstrate nonverbal communication that is appropriate for the situations and audiences that are common to the athletic training field.
5. Students will engage and reflect on professional ethics and behaviors, particularly as it intersects with their personal faith, moral development, and values.
6.  
   1. Demonstrate knowledge of the ethical codes that govern the practice of athletic training.
   2. Demonstrate professional behavior consistent with athletic training and health care standards.
   3. Compare their personal faith, morals, and values to standards of professional practice, thus reflecting on the role of these constructs in healthcare. 

1. Clinical educational experiences will provide students opportunities to practice athletic training and other healthcare skills on patients.
2. Clinical educational experiences will give students an opportunity to engage in the day-to-day life of an athletic training through at least one immersive clinical experience each year.
3. Clinical educational experiences will be supervised by eligible and trained clinical preceptors and monitored for safety and compliance with CAATE standards.
4. Clinical educational experiences will engage students with a wide variety of patient populations.
5. Clinical education experiences will be primarily educational in nature.
6. Clinical education experiences will expose students to a wide variety of conditions commonly seen in Athletic Training practice.
7. Clinical education experiences will allow students to grow in knowledge, skills, and abilities towards autonomous practice upon graduation. 

1. Instructors will provide an environment where students feel respected.
2. Instructors will help students make connections between the goals/objectives of the course and the work required.
3. Instructors will provide feedback that helps students meet the course objectives.
4. Instructors are prepared through education and/or experience to teach on the subject matter required for the course.
5. Instructors will work with program administration to ensure educational standards are being met within the course. 

1. The Athletic Training Program will prepare students for autonomous practice and certification as an Athletic Trainer upon graduation from the program.
2. The Athletic Training Program will progress students successfully through the program and graduation requirements.
3. The Athletic Training Program will prepare students for successful job placements as certified athletic trainers or further education. 

On behalf of the athletic training program and the health and exercise department at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, I want to warmly welcome you to the master of athletic training program! You have worked extremely hard these past few years, diligently and successfully completing all of the pre-athletic training requirements necessary to enter the program. The athletic training program has dedicated and engaging faculty with a passion for developing holistic athletic trainers with strong critical thinking skills, a passion for advocacy, lifelong learning. The program trusts that your dedication and passion for the vocation of athletic training will continue to grow during your time here. 

The faculty, staff, and preceptors of the athletic training program work persistently to implement a comprehensive and challenging curriculum to prepare you for autonomous practice as an athletic trainer upon graduation. Just as each of you bring your own unique experiences and perspectives to your role as an athletic training student, the faculty bring their own experiences and perspectives to their philosophy on athletic training and style of teaching. They also bring a diverse array of experiences to the classroom and clinical environments. We are grateful that you have entrusted us in facilitating your learning and pledge to do so in a responsible and respectful manner. We also expect responsible and respectful behavior from each of you. 

The curriculum is designed to build from being a novice to a certified athletic trainer. You will have many experiences and opportunities over the next two years that will elicit many emotions. From some of the best days of your patients’ lives to some of the worse, you will walk with your patients through it all while advocating for their health and wellbeing. With that, you are a community within your athletic training cohort. Care for each other. Care for yourself. Treat each other with respect. You do not have to agree on everything, but value each other and what each brings to the profession of athletic training. You make each other stronger and set the foundation for how you will perform as a certified athletic trainer.

was prepared to help guide you along the way. Other resources that will help you are the Gustie Guide and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Â鶹ÊÓƵ Academic Catalog

Here’s to a productive and fulfilling experience in the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Athletic Training Program! 

Shine on Gusties, shine on!

Mary Westby, EdD, LAT, ATC

Program Director, Athletic Training

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Â鶹ÊÓƵ is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) located at 6850 Austin Center Blvd., Suite 100, Austin, TX 78731-3184. The program will have its next comprehensive review during the 2031-2032 academic year. Currently, 49 states and the District of Columbia regulate the practice of athletic training (California does not regulate the practice of athletic training). Individuals must be legally recognized by the appropriate state regulatory agency prior to practicing athletic training. The Board of Certification (BOC) exam is recognized by all athletic trainer state regulatory agencies to meet their exam requirement. Compliance with state regulatory requirements is mandatory and the only avenue to legal athletic training practice. In order to be eligible to sit for the Board of Certification exam, a student needs to graduate from a program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Athletic Training Program is currently accredited by the CAATE, thus all students who graduate from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Athletic Training Program are eligible for the BOC exam. With passing the BOC exam, those students would be eligible for state regulation in the 49 states and the District of Columbia (California does not regulate the practice of athletic training). Additional expectations of each state are the applicant’s responsibility and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ program administrators will assist an alumni applicant with documentation of those additional expectations, if they are within the purview of the program. Information on state regulation of athletic training can be found at the

Â鶹ÊÓƵ is currently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE), 2001 K Street NW, Third Floor North, Washington, DC 20006 USA..