Kansas State University

Athletic Training Education Program

B.S. in Athletic Training

Shawna Jordan, PhD, ATC, LAT, Assistant Professor, Athletic Training Education Program Director
(785) 532-5508

The Kansas State University Athletic Training Education Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.* It is a cooperative program housed in the Department of Human Nutrition, with support from the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. Upon completion of the program, a Bachelor of Science degree is awarded.

The Athletic Training Education Program prepares students for careers as allied-health professionals and prepares them for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification examination, leading to certification and the credential of certified athletic trainer. Students in this program study the concepts and skills to properly manage the healthcare problems associated with physical activity. In cooperation with physicians and other healthcare personnel, the athletic trainer functions as an integral member of the healthcare team in secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, sports medicine clinics, and other healthcare settings.

All students complete 54-56 hours of general education requirements and 61 hours in professional studies, plus unrestricted electives to total 124 hours. Within the professional studies are practicum courses in athletic training where students complete the clinical education aspect of the curriculum. Clinical education represents the student's formal acquisition, practice, application, and evaluation of the entry-level athletic training clinical proficiencies through classroom, laboratory, clinical and field experiences under the supervision of a clinical instructor. The clinical and field experiences include the opportunity for students to apply related skills in the context of direct patient care at one of our clinical affiliate sites, which include area high schools, clinics, and collegiate settings.

A minimum of 124 credit hours is required for graduation.

Program Goals and Objectives

The overall goal of the Athletic Training Education Program is to prepare graduates to apply a wide variety of specific health care skills and knowledge within each of the following domains: prevention, recognition and evaluation, management/treatment and disposition, rehabilitation, organization and administration, education and counseling, and research. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive curriculum has been designed to integrate formal classroom instruction and clinical education. The program prepares the graduate for:

  • Professional Interaction
    • To interact and communicate with others using a combination of communication and technological skills for a clear exchange of ideas and information.
    • These skills include: integrating different media in a variety of professional settings, using computers and other informational technology, using data, listening and comprehending the viewpoints of others, and effectively presenting information in oral and written formats.
  • Personal and Professional Decision Making
    • To use critical and creative thinking in solving problems, making decisions, and gaining new insights in both personal and professional decision making.
    • These skills include: clarifying and justifying assumptions, reasoning through implications and consequences, inferring and drawing conclusions, and evaluating the historical, cultural, social, political, and aesthetic impact on decisions.
  • Professional Ethics and Responsibility
    • To value the need for lifelong personal and professional development and mandate for ethical, responsible, and accountable professional practice or performance which includes a sensitivity and affirmation to protect human rights and values in an evolving technological society.
  • Professional Competence
    • To synthesize the body of knowledge of the discipline with the skills and abilities for an entry-level practice. This ability includes applying research findings to ensure currency in the practice and the advancement of theoretical knowledge and practice within a discipline.
  • Self-Reflection
    • To accurately discern the quality of one’s skills, abilities, and health practices and use of the mind/body relationship to continue to improve overall abilities, physical health, self-esteem, and self-expression and to value one’s responsibility for the development of a sustainable lifestyle.

The Athletic Training Education Program shall prepare graduates to:

  • Use reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in athletic training courses and apply these skills for purposes of comprehension, discovery, enjoyment, debate, and clear exchange of ideas and information.
  • Understand numerical data and their applications to a variety of sports medicine-specific content and activities.
  • Value holistic health practice for self and others.
  • Demonstrate the confidence and the degree of knowledge, skills, and abilities for an entry-level athletic trainer.
  • Use computers and other technology to enhance communication, inquiry, problem-solving, and decision-making within athletic training.
  • Value the contribution of research to the advancement of theoretical knowledge and practice within athletic training.
  • Appreciate the need for lifelong personal and professional development and society’s mandate for ethical, responsible, and accountable professional practice.
  • Use the body/mind relationship as a means of improving health and enhancing self-esteem and self-expression.
  • Use critical thinking to solve problems, make decisions, and gain new insights into both personal and professional domains.
  • Develop a sensitivity to the ethical issues and dilemmas created within an evolving, technological society and the need to respond in ways which affirm and protect human rights and values.
  • Provide leadership and organization in their tasks of developing or running athletic training healthcare services.
  • Educate others in the domains of athletic training (e.g., prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation) and in the profession itself.

An application to the curriculum as well as documentation of the requirements must be provided to the program director prior to admittance into the athletic training educational program.

Liability Insurance Requirement

You will be required to carry liability insurance during your practicum experiences. It is required that copy showing proof of insurance is provided prior to your start in the athletic training practicum experience.

HPSO is an excellent company that also has very reasonable rates for students.

Follow the following steps to set up an account:

  1. Professional liability insurance “get a quick quote”
    1. Kansas
    2. Athletic Trainer
  2. Read about HPSO’s Professional Liability Program

Make sure that you mark the following sections:

  • Student
  • Part-time
  • Recent graduate: NO

The cost of annually maintaining this liability insurance as a student is around $29 to $35 dollars.

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