Athletic training majors balance studies, field work
Alexandra Gauthier
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: News
Alexandra Gauthier
Managing Editor
March may be National Athletic Training Month, but Florida Southern's athletic training major is 'on the move' every month of the school year.
Sue Stanley-Green, program director, said that the athletic training major embodies what FSC strives to achieve.
"It fits in as the college goes into engaged learning and active learning - we already do that," she said.
This program, formed at FSC 10 years ago, is an intense one for students, requiring many out-of-class hours in addition to science and medicine-related classes. About one third of the majors are also athletes on college teams, making strict time-management skills essential.
Students must complete a minimum number of practicum hours each semester, beginning on campus and with some high school teams, and ending with a full-time internship in their last semester. Some previous internships have included working with the Detroit Tigers, IMG Sports, astronauts at Kennedy Space Center and local clinics and doctors.
Juniors are assigned a sports team, usually at FSC, and must attend all practices and games. Each year the group is also responsible for planning a large event to get some experience in that area.
"It's a big responsibility but it prepares them to go out in real life," Stanley-Green said.
The field experience allows students to get lots of practice in real situations, and also helps them narrow down what sport or area they want to focus on.
"We can teach you in class, but you don't know how to do it until you do it," Stanley-Green said. "Their training doesn't start after graduation, they have four years of it."
Before graduating, seniors sit the Board of Certification Exam. If they pass - and they usually do, Stanley-Green said - then they can put ATC, or certified athletic trainer, after their name.
FSC graduates usually go on to graduate school, to specialize even more in their chosen field. Others have gone directly into being athletic trainers for sports teams or members of the performing arts; still others go into medicine or physical therapy.
Managing Editor
March may be National Athletic Training Month, but Florida Southern's athletic training major is 'on the move' every month of the school year.
Sue Stanley-Green, program director, said that the athletic training major embodies what FSC strives to achieve.
"It fits in as the college goes into engaged learning and active learning - we already do that," she said.
This program, formed at FSC 10 years ago, is an intense one for students, requiring many out-of-class hours in addition to science and medicine-related classes. About one third of the majors are also athletes on college teams, making strict time-management skills essential.
Students must complete a minimum number of practicum hours each semester, beginning on campus and with some high school teams, and ending with a full-time internship in their last semester. Some previous internships have included working with the Detroit Tigers, IMG Sports, astronauts at Kennedy Space Center and local clinics and doctors.
Juniors are assigned a sports team, usually at FSC, and must attend all practices and games. Each year the group is also responsible for planning a large event to get some experience in that area.
"It's a big responsibility but it prepares them to go out in real life," Stanley-Green said.
The field experience allows students to get lots of practice in real situations, and also helps them narrow down what sport or area they want to focus on.
"We can teach you in class, but you don't know how to do it until you do it," Stanley-Green said. "Their training doesn't start after graduation, they have four years of it."
Before graduating, seniors sit the Board of Certification Exam. If they pass - and they usually do, Stanley-Green said - then they can put ATC, or certified athletic trainer, after their name.
FSC graduates usually go on to graduate school, to specialize even more in their chosen field. Others have gone directly into being athletic trainers for sports teams or members of the performing arts; still others go into medicine or physical therapy.
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