| The Department
of Exercise and Sport Science in cooperation with the Division of Sports
Medicine and the Department of Athletics offers a specialization in athletic
training at the graduate level which has been approved as a Graduate
Post-Professional Athletic Training Education Program by the NATA since 1975.
The graduate program prepares individuals to function as clinicians, scientists,
and educators, in exercise and sport science. The mission of the department is
further enhanced through interdisciplinary cooperation and by departmental
faculty securing competitive extramural funding in the form of contracts and
grants. These endeavors enable the department to advance knowledge and thus the
discipline.
The Division of Sports Medicine at the University of North Carolina was
established in 1972 to provide for all the health care needs of the
student-athlete, in addition to first aid, athletic training, and follow-up care
for physical activity, intramural, and free play athletes injured during normal
operating hours. As the student-athlete population expanded and the need for
Sports Medicine care became greater, the Sports Medicine Section started
providing Physical Therapy care for all students. Since the opening of the
Campus Health Service in January 1980, the Sport Medicine Section has operated a
physical therapy clinic that is available to all students upon referral by a
physician.
The Division of Sports Medicine is housed administratively in the Student Health
Service. An original charge of the Student Health Service was to provide
educational and clinical opportunities and experience to a variety of health
care professionals including medical students; residents in orthopedics, family
practice, and pediatrics; athletic trainers; and physical therapists. The
Division worked cooperatively with the Department of Exercise and Sport Science
and the Division of Physical Therapy to establish a graduate program in Athletic
Training. This graduate program gained initial approval from the National
Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) in 1975 and is now administered through the
Department of Exercise and Sport Science. The Athletic Training specialization
shares close ties with a number of units on campus including the Department of
Athletics, the Campus Health Service, the Department of Orthopedics, the
Intramural Program, and the Club Sports Program. This is a unique arrangement
relative to most of our peer institutions.
The graduate specialization in Athletic Training provides additional cognitive
knowledge as well as clinical experiences to students who have demonstrated
continuing interests in Athletic Training as a chosen profession. An academic
curriculum dealing with prevention, evaluation, management and rehabilitation of
athletic injuries is supplemented by clinical experiences in the athletic
training clinics and physical therapy clinic staffed by the Campus Health
Services' Division of Sports Medicine. Additional practical experience is
provided through assignment of students to coverage of two athletic teams during
the school year. Clinical experiences are under the direct supervision of a
highly qualified staff.
The Athletic Training specialization is comprehensive and challenging and
is designed to provide maximum academic and practical preparation for the
professional Athletic Trainer. Follow this link for
additional information regarding the Graduate Athletic Training
specialization
|
