Frequently Asked Questions

 

Why should I major in Athletic Training?

Athletic training is a fun and exciting health care field that allows you to work with and care for the physically active of all ages. If you are interested in a challenging career that is people-oriented, action-filled, and combines medicine with athletics, then athletic training might be for you!

Southern Connecticut's program is unique in that it gives you coursework and clinical experience in athletic training as soon as you step on campus. In addition, you will graduate with a bachelor's in exercise science with an emphasis in athletic training and be eligible to sit for the NATA certification exam. With recent changes in the curriculum, Southern graduates will also be eligible to sit for the NSCA examination to obtain the credentials of a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

 

Is Southern's Athletic Training Program Accredited?

Southern's program is the first accredited athletic training education program in the state of Connecticut.  The program has been accredited for approximately 14 years.  The last accreditation visit was in the spring of 2000.  During this accreditation visit, Southern received an extension of its accreditation for a seven-year period, the largest length of time offered by the accrediting body.

 

How does Athletic Training differ from Human Performance?

Athletic training is the prevention, care, and treatment of injuries to physically active individuals, such as athletes. Ankle taping, brace fitting, and muscle strengthening are example of injury prevention. Controlling bleeding, assessing a concussion, testing ligaments of an injured knee, or splinting a fracture all constitute caring for an injury. Designing rehabilitation exercises/programs that will return an athlete to play after an injury is a large part of the treatment of the injury. Athletic training involves all of these and more.

Athletic training is an allied health "sports medicine" field, whereas human performance focuses more on the biomechanical, psychological, and physiological aspects of the body during exercise. Concepts from human performance are incorporated into strength and conditioning programs, cardiac rehab programs, and various areas of medicine and rehabilitation. These foundations in exercise science prepares the athletic training student to better perform the "prevention" part of his or her job by providing an in-depth physiological understanding of the strength and conditioning principles. If you are interested in the injury aspects of sports, athletic training is the field you are looking for. If, on the other hand, you are interested in "training" athletes to perform better through strength and conditioning techniques, human performance may better meet your career goals.

 

What is an "Entry-Level" program?

An entry-level program is a program that prepares you to enter the profession and sit for the certification examination. We teach you all the skills (from basic to advanced) during the program. Southern's program is open to all students who are interested in the health and well-being of athletes. Most of our students are freshmen who have graduated from high school.  However, we do offer positions for transfer students from other universities.

 

What qualities do you look for in people applying to your program?

Athletic training, in general, requires hard work, dedication, and strong personal interactive skills; thus, we look for these qualities in our applicants.  Southern's athletic training program is a rigorous academic program, so we also look for good academic skills (i.e., above-average grades), strong communication skills, and the ability to process and integrate information. If you are a hard worker, love working with people (especially athletes), are highly motivated, and are energized by a fast pace and new scenarios each day, we'd love to have you in the program!

 

How difficult is it to get into your program? What is the average GPA of students applying?

Currently we have approximately 6-12 applicants each year who are eligible to apply to the program. We have the capacity to accept 15 students each year. We anticipate that the number of qualified applicants will increase over the next few years as the program becomes more competitive. A GPA of 2.5 (2.5 is equivalent of approximately a C+ average) is required in coursework at the time of application. In addition, a C- is required in all exercise science classes at the time of application.  Currently, most of our applicants enter with a GPA between 2.8 and 3.5.

 

How do i get started on the 100 clinical observation hours at Southern? When do I start these hours?

Students begin completing the 100 hours of observation during the first semester on campus. Students should first declare athletic training as a major and contact Dr. Gary Morin. Those students who declare athletic training as a major will be scheduled a minimum of three hours a week in the Athletic Training Room by the clinical coordinator.  In addition, each student will be required to complete two, one-week rotations with an assigned sports team to learn the ropes of how our program operates.   These hours and rotations will be scheduled around your classes. An organizational meeting is held during the first week of the fall semester classes to get students acquainted with faculty, other students, and the policies and procedures of the program. At this meeting each new student will receive his or her schedule for clinical hours.   If a student is unable to attend this meeting, he/she must make an appointment with Mrs. Emily Davie to receive his/her schedule.

 

What happens if I don't get accepted into the Athletic Training Program?

Students who aren't accepted into the athletic training program but meet the requirements for the upper-division courses in exercise science can continue in the human performance program and receive a B.S. degree in exercise science. In addition, students can choose to change their major altogether.  For more information on the exercise science program, see the Exercise Science Department Web site. Students are also welcome to re-apply to the athletic training program the following year.

 

Is it possible to take courses at another college?

Core athletic training courses from other schools will not transfer into Southern's program. All athletic training core courses in accredited programs are linked to specific required competencies and proficiencies, with athletic trainers specially trained by their own universities to assess each student according to that school's progressions of learning. Because of the linking differences from school to school, and because of the training required by each school to assess the students, core courses cannot be transferred. Courses not linked directly to the competencies or proficiencies are transferable.

 

What will my schedule be like if I enter the Athletic Training program?

Most of your classes are scheduled in the mornings and early afternoons to allow you to allow you to complete clinical education requirements. The majority of clinical education experiences occur in the Athletic Training Room between the hours of 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with variable times on the weekends.

Athletic training students can expect to work 15-20 hours per week in the clinical setting over a three schedule days per week; this does not include weekends or travel experiences. Clinical hours and days off are scheduled with the assigned Approved Clinical Instructor (ACI) in advance (48 hours), and a form must be filed with the ACI. Students are always able to request additional time off for exam prep, illness, etc.

Students normally report to campus to assist with pre-season sessions at least two weeks prior to the beginning of fall semester classes. Each year the start date is different, but it most likely is around August 11-13.  Usually, those students who are junior or seniors will be assigned to fall sports and will be invited to return.  If a student is unable to attend pre-season, his or her clinical rotation will be changed because pre-season is part of a valuable experience with these fall sports.  

You will be assigned to an ACI and a Southern varsity athletic team during each season. You will assist the certified athletic trainer with the daily taping and pre-practice/pre-event preparations. In addition, you will assist with on-field care of injuries during practices and events and will help with the development and implementation of rehabilitation programs for injuries that occur. You will also experience high school athletic training, and various medical practices including surgical rotations.

Athletic training clinical hours are scheduled around classes. Students should never miss classes or other academic requirements in order to attend practices.

 

Can I play a sport at Southern and be an Athletic Training major at the same time?

Possibly, but doing both takes a lot of commitment and hard work and normally requires additional time (clinical assignments during pre-season and intersession) to complete the program. Sports participation is not a problem during the freshman years because students have not yet been accepted into the program. The sophomore, junior, and senior, however, require many clinical hours which usually conflict with practice/game times. For this reason, students who wish to participate in both the athletic training program and in organized athletics (varsity or club sports) must only participate in one sports season per year and be willing to fulfill clinical assignments during pre-season in the fall or during wintersession. Each student must complete six clinical rotations to graduate from Southern's program.  Intramural sport participation does not create conflicts.

 

Can I hold a full-time job and also do the Athletic Training program? What about a part-time job?

The athletic training program is a very intense program that requires a large time commitment. Although we do not place specific restrictions on outside jobs, we do not allow students to hold positions that conflict with their assigned athletic training duties. Many students work a part-time job for 10-12 hours per week, which is the maximum recommended. It is not possible to hold a full-time job during the academic year while in the program.

 

Can I attend on a part-time basis? What about just evenings and weekends?

The athletic training program consists of courses that are taken in a specific sequence. Students could conceivably complete the program on a part-time basis; however, part-time attendance would extend the program by several years. It is, therefore, not advantageous for a student to attend part-time.

Most of the athletic training classes are scheduled in the mornings and early afternoons (all Monday through Friday), and clinical hours are completed in the later afternoons, evenings, and on weekends. Thus, it is not possible to complete the program by attending solely in the evenings and on weekends.

 

Can I count my clinical hours that I did with my high school athletic trainer (or other athletic trainer or physical therapist) as part of my hours for this program?

Hours accumulated prior to entering Southern's program do not count toward the hours required in the practicum experiences. Prior experience with an athletic trainer is valuable in that it gives you a better understanding of athletic training, but you must complete approximately 100 hours of clinical observation at Southern prior to admission to the program.  This number is for a true freshman who will receive eight clinical experiences during his or her tenure at Southern.   For those transferring into our program, a minimum of six rotations must be complete, and the hour requirement per clinical experience will increase.  A total of 800 hours is required prior to graduation, spread out over your six semesters in the athletic training education program.

 

What is the difference between Athletic Training and personal training?

Athletic training is the prevention, care, and rehabilitation of injuries to athletes. (See Question #2 above for more detail), whereas personal training is developing specialized strength and cardiovascular conditioning programs for individuals. Athletic trainers focus on preventing and caring for injuries; personal trainers work in fitness centers or go into people's homes to set up individualized programs to help a person "get into shape." Personal fitness may include weight-gain/weight-loss programs, cardiovascular fitness programs, weight-lifting programs, nutrition programs, etc. Athletic trainers are well-versed in personal training and fitness skills and incorporate these principles into the daily care of their athletes.

 

What is the difference between Athletic Training and Sports Medicine?

The term "sports medicine" is often used interchangeably with athletic training. "Sports medicine" is actually a broad term that covers several career areas that work with injuries to athletes. Orthopedic surgeons who work with athletes and athletic trainers are two examples of sports medicine professionals.

 

How do I find out about tuition, housing, financial aid, etc. at Southern Connecticut State University?

Please visit the Southern Connecticut State University Web site.  

 

Salaries, positions, gender differences, and degree differences for Athletic Trainers nationally (2000 Salary Survey):

http://www.nata.org/atcresources/2000SalarySurvey.htm

(Reference: New York State and Pennsylvania are District 2) 

 

If you have further questions about the Athletic Training Program, contact the program director at moring1@southernct.edu.