Athletic trainers work with physicians and other members of the sports medicine team to help injured athletes return safely to their sports. Certification by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification is the entry-level credential needed to practice athletic training. Some states also require athletic trainers to be licensed. Hope College has been educating athletic trainer
s since 1982, when it hired its first certified athletic trainer. From 1982 through 1997, athletic training students have qualified to sit for the certification examination of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association via the internship route to certification. In 1995 an athletic training major was established in the Department of Kinesiology. The program received initial CAAHEP accreditation in 1998 with reaccreditation in 2002, and most recently reaccreditation by CAATE in 2011. The athletic training education program is one of three academic majors (Exercise Science and Physical Education are the others) in the Department of Kinesiology. The intercollegiate and intramural athletic programs are also housed in this department. Faculty members in the Department of Kinesiology are expected to make significant contributions to both the academic and the athletic programs. Athletic training faculty, to a varying degree, teach courses in the program, supervise the clinical experiences of students, and provide clinical services to injured student-athletes.The mission of our program is to prepare professionals for careers in sports medicine as certified athletic trainers in the context of an outstanding liberal arts education. The athletic training program at Hope College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). It has two components: coursework and clinical experience. Athletic training students complete clinical internships over the course of four years under the direct supervision of certified athletic trainers. Most of the clinical experience will come from working with Hope student-athletes in our three athletic training facilities, but there are also educational opportunities during rotations in each of the following settings:
+ A local high school
+ A local physical therapy clinic
+ Our team physician's family medicine office
Hope's athletic training program has a competitive admission requirement. All interested students must apply to both the College and the athletic training program. Candidates complete an application form, submit high school or junior college transcripts and three letters of recommendations. You must also visit the campus for a personal interview and meet certain technical standards for admission.
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