Athletic Training Preparation option available in Fall 2019
CHADRON – Due to an increasing demand for athletic trainers in public schools and community sport and recreation programs, Chadron State College’s Health, Physical Education, and Recreation program has created a new Athletic Training Preparation option in the Sport and Recreation Management degree, which will be available in Fall 2019.
According to Dr. Scott Ritzen, Applied Sciences Department Chair and Professor, this 22-credit hour option is specifically designed as a graduate prep program in response to a new industry standard effective in 2020 that requires an Athletic Trainer to have a master’s degree.
“The rigor associated with these graduate programs is high. Our new Athletic Training option includes the prerequisites students need to get into graduate school, courses like stats and psychology,” Ritzen said. “By implementing this new option, current students in the Exercise Science option filling in with other pre-requisites for grad schools and incoming students will have a specific curriculum designed to prep them for a graduate degree in Athletic Training.”
The new Athletic Training Preparation option includes the following courses: Nutrition for Sport and Wellness (FCS 447), Introduction to Athletic Training (HPER 134), Anatomical and Physiological Kinesiology (HPER 232), Fitness Evaluation and Exercise Prescription (HPER 336), Motor Movement (HPER 429), Biomechanics of Sports and Lab (HPER 439/439L), Applied Statistics (MATH 232), and Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 131).
The option, when combined with a minor in human biology, addresses the prerequisite courses for most graduate Athletic Trainer programs, according to Ritzen.
“Several key players were involved in the process. It should be noted this group also had discussions with Dr. Josh Ellis, a certified athletic trainer who teaches in Family and Consumer Science who is also a certified Athletic Trainer, about creating a graduate level program in Athletic Training for the future,” Ritzen said.
In the Spring 2016 semester, Ritzen started to design the option by collaborating with Dr. Willie Hoffman, associate professor in HPER, Don Watt, head athletic trainer, and Lisa Welch, a certified athletic trainer in athletics. From there, they proposed it to Academic Review where it was approved and advanced to the Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees for consideration. It was approved in June 2018.
Category: Campus News, Health, Physical Education, and Recreation