New doors opening for future athletic trainers

Friday, Mar 24, 2023

The UTA Master of Science in Athletic Training program is gearing up to implement changes to the program’s curriculum this summer. Recent in-game incidents, like the one involving NFL Safety Damar Hamlin highlight the need for skilled athletic trainers who are prepared to make lifesaving decisions.

Offered in CONHI’s Department of Kinesiology, the new and improved curriculum is set to contain all required content by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and will focus on four pillars: Performance Healthcare, Emergency Preparedness & Response, Manual Therapy & Integrative Modalities, and Administration & Leadership. Students will also have the opportunity for two clinical immersion periods and more individualized clinical education plans.

“The first of these immersions will be summer year 2 for 11 weeks and the second spring year 2 for 15 weeks,” said Dr. Laura Kunkel, clinical associate professor. “This will total 26 weeks of clinical immersion, far more than the minimum of 4 required by the CAATE and more than most other athletic training programs. These immersions can also take place anywhere in the country and students will not be limited to just the DFW area. In addition to clinical immersion, students will be in clinical experiences here in DFW every other semester except for summer 1.” 

Emphasis on incorporating the CAATE-required curriculum content and clinical immersion inspired department leaders to rethink curricular content standards and develop new courses.

“We felt we could do better at giving students more clinical opportunities if they were not confined to DFW,” said Kunkel. “In the old curriculum, the only time they could leave DFW for clinical was during their 6-week immersion in the second summer. The increase in clinical immersions will better prepare students for real-world work by immersing them in hands-on experience. We also felt we needed new courses and could change other courses to better teach the Curricular Content and provide a focus on the four pillars mentioned above.” 

The benefits students receive from an increase in clinical work opportunities are tremendous. Gaining hands-on experience will further their educational knowledge and set them up for success upon entering this field.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the athletic training occupation is projected to grow significantly more than other career fields, and UTA’s program is expected to continue to grow as well. 

“We hope to see students better able to individualize their education toward their career goals with the ability to engage in a vast variety of clinical opportunities, said Kunkel. “We also hope to see students especially excel in our four pillars/areas of focus.” 

Learn more about UTA’s Athletic Training program here.

- Written by Midori Hrinda, UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation