Clinical Education

Clinical Education

No student may begin his or her clinical education without formal admission into the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP). Once admitted into the Athletic Training Education Program the student will be placed into several different clinical experiences. Alma College is a NCAA Division III institution and a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Athletic Training Student (ATS) will gain valuable practical experience in the practice and game coverage of eighteen varsity and six junior varsity intercollegiate sports. The Athletic teams include:

Affiliate Sites

In addition, affiliate sites have been developed at Alma High School, Gratiot County Health Systems where the student will learn skills in a rehabilitation center as well as the Emergency Room. Another affiliate site has been developed at the Central Health Improvement Center of Central Michigan University where the student can learn skills at a corporate fitness and rehabilitation center. ATSs have the opportunity to shadow physicians in both family, private practices, and attend lectures at the hospital through the Gratiot Area Physicians and Students Program (GAPS).

Expectations

Each ATS is required to accumulate a minimum of 1000 clinical experience hours during their clinical experiences. The ATS is required to complete a minimum of four semester long clinical assignments. Each semester the ATS will be assigned to an Approved Clinical Instructor (ACI), not a facility or sport, who will develop a written plan mapping out the objectives for that student during the experience. A copy of the plan is turned in to the ATEP Director by the end of the first week of the experience. This provides the ATS and ACI the opportunity to present the expectations and objectives of the semester. At midterm and the end of the clinical assignment the ATS and the ACI will complete evaluations of each other and the clinical site.

Initial Clinical Rotation Placement

The initial clinical rotation placement of the ATS will be made at the discretion of the ATEP Director. Criteria for the initial assignment will be based on the following:

1. Past didactic preparation and performance (including prerequisite courses).
2. Performance in EHS 221 and EHS 222 (Each ATS must have successfully completed these two courses with a “BC” or better.
3. Past field experience and observation experiences.
4. Current certifications (e.g., CPR, EMT, CSCS). The ATS is required to complete certification in First Aid and CPR for the Professional Rescuer. This will ensure that the ATS has obtained a basic skill level necessary to begin clinical education.
5. Maturity and professionalism of the applicant expressed in his/her letters of recommendation and determined during the interview.
6. Professional goals and personal attributes of the applicant.
7. Professional and personal references

During the clinical education experience the ACI will provide the ATS with opportunities for instruction and evaluation of the ATS skills. The ACI will involve constant visual and auditory contact with the ATS. The ACI is to be physically present during the clinical experience in order to intervene on behalf of the individual being evaluated and treated.

In a situation where an ATS is not directly supervised by his/her ACI, that ATS has the option to leave the site or acts as a first responder. The Alma College Athletic Training Education First Responder policy will be enforced. As a first responder the ATS responsibilities includes basic first aid and CPR and referral to the appropriate medical personnel and facility. At no time will the first responder be used as a replacement of the clinical staff. If traveling, the coach with the assistance of the host school’s medical staff will make the decision of whether an injured athlete can return to play.