About Us

Program Mission Statement

The Athletic Training Education Program at Saginaw Valley State University is committed to creating opportunities for ATS to achieve intellectual and personal development through academic, professional, and cultural experiences. Through didactic and clinical experience, ATS will demonstrate proficiency in the educational competencies and clinical proficiencies developed by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and will thus be prepared to lend their leadership and expertise to the advancement of the athletic training profession.

Student Learning Goals

Athletic Training students will be able to:

1. Understand the concept of risk management and injury prevention and demonstrate the necessary skills to plan and implement prevention strategies.
2. Recognize, assess, and treat patients with acute injuries and illnesses and provide appropriate medical referral.
3. Demonstrate the ability to clinically examine and diagnose a patient for the purpose of identifying (a) common acquired or congenital risk factors that would predispose the patient to injury and (b) musculoskeletal orthopedic injuries to determine proper care including referral of the patient to other health care providers when appropriate.
4. Understand general medical conditions and disabilities associated with physically active individuals.
5. Plan, implement, document, and evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic modalities in the treatment of injuries to and illnesses of their patients.
6. Plan, implement, document, and evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic exercise programs for the rehabilitation and reconditioning of injuries and illnesses.
7. Possess the ability to recognize, intervene, and refer when appropriate, patients exhibiting sociocultural, mental, emotional, and psychosocial behavioral problems/issues.
8. Possess an understanding of the nutritional aspects of injuries and illnesses.
9. Demonstrate mastery of the cognitive and psychomotor competencies in each of the 12 content areas established by the NATA Professional Education Committee.
10. Demonstrate foundational behaviors of professional practice as established by the NATA and BOC.
11. Pass the Board of Certification (BOC) certification examination.
12. Be prepared for employment as an entry-level athletic trainer and/or admission into graduate school upon graduation.

Philosophy

In the Athletic Training Education Program, the only acceptable professional goal is excellence. In order to be successful in the SVSU ATEP, students must be committed to excellence in all phases of their program, including scholarship, clinical practice, and personal development. In healthcare, no patient (or athlete) wants or deserves mediocre care. Therefore, as healthcare providers, we must strive to provide the best care available. In order to accomplish this goal, you must demonstrate exceptional commitment to both knowledge and skill development. This can only happen when you are both prepared to learn and actively seek to apply your knowledge to clinical situations. These two things are completely interdependent. The marriage between classroom preparation and clinical practice is absolutely essential. Likewise, knowledge is not something that can be given to a student. Knowledge is only gained when it is actively sought. Students must constantly look to improve their understanding and refine their skills and this involves seeking out ongoing interaction between the student and the instructor. The academic and clinical programs in the SVSU ATEP contain a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained, but as a student, you will only get from this program what you actively seek. You can have an outstanding education or a mediocre one, but you are the person who controls what you will learn. To this end, you must constantly ask questions and seek the guidance from the faculty and clinical instructors. The only bad questions are ones that were not asked. At the same time, you cannot effectively seek knowledge without first demonstrating a strong and genuine professional commitment. Always remember, no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. This is true both for your professional education and for working with patients.