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Pre-Athletic Training Advising

Pre-Athletic Training Advising

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Pre-athletic training advising spans all the years of a student's Whitworth education. Explore your career interests, receive personalized guidance, and gain invaluable skills and experience outside of the classroom. The skills you gain will prepare you to be a competitive applicant for an accredited graduate athletic training program and will build the foundation for your future as a holistic clinician. Chart a clear path to athletic training with a pre-athletic training minor.

What is athletic training?

Athletic trainers are healthcare professionals who provide preventive services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Athletic training falls under the larger umbrella of sports medicine, and athletic trainers work closely with physicians. Whitworth's B.S. in rehabilitation science major and pre-AT minor are specifically designed to prepare you for successful entry into an accredited, graduate-level athletic training program. The pre-athletic training minor includes all nationally mandated prerequisite courses.

Why pursue pre-athletic training advising at Whitworth?

  • Find your calling. Vocational discernment is interwoven into all aspects of pre-athletic training advising, from mentoring to coursework to internship experiences.
  • Form connections with professors and advisors who want to see you succeed and will support you every step of the way.
  • Our advisors even continue to assist students after their Whitworth graduation, particularly as they prepare their graduate athletic training program applications.
  • Build leadership skills that will strengthen your résumé. At Whitworth, you will have many opportunities to develop into a capable and caring leader, whether by volunteering for a worthwhile cause, getting involved with student government or residence life, or serving as a teaching assistant.
  • Develop transferable skills that will make you more effective in your future career in healthcare and in other areas of life. A Whitworth liberal arts education will prepare you to think critically and communicate clearly.
  • Become who you're meant to be.
A row of trees stands at the end of a field covered in multi-colored autumn leaves.

Ask our faculty

Have questions? Our faculty are here to share their expertise and help you learn more about this program.

Ask Cynthia

cwright@whitworth.edu

Professor of Health Sciences Cynthia Wright's area of athletic training expertise is orthopedic injury assessment and treatment.

Faculty Page

Ask Smokey

sfermin@whitworth.edu

Associate Professor of Health Sciences Smokey Fermin's area of athletic training expertise is manual therapy.

Faculty Page

Ask Shane

swibel@whitworth.edu

Associate Professor of Health Sciences Shane Wibel's area of athletic training expertise is acute care and coordinating internships.

Faculty Page

Our pre-athletic training grads make a difference (and get jobs)

"We have been fortunate to have alumni from Whitworth University's Athletic Training Program as a part of our intercollegiate sports medicine staff for nearly two decades. The athletic trainers that have come from Whitworth's program to work with us have been great clinicians and excellent professionals, and they have had a genuine respect for the history of our profession. More importantly, they have all been good people with strong values that represent everything positive about Whitworth University, at the same time leading the way as quality healthcare professionals."
– Anonymous, University Director of Sports Medicine in the Pacific Northwest

Our alumni find careers as athletic trainers in high school, collegiate or professional sports, physician offices, corporate/occupational health settings, and therapy clinics.

Recent careers pursued by Whitworth pre-athletic training alumni:

  • Jesus Gonzalez '23, athletic trainer, Multicare
  • Shirley Chandler '22, athletic trainer, Seattle Pacific University
  • Coral Hjert '20, program manager & athletic trainer, Amazon
  • Jared Flattum '21, athletic trainer, University of Washington
  • Skylar Nicholson '22, athletic trainer, New York Mets affiliate minor league baseball

State-of-the-art facility

Our new Dornsife Health Sciences Building includes a motion analysis research lab, exercise physiology labs, anatomy labs, simulation labs, dedicated classroom and functional lab spaces, and a practice clinic. The facility reflects Whitworth's commitments to quality, faculty, student and staff support, accessibility and environmental sustainability.

Pack your bags!

A number of Whitworth study abroad programs are great fits for health science students. Immerse yourself in Japanese culture while you study sports medicine in Japan. Learn how community and strong social bonds impact all aspects of health in Greece. Participate in a Spanish-language healthcare internship in Spain or Costa Rica. Or study for a semester abroad through ISEP.

Internship opportunities

If you're interested in athletic training, you're interested in hands-on learning alongside licensed professionals in dynamic environments like collegiate, high school or professional athletics! We have connections to facilitate athletic-training-focused internships both in Spokane and many other regions. Internships provide opportunities to learn and network, while also completing hours that can count toward admission requirements for graduate programs in athletic training.

What related majors can I explore?

The major that most closely aligns with requirements for graduate athletic training programs is the B.S. in rehabilitation science with a minor in pre-athletic training. However, you may be surprised to learn you can choose any major as a pre-athletic training student – as long as you also fit in the prerequisite courses required by your chosen graduate program. Graduate programs in athletic training require prerequisite coursework in the sciences (e.g., human anatomy & physiology, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology), thus most students choose a major that includes some of these courses. Regardless of your major, we strongly recommend declaring a pre-athletic training minor.

Program information