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Athletic Training Education Mission Overview of the Program
Policies as PDFs Athletic Training Student as an Athlete Student Progress, Retention, and Probation
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Overview of the Academic Program at Castleton
The professional education program in Athletic Training is three years in duration and follows one or more years as a pre-AT student. Entry into the professional program is selective and competitive. The professional program includes both didactic (classroom) and clinical education segments. These two segments should not be viewed as separate entities, as they are closely linked together. The didactic portion focuses on the cognitive development of competencies and many laboratory opportunities to develop psychomotor skills, while the clinical portion provides opportunities for the student to experience real-world application of skills and to develop the professional behaviors of a certified athletic trainer. The clinical education would not be helpful without the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom, and visa versa the classroom knowledge and skills would not be as effective in the development of a competent athletic trainer without the experiential learning provided in the clinical portion of the program. In order for a student to be successful in this program he/she MUST take responsibility for his/her education and seek every opportunity to learn and improve. A student will not learn by simply “having exposure” to ideas and experiences, but will learn when he/she purposefully seeks to engage in those ideas and experiences. Students should be encouraged to ask questions of their academic and clinical instructors, to use the many available resources in this program, and to constantly seek feedback about ways to improve their level of knowledge and proficiency. The NATA Education Council provides CAATE-accredited athletic training education programs with a document called “Athletic Training Educational Competencies”. Programs must use this document when structuring the didactic and clinical education experience for students. The cognitive and psychomotor competencies, the clinical proficiencies, and the foundational behaviors of professional practice are integrated into the Castleton Athletic Training Education Program. Overview of the Clinical Education Experience at Castleton Students will complete 5-6 semesters of clinical activities. Clinical activities occur as part of clinical courses and credit hours are earned for them. These courses include both formal assessment of clinical proficiencies through individual work with an approved clinical instructor (ACI), and “real world” clinical experiences to include assignments with men’s and women's varsity athletic teams, cooperative experiences at other area colleges, high schools, Killington Ski resort and the Vermont Orthopedic Clinic. In addition, students will complete a general medical rotation in which they will observe other health care professionals in the practice settings of emergency medicine, orthopedics, family practice medicine, chiropractic medicine, physical therapy, podiatry, and progressive physical conditioning. Learning Over Time (Mastery of Skills):Definition: The process by which professional knowledge and skills are learned and evaluated. This process involves the initial formal instruction and evaluation of that knowledge and skill, followed by a time of sufficient length to allow for practice and internalization of the information/skill, and then subsequent re-evaluation of that information/skill in a clinical (actual or simulated) setting (CAATE Clinical Education Terminology). Learning Over Time at Castleton:The athletic training program at Castleton will use the following components for teaching, evaluating, and documenting clinical education: 1st Check Off, 2nd Check Off, Field Experience, Mock Board of Certification (BOC) examination, and Portfolio development. Each component is further explained below. Supervised Clinical Education 1st and 2nd Check Off1st Check off: Cognitive and Psychomotor competencies are formally taught within the didactic courses. A complete list of didactic courses included in the ATEP can be found in the college catalog, or in the ATEP Student Handbook under “ATEP Academic Plan”. Once the student passes an AT course, he/she can then use the learned skills within the clinical field experience under the supervision of a clinical instructor (CI). Introduction to the Athletic Training Profession 2nd Check off: The 2nd Check Off will occur in each of the five clinical courses. An ACI will be assigned to recheck proficiencies learned in previous coursework. The purpose of the 2nd check off is to place the student in a clinical experience where the proficiency is synthesized and integrated into a decision-making environment. A 2nd Check Off ensures that the student has mastered the particular skills that have been assessed. The 2nd Check Off is a component of each of the five clinical courses. Supervised Field experienceThe field experience is where experiential learning occurs. Students are assigned to upper extremity intensive, lower extremity intensive, equipment intensive sports, and general medical experiences. Skills that are learned during clinical education are REFINED and APPLIED here. Note: An athletic training student shall NOT perform any skills in the field experience UNTIL the 1st check off of the skills has been completed. The Supervised Field Experience is a component of each of the five clinical courses. Mock BOC examinationA mock BOC examination is given in the Advanced Athletic Training Course during the fall semester of the senior year, and again in the spring semester of the senior year as a requirement of Clinical 5. PortfolioThe portfolio includes artifacts (samples of work) that demonstrate the student’s progress throughout the educational experience and provides evidence of his/her competency and proficiency as he/she progresses through the athletic training education program and into the profession of athletic training. It will be assessed by the Clinical Coordinator each semester and graded as an assignment in each of the five clinical courses.
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