The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Kinesiology is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Athletic Training Program.
To honor the anniversary, the Southern Miss Athletic Training Alumni Association will host a tailgate before the homecoming game Oct. 17 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Pride Field on the Hattiesburg Campus. The association invites all alumni of the program, faculty and current athletic training students to attend.
In addition to the tailgate, the Athletic Training Club, with the assistance of the School of Kinesiology, is hosting the 20th annual Homecoming 5K at 8:30 a.m. at Pride Field.
Proceeds from the 5K will go to the Athletic Training Club and will chiefly be used to send the athletic training students to the Southeastern Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Athletic Training Student Symposium, which will be held in Atlanta in February.
“The Athletic Training Program is a nationally accredited program that prepares students for National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification Exam,” said School of Kinesiology professor Bill Holcomb. “The program offers lecture, laboratory and clinical classes in the prevention, examination, emergency care, management and rehabilitation of athletic injuries.”
For students to become certified athletic trainers, they must pass the national certification exam.
According to the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, the national average first-time passing rate for all professional athletic training programs for 2012-2014 was 82 percent.
Last year, 100 percent of the graduating class passed the exam on the first try.
“The educational symposium is where they will be exposed to advanced techniques and ideas in the field of athletic training,” said Christopher Brown, clinical education coordinator of the Athletic Training Program.
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association was founded in 1950 and has formed a learning environment of quality clinical care and traditional classroom settings.
Within 25 years of its establishment, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association has grown into a degree-awarding educational program. The Athletic Training program has led many of its students to diverse levels of local and international career settings. Alumni from the program are employed at orthopedic and physical therapy clinics, high schools, colleges and professional settings around the region and nation. To register for the 20th annual Homecoming 5K, visit the USM School of Kinesiology web page. For more information about the School of Kinesiology’s Athletic Training Program in The University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Health, visit www.usm.edu/athletictraining.
