Westfield State University Athletic Training Program Receives Lengthy Reaccreditation
Westfield State University (WSU) Athletic Training Program has earned the maximal reaccreditation duration after the recent review by the Committee on Accreditation for Athletic Training Education (CAATE). It is common for reaccreditation of three- or five-year periods. The ten-year reaccreditation recently earned by WSU Athletic Training Program extends through the 2032 academic year.
WSU has been accredited by CAATE since 2001, and the curriculum has undergone considerable changes due to evolving practices in the field. The reaccreditation process now details compliance in 109 profession-specific standards.
Recent events, such as Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field due to cardiac arrest and a severe neck laceration suffered by an Army men’s hockey player highlights the vital need for athletic trainers in many settings.
The extensive coordination of Athletic Training education with other healthcare professions on campus prepares our students for interprofessional strategic planning, communication, and implementation in emergency and non-emergency health care situations. In addition to their rigorous academic coursework, WSU Athletic Training students are required to participate in a variety of graded clinical settings to assure a high level of technical proficiency before their graduation. Additionally, the WSU coursework emphasizes advanced evidence-based clinical research strategies by undergraduates. This has resulted in our undergraduate students publishing articles in professional journals, and research presentations at national and regional conferences in the last six years.
WSU graduates have and are working as athletic trainers in the high schools, universities and clinics throughout our region. Alumni are also employed in professional baseball, professional ice hockey, industrial settings, and leading research hospitals. Recent graduates have also furthered their professional knowledge by adding graduate degrees in related fields to extend their impact on health care delivery.
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