Clinical Rotation Plan
Athletic Training Mission Statement
Course Requirements
Academic Policy
Clinical Rotation Plan
Admission Policies
Technical Standards for Admissions
ATEP Admission Application
National Athletic Trainers Association
Program Faculty
2011-12 ATEP Policies and Procedure Manual
Clinical Rotation Plan
Athletic training students begin their clinical athletic training observation experience during the fall semester of their freshman year. After meeting with the ATEP program director, prospective athletic training students begin their observation hours.
Freshman students generally spend two hours a day, two days a week throughout their freshman year, observing no more than four hours a week. Upon completion of the freshman year, students that are accepted into the ATEP will have accumulated approximately 40 to 50 hours of observation time. Upon Completion of the spring semester of the observation year, students learn if they have been accepted into the ATEP. Students that have been accepted are considered to be first-year students in the program upon returning to school in the fall.
First Year
First-year athletic training students begin their practicum course sequence (HHPE 374-379) in the fall of the first year. Associated with the practicum sequence, students begin their formal clinical education experience and will accrue between 75-150 clinical hours each semester.
During the first year, students enroll in HHPE 374, Athletic Training Practicum I in the fall and HHPE 375, Athletic Training Practicum II in the spring. During the first year, students are rotated regularly through the various on-campus clinical sites every two weeks. For example, a student may intern with the women's soccer team for two weeks, then be assigned to intern in the athletic training room the following two weeks. A student is not assigned to a non-contact clinical site for more than two rotations in a row.
Students intern approximately three to four days per week. Students assigned to intern in the athletic training room will arrive at 2 p.m. and stay until the athletic training room closes. Students assigned to intern with an athletic team will arrive at 2 p.m. and stay through the end of the team's practice and/or game as well as until the last athlete has received treatment. Clinical hours will usually accumulate to approximately three and a half to four hours a day.
Duties of the student include assisting a second- or third-year athletic training student with his/her athletic training room duties or practice/game coverage as well as the clinical instructor covering the site. In addition, students are expected to work with the clinical instructor on mastering clinical skills learned within the athletic training curriculum and the athletic training practicum sequence.
Within the practicum courses, students begin to demonstrate proficiency of clinical skills to the clinical instructors. As these skills are approved, athletic training students will be able to incorporate the skills into their internship practice.
Second Year
In the second year of the program students enroll in HHPE 376, Athletic Training Practicum III in the fall semester and HHPE 377, Athletic Training Practicum IV in the spring semester. Students accrue between 150-200 clinical hours each semester as they are placed within clinical assignments for the length of the athletic seasons.
Clinical assignments include GFU varsity sports as well as intercollegiate wrestling and high school rotations off campus. Following the completion of the athletic season, new student clinical assignments are determined. Students are not assigned to two non-contact clinical sites in a row. For example, a student will not rotate from cross country to tennis.
Students assigned to on-campus clinical rotations will generally accumulate between 3.5 - 4 hours of internship time a day covering team practices and competitions. Students assigned to off-campus clinical rotations will establish internship hours with the off-campus clinical instructor. Generally, students will visit the off-campus site 4-5 times per week.
Students continue to demonstrate mastery of more advanced clinical skills to the clinical instructors and are encouraged to utilize the skills within their practice.
Third Year
During the third year of the program, students enroll in HHPE 378, Athletic Training Practicum V in the fall semester and Athletic Training Practicum VI in the spring semester. Students accrue between 150-200 clinical hours each semester.
Associated with HHPE 377, students fulfill an equipment intensive clinical rotation with an affiliated clinical site that has a football team. George Fox University maintains clinical affiliations with eight other institutions: Lewis and Clark College, Willamette University, Portland State University, Clackamas Community College, Tigard High School, Tualatin High School, Lakeridge High School, and Woodburn High School.
As with the high school clinical rotations, students generally visit the site 4-5 times per week and establish internship hours with the off-campus clinical instructor.
Upon completion of the football season, third-year athletic training students are assigned to a clinical experience at George Fox University during the winter or spring sport seasons in addition to a two week clinical rotation with wrestling. Associated with HHPE 379, third year students also perform a general medical clinical rotation during the spring semester and continue to work on mastering clinical skills and begin to prepare for the BOC certification examination.
A more comprehensive description of the clinical rotation plan may be found in the Athletic Training Education Program Policies and Procedures Manual located in the Athletic Training Room and the Program Director's office.