Clinical Experience

Each semester of the program includes clinical education experiences linked directly to the professional coursework through the Clinical Skills courses.  Students are assigned to a different preceptor each semester of program enrollment.  In accordance with accreditation guidelines and program philosophy, students complete exposures to individual & team sports, sports requiring protective equipment, patients of different sexes, non-sport patient populations and a variety of conditions other than orthopaedics.  Each student will complete a clinical rotation requiring either pre-season or post-season experience and travel.  Over the six semesters of program enrollment students will spend a minimum of two semesters in the on-campus athletic training facilities and a minimum of one semester of clinical experience off-campus at a local high school.  The first two semesters are spent in clinical assignments in the on-campus facilities.  Effective with the 2016 cohort, the final semester of program enrolment will include 4 week long rotations through a physical therapy clinic and family practice/general medicine/internal medicine physician office.  Clinical education assignments are designed to ensure the student exposure to diverse educational experiences through work with a variety of preceptors, patients and allied medical and medical professionals in many different settings.  In addition to the 16 clinical sites within the UA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, a range of local high schools, physical therapy clinics, physician offices and the UA Student Recreation Center serve as affiliated clinical settings within the AT Program.