Clinical Education

Introduction

In addition to formal classroom and laboratory instruction, students within the ATEP also receive structured clinical education to acquire and master the hands-on skills and clinical proficiencies required of the Entry-Level Athletic Trainer. 

All classroom, laboratory, and clinical components of the ATEP are structured around the:

•   NATA Athletic Training Educational Competencies

•   BOC Role Delineation Study

Clinical Classes

The clinical education component of the ATEP includes six clinical practicum courses and one seminar course, which provide formal instruction and evaluation of level-specific (I-IV) clinical skills within a structured laboratory environment.

Each clinical course also requires students to be assigned to one or more Approved Clinical Instructors (ACIs) and/or Clinical Instructors (CIs) who supervise the students’ hands-on experiences in providing health care services to a select population of student-athletes or patients.

Students are required to work closely with their ACIs and CIs to integrate their knowledge, skills, and foundational behaviors (clinical proficiencies) into their daily clinical practice.

Students must earn a total of 1500 clinical education experience hours over the course of their academic program.

Clinical Education Rotations

Students are required to complete clinical education experiences in both on- and off-campus clinical rotations; therefore, they must have adequate transportation (car, motorcycle, etc.) 

On-campus clinical rotations include opportunities to gain educational experience in the health care of student-athletes from 14 NCAA Division I sports, as well as student-patients from within the UT Arlington Student Health Center.

Off-campus clinical rotations are focused on providing the UT Arlington athletic training students with a variety of clinical experiences across multiple patient populations. The off-campus clinical education sites also enable students to explore a variety of athletic training career settings and to expand their professional networking skills.