Educational Program

What is athletic training?

Athletic training is an allied health profession dedicated to prevention, treatment, evaluation, and rehabilitation of injuries to physically active individuals. Athletic trainers work with physicians and other members of the sports medicine team to help injured athletes return safely to sports participation. Certification by the Board of Certification (BOC) is the entry-level credential needed to practice athletic training. If you are interested in sports and medicine, athletic training can be an exciting career.

What is the athletic training major at Linfield College?

The Athletic Training Major has two components: coursework and clinical experience. The required courses for the Athletic Training Major include:

• Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries
• Emergency Response
• Prevention and Control of Disease
• Nutrition
• Advanced Assessment of Athletic Injuries
• Kinesiology
• Performance Enhancement for the Injured Athlete
• Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Exercise
• Therapeutic Modalities
• Topic in Athletic Training
• Principles of Neuromuscular Conditioning
• Professional Experience Course Sequence:
  I (Portfolio and Introductory Skills)
  II (Taping and Bracing)
  III (Emergency and General Medical Conditions)
  IV (Injury Evaluation)
  V (Therapeutic Modalities)
  VI (Strength and Conditioning)
• Two internship experiences
  High School Setting
  General Medical Settings
• Human Anatomy
• Human Physiology
• Intro. To Abnormal Psychology

What is clinical experience?

Clinical experience is like a laboratory experience where students have the opportunity to learn and refine their athletic training skills under the direct supervision of approved clinical instructors by working directly with athletes and physically active individuals.

Students admitted into the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) are required to complete a 6-course clinical experience sequence where clinical skills will be formally evaluated.

            HHP 221: Professional Experience I
            HHP 231:  Professional Experience II
            HHP 321:  Professional Experience III
            HHP 331:  Professional Experience IV
            HHP 421:  Professional Experience V
            HHP 431:  Professional Experience VI

As part of each Professional Experience course, the athletic training student will be required to complete clinical experiences as assigned by the clinical coordinator.

Each athletic training student will be formally instructed and evaluated on all athletic training skills in a required major course (classroom or laboratory setting) to demonstrate initial competence in a skill before s/he can utilize that skill on patients/athletes.  After demonstration of initial competence, the athletic training students will then be allowed to synthesize and integrate these approved clinical skills under the supervision of a CI/ACI into the decision-making environment of their clinical experience.

The clinical experience is a requirement for each of the six professional experience courses and the two internship courses.  The minimal clinical experience guidelines are stated below; however, the student must continue to participate in clinical experience until they have met the stated objectives of their professional experience course.  Students are encouraged to gain experience beyond the minimum guidelines, as this will further aid their development, help prepare them for the BOC examination and ultimately an entry-level athletic training position.

The clinical experience expectations as part of courses HHP 221, 231, 321, 331, 421 and 431 are:

HHP 221, 231, 321, 331
All students will be scheduled for an average of 6 hours of clinical experience per week.  Students will be evaluated by the Approved Clinical Instructor at the assigned site and granted credit for their time if their participation was satisfactory (see evaluation criteria below).  All students must complete 90 hours of satisfactory clinical experience.  If a student is evaluated as having unsatisfactory participation in any portion of their clinical experience, he/she must work with the instructor to reschedule that time and be reevaluated until a satisfactory mark is achieved. 

HHP 421 and 431
All students will be scheduled for an average of 9 hours of clinical experience per week.  Students will be evaluated by the Approved Clinical Instructor at the assigned site and granted credit for their time if their participation was satisfactory (see evaluation criteria below).  All students must complete 135 hours of satisfactory clinical experience. If a student is evaluated as having unsatisfactory participation in any portion of their clinical experience, he/she must work with the instructor to reschedule that time and be reevaluated until a satisfactory mark is achieved. 

Evaluation of Clinical Experience
Satisfactory = student demonstrated proficiency of the material for which they are responsible and demonstrated appropriate professional behaviors.
Unsatisfactory = student either did not demonstrate proficiency of the material for which they are responsible and/or did not demonstrate appropriate professional behaviors.

The two internship courses required in the athletic training major also contain a clinical experience element. The clinical expectations of those internships are outlined in the respective syllabi and conform to the campus policy for assigning internship credit. Through these internships students will also have opportunities to gain clinical experience at each of the following settings:

          o A local high school
          o A physical therapy department
          o A family medicine clinic
          o An orthopedic surgeon’s office

How do I become an athletic training major?

The Linfield College Athletic Training Education Program has a competitive admission process. A student must first be admitted to Linfield College. Students then apply for admission to the Athletic Training Education program during the spring semester of their first year on campus. Admission decisions are made following the spring semester. (See “applying to the program” for more detailed information)