This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
2001 K Street NW
3rd Floor North
Washington, DC 20006
512-733-9700
support@caate.net
https://caate.net/
The AT Profession
In 1990 the American Medical Association recognized athletic training as an allied health profession. Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified multi-skilled health care professionals who render service or treatment, under the direction of or in collaboration with a physician, in accordance with their education, training, and the state's statutes, rules, and regulations as defined by the Athletic Training Strategic Alliance. Career opportunities exist in settings such as college/university athletic departments, secondary school systems, professional sports, sports medicine clinics, corporate/industrial settings, physicians’ offices, and other healthcare environments.
After graduating from an accredited professional education program, athletic trainers must pass the Board of Certification, Inc. (BOC) exam and/or meet the requirements of individual states to practice athletic training. Additional credentialing requirements for athletic training vary from state to state according to athletic training practice acts and state regulations that govern athletic training. A felony or misdemeanor conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the BOC examination or attain state licensure.
Program Description
The TTUHSC Master of Athletic Training Program was initially established in 2000 to prepare and equip certified and licensed athletic trainers to serve West Texas and beyond. Over the years, our program has changed and developed but one thing has remained at our core: the desire to prepare well-rounded and highly competent medical professionals who possess not only the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be their best but also the personal touch, care, and compassion to make them truly exceptional and highly coveted in the job market.
Our program has enjoyed considerable success, with cohorts of 20+ attaining first-time BOC pass rates between 88-100% over the last decade, including a six-year streak of 100% first-time passage. The program was granted a 10-year reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Athletic Training Education (CAATE) in 2019 and has since worked to develop a core framework to lead, guide, and direct our path for the future. We believe our program is unique and innovative in its multi-factor pathway approach to equipping each student to become the latest in a long and proud legacy of alumni who are impacting their communities, the region, the country, and the world.
Our graduates have gone on to find success in every area of modern athletic training practice. Their high levels of satisfaction as evidenced through alumni surveys and their employers' satisfaction with their knowledge, skills, and abilities as demonstrated via employer surveys provide evidence of program effectiveness. However, it is the consistent participation and "extra mile" mentality as evidenced through participation in voluntary experiences like mentoring programs, guest lectures, and mock interviews that provide ample evidence to the program's effectiveness in producing health care professionals who are not just an asset to the workplace but also to their communities.
Mission
Our mission is to enrich the lives of others by educating and empowering athletic training students to become confident, competent, and collaborative health care professionals who positively impact the patients and the communities they serve.
Vision
Transform athletic training and sports medicine through excellence, professionalism, agility, resilience, and servant leadership.
Technical Standards
The Athletic Training Program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a rigorous and intense program that places specific professional, intellectual, physical, and social requirements and demands on the students enrolled in the program. An objective of this program is to prepare graduates to enter a variety of employment settings and to render care to a wide spectrum of individuals engaged in physical activity. The technical standards set forth by the Athletic Training Program establish the essential qualities considered necessary for students admitted to this program to achieve the knowledge, skills, and competencies of an entry-level athletic trainer, as well as meet the expectations of the program’s accrediting agency (Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education [CAATE]). The following abilities and expectations must be met by all students admitted to the Athletic Training Program. In the event a student is unable to fulfill these technical standards with or without reasonable accommodation, the student will not be admitted into the program.
Compliance with the program’s technical standards does not guarantee a student’s eligibility for the Board of Certification, Inc. (BOC) certification exam (see www.bocatc.org
for exam eligibility).
Students in the TTUHSC Master of Athletic Training Program must demonstrate:
- The mental capacity to assimilate, analyze, synthesize, integrate concepts, and problem solve to formulate assessment and therapeutic judgments and to be able to distinguish deviations from the norm.
- Sufficient postural and neuromuscular control, sensory function, and coordination to perform appropriate physical examinations using accepted techniques; and accurately, safely, and efficiently use equipment and materials during the assessment and treatment of patients.
- The ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients and colleagues, including individuals from different cultural and social backgrounds. This includes, but is not limited to, the ability to establish rapport with patients and communicate judgments and treatment information effectively. Students must be able to understand and speak the English language at a level consistent with competent professional practice.
- The ability to record physical examination results and a treatment plan clearly and accurately.
- The capacity to maintain composure and continue to function well during periods of high stress.
- The perseverance, diligence, and commitment to complete the athletic training program as outlined and sequenced.
- Flexibility and the ability to adjust to changing situations and uncertainty in clinical situations.
- Affective skills and appropriate demeanor and rapport that relate to professional education and quality patient care.
- The ability, at all times, to conduct themselves in a professional manner with a wide variety of individuals, including but not limited to, faculty, clinical instructors, colleagues, coaches, patients, and students.
- Professional attitudes and behaviors: perform in an ethical manner in dealings with others in adherence to TTHUSC and athletic training profession guidelines, and personal integrity and hygiene consistent with the athletic training profession.
To ensure patient safety for laboratory classes and the clinical experience portion of the MAT program, students must display the following:
- Mobility: have the physical stamina to stand and walk for 12+ hours in a clinical or field setting; be able to stand, move about freely and maneuver in small
spaces and across uneven terrain; be able to tolerate being exposed to extremes in the environment including variable aspects of weather, hazardous fumes, and noise.
- Flexibility: be able to bend the body downward, forward, and to the side by bending at the spine and waist; be able to flex and extend all joints freely.
- Strength: be able to raise objects (25+ lbs) from a lower to a higher position or move objects horizontally from position to position frequently and greater
weights occasionally; possess mobility, coordination and strength to push, pull, or transfer heavy objects weighing 150 lbs. frequently and greater weights occasionally.
- Motor Skills (These skills require coordination of both gross and fine muscular moment and equilibrium): possess manual dexterity, mobility, and stamina to
perform CPR for extended periods of time; be able to seize, hold, grasp, turn, apply pressure, and otherwise work with their hands; be able to make skillful, controlled manipulations of small objects in order to use medical
equipment; be able to differentiate between normal and abnormal findings in human physical conditions by using visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile observations; be able to elicit information from the patient examination,
using palpation, muscle strength assessment, joint range of motion measurement, and other evaluative maneuvers; be the first responder in a potentially catastrophic injury (e.g., in-line stabilization of the cervical spine, rescue
breathing, obstructed airway management, and cardio pulmonary resuscitation); be able to execute movements required to provide therapeutic care, such as performing mobilization and wound care techniques.
- Observation (Observation requires the functional use of vision, hearing, and somatic sensations): be able to participate in laboratory demonstrations; be able
to observe and palpate a patient accurately to determine variations from normal and observe output readings to determine a patient’s condition and the status of a treatment.
- Auditory Ability & Visual Acuity: possess sufficient hearing to assess a patient’s needs, make fine discriminations in sound, follow instructions and communicate
with other health care workers; possess the visual acuity to read, write, and assess the patient and the environment.
- Communication: possess verbal/nonverbal and written communication skills adequate to exchange ideas, detailed information, and instructions accurately; be able
to read, comprehend, write legibly, and communicate effectively (both orally and in writing); be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients to elicit information regarding mood, activities, and health complaints,
as well as perceive nonverbal communications; be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with other members of the health care and athletic community to convey information essential for safe and effective care;
be able to read, communicate in writing, and demonstrate computer literacy to complete assignments; be able to communicate with accuracy, clarity, efficiency, and sensitivity.
- Interpersonal Skills: be able to interact purposefully and effectively with others; be able to convey sensitivity, respect, tact, and a mentally healthy attitude;
be oriented to time, person, place and not mentally impaired to make decisions that would immediately impact the health of others by prescription or nonprescription mind-altering substances; possess sufficient emotional stability
to be able to perform duties in life or death situations and in potentially dangerous social situations, including caring for injured individuals in hostile environments; be able to handle stress and work well as part of a
team.
- Intellectual Abilities: be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships of structures; be able to measure, calculate,
reason, analyze, integrate, and synthesize information in a timely fashion; be able to synthesize knowledge and integrate the relevant aspects of a patient’s history and examination findings to develop an effective treatment
program.
- Behavioral & Social Attributes: possess the psychological ability required to exercise good judgment; possess the psychological ability required to promptly
complete all responsibilities inherent to the assessment and care of patients; possess the psychological ability required to develop mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients; be able to tolerate physically
and mentally taxing workloads; be able to adapt and display flexibility (e.g. changing environment, practice schedule, travel); be able to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of patients;
be able to demonstrate ethical behavior, both in laboratory classes and during their clinical experience; be able to respond with precise, quick and appropriate action in emergency situations including, but not limited
to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR); possess the ability to function safely, effectively, and make and execute quick, appropriate and accurate decisions under stress.
Adapted from the: NATA Education Council Guidelines. Accepted applicants to the MAT program are required to verify that they understand and meet these essential functions, or that they believe that with certain accommodations they can meet the standards.
Any student with a disability who is accepted to the MAT program must contact Student Disability Services (SDS) in the TTUHSC Office of Student Affairs as soon as possible. SDS staff will determine whether the stated condition qualifies as a disability under applicable laws and work with the program faculty to determine reasonable accommodations, taking into account whether accommodations would jeopardize clinician/patient safety or the educational process of the student or the institution, including all course work, clinical educational experiences, and internships deemed essential to graduation. Students are required to read and sign the MAT program technical standards form and to update their responses on this form if their health status changes. Students who require accommodation to meet the technical standards must obtain verification by the authorized institutional office (see above) as defined by the sponsoring institution policy that proper accommodation has been provided for the student to meet the standard.
Transfer Policy
Students who wish to transfer to one of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Health Professions (SHP) programs from an equivalent degree program must meet the specific program’s admissions criteria and be subjected to the same admissions process as a traditional applicant. Transfer students may be eligible for a waiver from classes taken at their previous institution. The student must provide supporting documents specified by the program for courses to be waived. The decision to allow the student to waive the course will be made by the program director on a case-by-case basis. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admissions.
Admission to the Program
The athletic training program begins the Tuesday after Memorial Day each year. Class size is limited and the admissions process is competitive.
The following is required for an individual to be considered for the MAT program:
- Completion of the TTUHSC Master of Athletic Training application
- Two letters of recommendation
- A complete essay
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
- A minimum cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale.
- A “C” or better in all prerequisite courses
- Verification of completed athletic training observation hours post-high school (minimum of 50 hours completed with credentialed athletic trainer)
Additionally, the following information must be provided prior to a student’s matriculation in the MAT program:
- Completed Technical Standards form
- Verification of all required immunizations
All applications to the MAT are submitted through the Athletic Training Centralized Application System (ATCAS) https://atcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login and a School of Health Professions supplemental application www.ttuhsc.edu/health-professions/admissions/application.aspx. The deadline for the receipt of the application, supporting documentation, and application fee is March 15th. Applicants will need to plan accordingly. It is in the best interest of the applicant to apply as early as possible (typically, applicants who apply by December 1st get full consideration for available scholarships). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure all application materials have been received by the SHP Office of Admissions prior to the application deadline.
Qualified candidates selected by the Athletic Training Admissions Committee will be contacted for an interview. Fulfillment of the basic admissions requirements does not guarantee admission. Acceptance into the MAT program is based on a holistic scoring system including grade point average (cumulative and prerequisite courses), completion of all prerequisite courses, athletic training observation/experience, essay, letters of recommendation, and interview scores.
Prerequisite Courses
Applicants must have earned a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, complete the application process (outlined above), and have completed or plan to complete all prerequisite courses with a 2.7 G.P.A. on a 4.0 scale and a “C” or better prior to enrollment.
To qualify for admission, applicants must have completed or planned to complete all prerequisite courses from a regionally accredited two-year college or college/university in the United States prior to enrollment. International students, please visit https://www.ttuhsc.edu/health-professions/admissions/international_applicants.aspx
.
Prerequisite Course | Semester Hours |
Human Anatomy (or A&P I)
| 3-4 |
Human Physiology (or A&P II)
| 3-4 |
Exercise Physiology
| 3 |
Biomechanics/Kinesiology
| 3 |
| Nutrition | 3 |
Statistics
(1 course to include descriptive statistics, correlation, & introduction to inferential statistics or research design) | 3 |
Biology with lab
(2 semester sequence with lab is recommended) | 3-4 |
Chemistry with lab
(2 semester sequence with lab is recommended)
| 3-4 |
Physics with lab
(2 semester sequence with lab is recommended)
| 3-4 |
| General Psychology | 3-4 |
| Total Hours = 30-36 |
*Recommended Course: Technical Writing
*If prerequisite courses have not been completed in the last seven years, program director approval for acceptance of courses may be required.
