Atc

[wacokid]

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So to jump off the "DPTs with athletes" thread, hypothtically speaking, if one were in a DPT program right now, and was starting to think that instead of neuro he might enjoy ortho and sports as a focus, and was considering what was involved in getting his ATC after the DPT, how would that happen. There aren't any accelerated ATC programs for physical therapists or anything, are there?

 

[atstudent]

To become a Certified Athletic Trainer, you must graduate from a CAATE-acredited program. I believe it must be done in no fewer than 4 consecutive semesters. There are "entry-level" programs at both the Bachelors and Masters level now. You must graduate from one of these programs in order to be eligible to sit for the BOC exam.

 

[wacokid]

That's what I figured, thanks. Can't really afford to do another two years after the DPT though.

A good option to explore would then be to become a Sports Certified Specialist (possibly through residency), and perhaps a fellowship as well, no?

 

[atstudent]

Well, nothing makes you qualified to work as an athletic trainer other than passing the BOC exam (with exception of Texas?).

SCS would give you a boost to get you into a sports atmosphere maybe, but still would not qualify you to do the day-to-day stuff an athletic trainer does. And I believe you have to be an EMT or athletic trainer to earn your SCS as well anyway...

 

[wacokid]

Or a first responder, you're right. In this case, the latter is easiest.

And it certainly wouldn't be the same thing, but it would be a decent compromise if I wanted to go into the sports field.

 

[jess818]

i was looking into the same thing myself. the only good option (at least from what i have seen) is to get your Master's in ATC, which would stink after going through a 3 year DPT program. you could also get a 2nd bachelor's degree, but that would be 4 years long vs a 2 years master's. it'd be nice if you could just go through some sort of certification course 😛

 

[atstudent]

i was looking into the same thing myself. the only good option (at least from what i have seen) is to get your Master's in ATC, which would stink after going through a 3 year DPT program. you could also get a 2nd bachelor's degree, but that would be 4 years long vs a 2 years master's. it'd be nice if you could just go through some sort of certification course 😛

And I'm sure you'd be fine if Certified Athletic Trainers could just go through a certification course to become a PT too, right? 🙂

 

[jess818]

haha oh if only it were that easy 🙄

in all seriousness, you prove a good point

 

[atstudent]

And I'm glad you understood the joke 😉

I mean I think it is a very valid point and one that isn't always taken seriously. You used to be able to do an internship essentially and become a Certified Athletic Trainer. You also used to be a PT with just a Bachelors Degree. Both professions have evolved and progressed and those things aren't available anymore. Yes, if you are an AT who went with the internship route or you are a PT with only a Bachelors, you are able to work, but you can no longer qualify in that manner anymore.

Athletic Training and Physical Therapy share many things. We both are able to do rehabilitation and functional progression, etc. We both do orthopedic evaluations. But while the athletic trainers stick to the more athletic population and are able to handle more emergent situations, physical therapists stick to the clinic and work more with a large variety of patients.

It is my opinion that both professions are very valuable to healthcare in general and need to work better together. It is likely that won't happen, but I would love to see it! Individual professionals work together all the time, but the two national professional organizations will probably never work together which is unfortunate.