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Daemen College Offers New Master of Science in Athletic Training Degree
Combined BS/MS Degree Program One of Only Five in the NationDaemen College is offering an entry-level Master of Science in Athletic Training degree. Students entering the five year program will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Studies at the end of year four and a Master of Science in Athletic Training upon completion of year five.
Students earning the BS/MS degree will be thoroughly prepared for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Board of Certification exam. According to the NATA, more than 70% of Certified Athletic Trainers have at least a Masters Degree. Through the Bachelor level coursework in Health Care Studies/Health and Fitness Training, students are prepared to sit for the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam, and the American College of Sports Medicine’s Personal Trainer or Health and Fitness Instructor exams.
“Daemen College has recently learned that one of the graduates of our Physical Therapy Program has directed her career into athletic training, and has become the first female head of physical therapy in major league baseball, with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” said Daemen President Dr. Martin J. Anisman. “By providing a high level of education through this new Master of Science in Athletic Training degree, it is our belief that we will make it possible for more of our graduates to compete at any level in this burgeoning career field in today’s and tomorrow’s marketplace.”
Students in the Daemen College Athletic Training program will have opportunities to gain clinical experience working directly with student-athletes at Daemen and other affiliated institutions in Western New York. Students begin their clinical experience working with National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II scholarship athletes at Daemen, and will also complete clinical experience at numerous off campus sites, which will include other colleges, universities, high schools, sports medicine clinics, hospitals, and industrial settings.
“Daemen’s BS/MS Athletic Training program goes well beyond the basics,” noted Daemen Dean of Health and Human Services Dr. Michael S. Brogan.
“The Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Care Studies develops a foundation in health care for our athletic training students, and, also, provides a broad education that encompasses community health and disease prevention, health care systems, and health systems management.”
The Daemen College Athletic Training Program is administered through the Daemen Health Care Studies Program, chaired by Justine Tutuska. Tutuska holds a Master of Public Health degree in health promotion from San Diego State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, from the State University of New York College at Oswego.
Dr. Lynn Matthews, ATC, PT, DPT, COMT, is consultant to the Daemen Athletic Training Program. Dr. Matthews brings 26 years of experience working in the field of sports medicine; her experience includes working with high school and college athletes. She has been an adjunct faculty member of Daemen College since 2006. Dr. Matthews holds a B.S. in Physical Therapy from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, from Daemen. She also received a Bachelor of Science with a minor in Athletic Training from West Virginia University, and an M.S. in Secondary Education from Bradley University.
The Certified Athletic Trainer is an integral part of the sports medicine team and works collaboratively with a physician and other allied health professionals. Athletic Training is recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) as an allied health care profession. Certified Athletic Trainers are employed in secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, sports medicine clinics, military, and in the industrial and commercial settings.
A Certified Athletic Trainer is a highly educated and skilled allied health professional dedicated to preventing, recognizing, treating, managing, and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity, and has earned either a Bachelor of Science or Master of Science degree from an accredited program and has passed the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification exam. The Certified Athletic Trainer is concerned with the well-being of the athlete and generally assumes responsibility for overseeing the total health care for the athlete. The Certified Athletic Trainer works with physicians and other medical personnel, employers, patients, parents, guardians, and athletic personnel in the development and coordination of efficient and responsive health care delivery systems.
Daemen College Athletic Training coursework includes the following: Anatomy and physiology, neuroscience, nutritional aspects of injury and illness, pharmacology, psychology, sports psychology, counseling, education, communication, kinesiology, exercise physiology, infection control, professional development and responsibilities, health care administration, ethics, prevention and care of athletic injuries, therapeutic modalities, therapeutic exercise, and assessment and evaluation. Included in the curriculum is Gross Anatomy which includes cadaver dissection thus providing students with a strong foundation on which to build the rest of their education. (note: only a very few programs offer cadaver dissection).
For additional information on the Daemen College Athletic Training Degree program, contact the Daemen office of Admissions, (716) 839-8225, or visit the Daemen website, at www.daemen.edu.