Athletic Training Major (ATHT), BS

Selection/Retention Procedures:

Application Requirements (must be accepted before clinical courses can be taken):
Student applicants to the Athletic Training Education Program should follow these procedures:

1. Apply and be accepted for admission to Harding University.
2. Complete an application that would include appropriate ACT/SAT scores and other pertinent information. This application can be obtained by indicating Athletic Training as the preferred major on the admissions applications or by contacting the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences  for an application. Forms are also available online at http://www.harding.edu/kine/PDF/ApplicationPdf.PDF.
3. Submit three (3) letters of recommendations. Letters are character references with at least one letter from a head athletic trainer, coach, team physician, or other supervisory personnel who would be able to attest to the student’s work in the field of athletic training.
4. If the student has no experience in athletic training, he or she must prepare a letter that would explain his or her interests in this field and career goals associated with the attainment of a degree in athletic training.
5. Provide an official high school transcript and transcripts of any college credits completed.
6. All application materials and transcripts must be sent to Randy Lambeth, Program Director, Harding University Box 12281, Searcy, Arkansas 72149-2281.

Upon receipt of all application materials by the program director, the student will be eligible for selection into candidacy phase of the Athletic Training Education Program.

Preliminary Selection-Candidacy Phase:
Applicants will be ranked numerically based on the following criteria:

1. Nonweighted, cumulative high school GPA/4.0 scale.
2. GPA/4.0 scale in high school science and sports medicine related coursework.
3. Class rank/ACT-SAT scores.
4. Previous athletic training experience or paper explaining interest in athletic training.
5. Recommendations.
6. Extracurricular activities/leadership experience.

The top applicants in this ranking are eligible for candidacy status. Applicants not invited to enter the candidacy phase may reapply the following year. All applicants who eventually reapply must meet all requirements in effect at the time of application. (The athletic training clinical team will meet the accreditation guideline of no more than 8 students per approved clinical instructor or staff.)

Retention:
Retention in the Athletic Training Education Program will be based on the following criteria:

1. Cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher.
2. GPA of 2.50 or higher in all coursework in the major.
3. Compliance with all policies defined in the Athletic Training Education Handbook.
4. Compliance with the rules and regulations of Harding University.
5. Clinical evaluations.
6. Formal interviews. 

Failure to meet any one of the retention criteria requires the student to be on probationary status. If the student fails to meet the criteria for two consecutive semesters, the student may be dropped from the program.

Athletic Training Technical Standards:
The athletic training education program is a rigorous and intensive program that places specific 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 education 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 expectations of the program’s accrediting agency.

Prior to acceptance into the athletic training education program, each student will be required to verify he or she can meet the required technical standards of the Harding University Athletic Training Education Program, with or without reasonable accommodation, associated with performance as an athletic training student. Students accepting a position in the program who indicate that they can meet the technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation, are not required to disclose the specifics of the disabilities until after acceptance into the program. After acceptance into the program, a student with a disability who wishes reasonable accommodation must take a formal request to the director of the Athletic Training Education Program and must be prepared to provide documentation substantiating the claimed disability.

A student may be administratively withdrawn if it becomes apparent that the student cannot complete essential tasks even with accommodation, that the accommodations needed are not reasonable and would cause undue hardship to the institution, or that fulfilling the functions would create a significant risk to the health or safety of others. A review of accommodations will be made, taking into account whether the accommodations would threaten clinician/patient safety or health, or the educational process of the student or the institution, including coursework, clinical experiences and internships deemed essential for graduation.

Reasonable accommodations cannot reduce the rigor of the academic component that can detract from measuring the students’ cognitive and psychomotor ability to provide health care to an injured physically active person/athlete in a life-threatening or nonlife-threatening situation.

The following are the technical standards for the Athletic Training Education Program at Harding University:

1. Candidates must be able to actively learn from observations, demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences.
2. Candidates must be able to learn to analyze, solve problems and reach assessment and therapeutic judgment distinguished from the norm.
3. Candidates must have sufficient sensory function and coordination to perform appropriate physical examination using acceptable techniques.
4. Candidates must be able to relate effectively to athletes and the physically active and to establish sensitive, professional relationships with them.
5. Candidates are expected to be able to communicate the results of the assessment to the injured or ill exerciser, to responsible officials, to parents or guardians, and to colleagues with accuracy, clarity and efficiency.
6. Candidates are expected to learn and perform routine prevention, assessment, emergency care and therapeutic procedures.
7. Candidates are expected to be able to display good judgment in the assessment and treatment of injured or ill athletes and physically active individuals.
8. Candidates must be able to respond with precise, quick and appropriate action in emergency situations.
9. Candidates are expected to be able to accept criticism and respond by appropriate modification behavior.
10. Candidates are expected to possess the perseverance, diligence and consistency to complete the athletic training curriculum, to attempt BOC certification within the year of program completion and enter the practice of athletic training.

Requirements

Total Hours: 128