Students admitted into the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) are required to complete a 6-semester clinical experience at Whitworth-approved clinical affiliates (ACA's). The experience typically will begin during the fall term of the student's sophomore year.

The first term clinical experience (KIN 283) will include content from the following areas:

• Injury Prevention
• Implementation of Emergency Action Plans
• Acute Care and Management Athletic Injuries
• Health Care Administration

During this term, the student will be exposed to general training room operations, non-contact, contact, and collision sports as well as both male and female athletes at Whitworth.

The second term clinical experience (KIN 284) immerses the athletic training student (ATS) in the completion of competencies related to:

• Professional Development and Responsibilities
  • Resume Development
  • Professional Goal Setting
• Ethical Professional Practice
• Integration of the Christian Faith in Athletic Training

During this term, the student will be exposed to general training room operations, non-contact, contact, and collision sports as well as both male and female athletes at Whitworth.

The third term clinical experience (KIN 383) includes two separate, 7-week experiences. One of those experiences will be completed at a general medical health care facility instructing and evaluating competencies related to:

• Pharmacology
• General Medical Conditions
• Patient History
• Vital Signs
• Skin Conditions
• Respiratory Conditions
• Neurological Conditions
• Endocrine Conditions
• Disordered Eating
• Genitourinary Conditions
• Gynecological Concerns
• Viral Conditions
• Systemic Conditions
• Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat Conditions
• Gastrointestinal Conditions
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases

The general medical clinical experience may be completed as part of KIN 383 or KIN 384 based on availability of appropriate general medical clinical affiliations.

The other 7-week rotation immerses the ATS in instruction and assessment related to:

• Therapeutic Modalities
• Pathophysiology of Tissue Healing

This rotation will be at area high schools or sports physical therapy clinics.

The fourth term clinical experience (KIN 384) includes instruction and assessment related to:

• Lower Extremity Assessment
  Injury Prevention and acute care of lower extremity conditions
• Nutritional Aspects including:
  • Weight gain
  • Weight loss
  • Nutritional needs
  • Energy expenditure
• Psychosocial Intervention during rehabilitation

This rotation will be at area high schools or sports physical therapy clinics.

The general medical clinical experience previously described in the third term clinical experience may be completed as part of KIN 383 or KIN 384 based on availability of appropriate general medical clinical affiliations.

The fifth term clinical experience (KIN 483) includes instruction and assessment related to:

• Upper Extremity Assessment
• Injury Prevention and acute care of upper extremity conditions
• Head and Spinal Injury assessment and management
• Recognition and intervention for disordered eating
• Health Care Administration including:
• Technology application
• Facility design
• Risk management
• Interpretation of scientific research
• Scholarly research and presentation

This experience will be completed at Whitworth and the student may be assigned a team.

The sixth term clinical experience (KIN 484) included instruction and assessment related to:

• Therapeutic Rehabilitation
• Principles of Conditioning
• Sports Nutrition
  
  It also provides a capstone experience for seniors to prepare for:
  • NATA-BOC Exam
  • Interviewing and Employment Preparation
  • Scholarly research and presentation
    
    

The Clinical Experience (CE) contributes to the learning over time concept of instruction. Proficiencies are initially instructed and evaluated in the curriculum. The CE requires the reintroduction and reassessment of clinical proficiencies. Clinical Instructors (CI's) are expected to provide "daily personal/verbal contact at the site of supervision between the athletic training student and the certified athletic trainer who plans, directs, advises, and evaluates the students athletic training experience."

Students are assigned to a clinical instructor at each ACA, who is responsible for providing regular instruction and consistent evaluation. Students will be available 15 hours/week and typically in the afternoons. Students will be currently enrolled or will have successfully completed the appropriate prerequisite coursework prior to the assigned CE. Students are expected to complete 1200 hours of clinical experience during the required six semesters. Nine hundred of those hours are to be directly supervised by an ATC and the other 300 are to be supervised by other appropriate health care professionals. The CE will be assigned by the program director in collaboration with the head athletic trainer at Whitworth and the ATS. At no time should the ATS be allowed to serve as replacement for regular clinical staff. The CE should follow the academic calendar of Whitworth.

Athletic training students enrolled in each CE are full time undergraduate students that have met appropriate technical standards for program admission and have been formally accepted into the program. Students have appropriate immunizations for Allied Health Care Providers and hold current CPR, Emergency Response, and AED Certificates.

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