Athletic Training

Accreditation
The athletic training program at Mercyhurst University is accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Athletic Training (CaATE) through 2019-2020. Further information regarding CaATE requirements is located at www.caate.net.

Mission Statement
The mission of the professional Athletic Training program at Mercyhurst University is to provide the student with the necessary didactic and psychomotor competencies, clinical proficiencies and experiences required to qualify for the BOC examination. In the spirit of the core values of Mercyhurst University, athletic training students (ATS) shall achieve this by becoming well-rounded, educated, professional, and ethical athletic trainers prepared to enter the allied health field.

Admission Requirements
Freshmen (“pre-professional”) students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in high school plus successful completion of each of the following six subjects: Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, or General Science. Prior to entering their freshman year, it is recommended that athletic training majors complete the American Red Cross or American Heart Association CPR for health professional certification, proof of which is a signed certification card. The Professional Athletic Training Program (“professional phase”) requires a secondary admissions process (“Athletic Training Review Board” – Please see “Final Acceptance Requirements”).

Transfer and Undeclared Students
Each student attempting to transfer into the athletic training program should anticipate entering as a “Pre-Professional Student.” Due to the Professional and sequential nature of the coursework, transfer/undeclared students must also appear before the AT review board during their first year and be officially accepted into the Professional Athletic Training Program prior to enrolling in upper level courses offered by the Sports Medicine Department. Each case will reviewed individually by the Program Director.

Final Acceptance Requirements
Traditional students in the Athletic Training major should apply for formal acceptance into the major in spring of the freshman year. Failure to do so results in an automatic change of status to undeclared student.

Academic
Athletic Training majors must achieve and maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher. To complete the Athletic Training major with either a dual major or minor within four years, students will be required to overload semesters and/or take summer courses.

Review Board
The Review Board consists of three members from the discipline appropriately related to the major. Deliberations of the Board will take place at the end of the spring semester of the student’s Pre-Professional year and at other times when the Program Director deems it necessary.

Evaluation Process
The prospective athletic training student will have the opportunity to obtain a maximum of 300 points for the review board process. The 300 points consist of the interview process, application, and for the letters of recommendation. The candidate must obtain a minimum of 240 points and have an overall GPA of 2.75 and specific course work for acceptance into the athletic training education program. Probationary status may be awarded if a score of 240 points or better is achieved, and the candidate’s overall GPA is between 2.60 and 2.75. If the student meets probationary criteria, he or she may be conditionally accepted into the major. The probationary student must achieve a minimum overall 2.75 GPA within the time designated by the Program Director or he/she will be dismissed from the program. While on probationary status the athletic training student will complete all clinical and academic requirements of the program. Note: It is made clear that a student who is advised to discontinue the Athletic Training major will find that a lateral move to a related science major is very difficult without having to take more than 121 credits due to the stringent science requirements in related fields. This is a risk that the student knowingly assumes when he or she accepts initial acceptance into the athletic training major.

Appeal Process
Any student dismissed from the Athletic Training major may apply for readmittance to the program during an ad-hoc session of the Review Board. The eligibility of the individual will be determined by the Review Board using the same criteria as is used for accepting a new student into the program. Anyone using the appeal process should contact the Program Director one semester prior to the Review Board session to initiate the process.

Graduation Requirements
Students who have been accepted into the Athletic Training major by the Review Board members must maintain an overall GPA of at least a 2.75 to continue in the major. This is, in part, to ensure necessary mastery of NATA Education competencies and proficiencies embedded within Program Core and Cognate courses. All athletic training students must complete 6 clinical experiences including one capstone experience. This includes all related course requirements. Annual Blood-Borne Pathogen training is required, along with Professional Rescuer CPR. No major course may be taken on a pass-fail basis and students who earn less than a “C” in any major course or lab must repeat the course or lab.
Note: some of the requirements for the major also satisfy specific REACH requirements. Students who are not majors (including contract majors) may not take or challenge courses offered by the Sports Medicine Department/ Athletic Training faculty without written permission from the Department Chairperson.

Athletic Training Clinical Assignments
As a component of SPMD 157, ATR 162 and ATR 163, freshman students must complete a minimum of 75 hours of observation in the athletic training room at Mercyhurst University. These hours are observation only and occur under the supervision of an affiliated clinical preceptor. Once accepted into the major following the review board process, students must complete six (6) clinical assignments, including one senior capstone experience under the direct supervision of an affiliated clinical preceptor.

Clinical assignments are designed to allow students to progressively apply didactic knowledge in real-world clinical settings to develop a high level of clinical skill. Clinical assignments are a requirement of various courses (ATR 200, ATR 201, ATR 300, ATR 301, ATR 404, ATR 461) and will encompass general medical, lower extremity, upper extremity and equipment intensive experiences. Clinical assignments will expose the students to the physically active population of both genders, and across diverse populations including high schools, colleges and universities, medical facilities and/or professional sports organizations.

A minimum of 2 clinical assignments must be at designated off-campus affiliated settings. It is required that students have some form of transportation for at least two semesters to complete these off-campus clinical assignments. In addition, clinical assignments associated with ATR 200, ATR 300 and ATR 461 will begin prior to the start of the academic year typically on or around August 15th. (Housing and 2 meals per day are provided for students during this time.) Clinical experiences are NOT work experiences; they are academic requirements. Therefore, students are not monetarily compensated.