Athletic Training Major and Sports Medicine Minor
Athletic training is an allied healthcare profession focusing on the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses occurring to physically active individuals. Athletic trainers find employment in secondary schools, colleges and universities, sports medicine clinics, professional sports programs, industrial settings, and other healthcare environments.
This major combines didactic and clinical education so students can apply theoretical and practical athletic training knowledge in professional work settings. Students will assist in providing quality healthcare services to Lynchburg College intercollegiate athletic teams, an educational experience that will prepare students to (1) take the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification Examination, which, in turn, will allow them to serve as entry-level certified athletic trainers and/or (2) pursue an advanced degree in athletic training or other health-related field.
Entry into the athletic training major is competitive, and all students who apply may not be accepted into the program. Students must have a QPA of 2.5 or higher; completed (or in the process of completing) AT 100; fifty hours of observation in the Lynchburg College athletic training facility; completed the "observation check list"; and completed the technical standards form. Transfer students are welcome. Placement is based on admission criteria, competencies, and proficiencies completed at the prior institution.
Applications, which may be obtained from the Athletic Training Program coordinator, must be completed before students can be considered for admission to the Program. To maintain status as an athletic training major, students must maintain 2.50 QPA or higher, pass semester-end competency examinations associated with each clinical course, receive a grade of B- or higher in all athletic training major courses, and satisfactorily complete all clinical experiences and proficiencies assigned to each clinical course. Specific policies and regulations for athletic training majors are published in the course syllabi and/or the athletic training student handbook.
Students are expected to provide their own transportation to clinical education sites, and they must follow the dress code of their assigned clinical site. Students must also have a complete series of immunizations, including hepatitis B, on file with the Health Center prior to their first clinical education course, AT 200. A one-time professional fee is charged after acceptance into the Program major. The Athletic Training Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
Sports Medicine Minor
The broad goal of this minor is to provide students with the opportunity to acquire practical skills and knowledge that can be used in any healthcare field. A second objective is to give students resume-building experience to make them more marketable to graduate schools.