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Six signs you’re an athletic training major

1. “You are always in khakis and polos.” – Kyleigh Brumley, sophomore

To some people, they may not be the most comfortable or the most stylish, but the clothing combo does help keep everyone looking uniform and professional. It isn’t hard to spot an athletic training major when they are on their way to clinicals.

2. “You get excited when you see injuries. Especially crazy ones.” – Abbie Klingsmith, senior

These students certainly are not squeamish. They do not shy away from blood, bones or blemishes; their future jobs revolve largely around injuries, after all.

3. “Taping competitions are a thing and you take them very seriously.” – Tia Miller, senior

These sort of competitions are meant to test how quickly and efficiently students can tape portions of the body. Each competitor is timed on how long it takes to accurately tape a body part. Once it’s done, the tape is cut off and they count the number of wrinkles on the skin, which adds five seconds to the student’s overall time.

4. “You have to have good time management skills.” – Brumley

Being part of the athletic training program is a big time commitment. The students have to juggle class, clinicals and homework. They try to maintain their social lives and maybe even jobs as well.

5. “You love evaluations!” – Klingsmith

Whenever an athlete has an injury, it’s up to athletic training students to find the problem and the best way to fix it. The diagnosis is a mystery and athletic training students are detectives. They have to conduct a variety of tests, like range of motion and muscle strengthening tests, in order to figure out what’s going on. Once they’ve got answers, they use what they have learned in class and clinicals to help athletes heal.

6. “The BOC is forever around the corner… and senior year, it’s all you can think about.” – Miller

The Board of Certification is a cumulative written exam all athletic training majors take in order to become certified. It includes materials covered from freshman year up to senior year. The BOC provides the only accredited certification program for athletic trainers in the United States, but no pressure.

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