Clinical Experiences: How Students Gain Real-World Skills

Clinical experiences are one of the most important components of any Master’s in Athletic Training program. While classroom courses build foundational knowledge, it’s the hands-on clinical rotations that allow students to apply what they’ve learned, work with patients, and develop the skills required for professional practice.

What is Clinical Experience in Athletic Training?

Clinical experience refers to the supervised, real-world training athletic training students complete as a part of their degree requirements. Under the guidance of certified athletic trainers and healthcare professionals, students practice clinical skills and decision-making and gain confidence working with patients.

How many Clinical Hours do students complete? 

Most athletic training programs require hundreds of supervised clinical hours, spread across multiple semesters and settings. Students typically complete a mix of immersive experiences and part-time rotations.

Where do Athletic Training students complete their clinical hours?

Most athletic training programs included multiple rotations across a variety of settings to ensure students develop well-rounded clinical competence. These locations could include college athletic settings, high school athletics, sports medicine and orthopedic clinics, general medical and hospital rotations, general medical and hospital rotations, and some more nontraditional settings like industrial and occupational health, performing arts, military and tactical settings and public safety and fire/EMS departments.

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