Athletic Training Educational Program

Clinicals

Our clinical coordinator coordinates the clinical rotations. He/she will be responsible for scheduling student assignments and collecting student/staff evaluations each semester. Also, it is important to note that all ATS have to be enrolled in clinicals, formally instructed and formally assessed on AT clinical skills as part of a required course prior to performing those skills on patients. Both students and supervising staff will be broken down as follows:

Freshmen Students - Level 0
The goal for freshmen is to gain a broad exposure to the field of athletic training. Students begin their first rotations when they enroll in the Orientation to Athletic Training (HP 206) class. When assigned to a clinical experience, the students' only function is as an observer. While students may not officially apply for admission to the program until the Spring semester, they are still evaluated. Their evaluations are based on their interest in athletic training, responsibilities of an athletic trainer, and their knowledge of athletic training policies and procedures taught in the Orientation to Athletic Training class.

Sophomore Students - Level I
Once accepted into the athletic training educational program, as a sophomore, the students enroll in practicum rotations and begin their first level of the ATEP. The courses assigned to these rotations are Athletic Training Practicum I - HP 208 (Fall) and Athletic Training Practicum II - HP 209 (Spring). The students meet as a class and accumulate at least 50 hours of clinical experience per clinical course. Upon admittance into the ATEP, the students are placed into a three year clinical experience plan which is posted on the ATEP bulletin board. This allows the students to be aware of where they are each semester in their clinical education plan. The rotations are semester long rotations with a predetermined clinical instructor. Clinical competencies/proficiencies are coordinated by the instructors of HP 208/209 and practiced in the clinical setting. These students, having received basic levels of instruction in acute care, emergency plans, taping, wrapping, splinting and weight training, have begun to perform the competencies/proficiencies and now need to initiate their "hands-on" experience.

Junior Students - Level II
The courses assigned to these rotations are Clinical Athletic Training I - HP 308 (Fall) and Clinical Athletic Training II - HP 209 (Spring). The students meet as a class and have to accumulate at least 50 hours of clinical experiences per clinical course. These students received varying levels of instruction in acute care, taping, assessment and evaluation, therapeutic modalities and therapeutic exercise. At this level, the students are encouraged to take a more active role in their "hands-on" experience. The level two clinical experiences are conducted off-campus. The off-campus clinical experiences are with clinical instructors in high school outreach programs, PT clinics, and a rotation of their choice. The students are exposed to many different environments in the outreach settings and their modality and rehabilitation skills are reinforced in the physical therapy clinic. The clinical competencies/proficiencies are coordinated by the instructors of HP 308/309 and practiced in the clinical setting.

	Students at a symposium meetnig at Student SETA
	Students participating in a cadaver dissection
	Students at the Jack Hughston Orthopedic Hospital

Senior Students - Level III

The level three courses are Clinical Athletic Training III - HP 409 (Fall) and Clinical Athletic Training IV - HP 410 (Spring). The students meet as a class and have to accumulate at least 50 hours per clinical course. Senior students gain their level three clinical experiences by returning to Louisiana College's campus. Students continued the three year rotational plan by gaining experiences with clinical instructors in other sport settings and general medical condition exposure that they did not undergo as a level one student. The senior athletic training students assist their clinical instructor and help by mentoring the younger students. The instructors of HP 409/410 coordinate the competencies and proficiencies of the level three students. The students review for the BOC examination and complete any remedial competencies/proficiencies.

As a senior Athletic Training Student, there also is a general medical exposure expectation which will be incorporated into the two senior clinical classes. These exposures are important as the majority of the clinical education involves musculoskeletal injuries and gets the student familiar with common illnesses and how to deal with them. The sites range from a Family Physician holding a weekly clinic in the Athletic Training Room to going to a Dr’s office and shadowing them while they are seeing patients.

Another unique component to our spring senior clinical class is the fact that the student will have the opportunity to attend the District IX Southeastern Athletic Training Association Student Symposium (Student SEATA). Here, Athletic Training Students from all over the country (literally) gather in Atlanta GA to listen to various speakers and network with other students. The symposium is designed for student of all levels to attend, which means that each year you go, you are exposed to different information. Louisiana College Athletic Training Students also have the opportunity to visit the prestigious Jack Hughston Orthopedic Hospital (http://www.hughston.com/) and participate in a facility tour and human cadaver dissection while on the same Student SEATA trip. More information about the Student SEATA can be found by visiting the website, http://www.seata.org/, and clicking the “meetings” link. Proudly, it is the most successful district student symposium in the USA! While the registration fee will be the responsibility of the student, the majority of the remaining expenses are picked up through donations by Midstate Orthopedics.

 

Approved Clinical Rotations Available
Louisiana College Athletic Training Room
Louisiana College Sports

	Football	Men's Basketball	Women's Soccer
	Baseball	Women's Basketball	Women's Tennis
	Softball	Men's Soccer	Men's Golf
	Men's Tennis	Men's Cross Country	Women's Cross Country

Mid-State Orthopaedics
Caughlin Sanders Cardiac Rehabilitation Center
Various Local High Schools

Some clinical rotation are off campus. It is the responsibility of the student to provide their own transportation to the assigned clinical rotation.

It is not uncommon for staff at the various clinical settings to offer jobs to our students. It must be known that any student which receives money for services rendered may not count these hours as "clinical hours." They will have accumulated hours above and beyond the hours that they have already worked.

Evaluations
At midterm and at the end of each rotation, the clinical instructors are asked to complete an evaluation of each student. It is the student’s responsibility to get the filled out evaluation back to the Clinical Coordinator for evaluation purposes. After the first evaluation is completed, the clinical instructor and the student discuss the evaluation. Both parties provide feedback to improve the clinical experience and the student signs the evaluation after the conference. The second evaluation is completed in the same manor. The student then meets with an ATEP faculty to discuss their evaluation and clinical experience. Feedback is recorded, and the student signs the evaluation at the end of the conference. The clinical evaluations will help determine each of the clinical final grades. For sophomores, it will equate to 15%, for juniors it will equate to 20%, and for seniors it will equate for 25% for their final grade in the specific clinical class. Students also complete evaluations (anonymous) of each clinical instructor at the end of each rotation. The clinical instructor is provided with a typed feedback summary of the evaluations.

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