Athletic Training Education Program
Clinical Education
The George Mason University ATEP consists of two phases of educational preparation.
1. Pre-Professional Phase: First year students
2. Professional Phase: Second year students onwards
Pre-Professional Phase students spend their first year in the ATEP completing introductory course work such as introduction to athletic training and basic anatomy courses. Upon successful completion of the Pre-Professional Phase, students possess the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to advance into the Professional Phase of the ATEP where they will participate in clinical education course work and clinical experiences. The professional phase has three levels.
Our Clinical Education Philosophy
The union of classroom instruction and clinical education is a vital part of the preparation of the athletic training professional. The goal of clinical education in the George Mason University ATEP is to facilitate understanding through practice and application of classroom knowledge and clinical skills in an array of practice settings. The Mason ATEP embraces the principle of “Learning Over Time”. Students are provided multiple opportunities to practice, develop, and refine the knowledge, skills and professional dispositions necessary to successfully function as high caliber healthcare professionals.
Beginning in their sophomore year, qualified students will be admitted into the Professional Phase of the ATEP. During the Professional Phase students are required to complete a sequence of consecutive clinical education experiences (See Degree Requirements). Clinical experiences are designed to provide students with diverse service learning opportunities in a variety of athletic training health care settings. Each clinical experience is designed to promote student learning through interactions with real patients under the direct supervision of an Approved Clinical Instructor (ACI).
Clinical Education Guidelines
The George Mason University ATEP clinical education plan follows guidelines set forth in the CAATE "Standards and Guidelines for an Accredited Educational Program for the Athletic Trainer" and the NATA Education Council´s recommendations for effective clinical instruction.
Clinical experiences follow a logical progression consistent with students’ levels within the program that reinforce the sequence of formal classroom and psychomotor skill learning. Each clinical experience has an overarching theme. These themes progress throughout the ATEP Professional Phase as follows:
- • Level I; Clinical Experience 1 and 2:
- Theme: Assessment and Management Techniques (Musculoskeletal and General Medical Conditions)
- • Level II; Clinical Experience 3 and 4:
- Theme: Treatment Techniques (Therapeutic Modalities and Rehabilitation) and Professional Responsibilities (Organization and Administration)
- • Level III; Clinical Experience 5:
- Theme: Culminating Clinical Experience (Professional Practices and Skill Integration)
At the beginning of each clinical experience students and ACIs are educated about these clinical experience themes. In addition, ACIs are provided information related to current academic status and clinical abilities for their assigned students. Therefore, the GMU ATEP ensures that ACIs provide appropriate levels of progressively increasing clinically-supervised responsibility to each student as they advance through the ATEP.
Clinical Experiences
Clinical experiences are assigned and scheduled by ATEP faculty based upon consultations with students and ACIs. All clinical experiences are paired with concurrent didactic and clinical education courses (See Degree Requirements). Over the course of their academic career, students obtain several supervised clinical experiences exposing them to diverse patient populations, injuries, and conditions.