Tag: Aurora University Athletic Training Education Program

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Aurora University Students Pass the BOC on 92% of First Attempts

Athletic training is one of many fields that require a level of testing or certification before graduates can begin their careers. Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training program are required to pass the Board of Certification (BOC) exam in order to practice in the athletic training field. And AU students have proven that they are ready to move into the professional world by ranking first in BOC pass rates in the Sate of Illinois for the most recent three-year aggregate 2013-2015.

“We’re not only preparing students for the BOC exam, but to be quality healthcare professionals as athletic trainers,” said program director and associate professor of athletic training Oscar Krieger. “Preparing them to be quality professionals is ultimately what is having an impact on their success with the exams.”

All Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education accredited institutions are measured in two categories: first-attempt pass rate and any-attempt pass rate. AU’s first-attempt BOC pass rate is 92% compared to the national mean of 78%, and AU’s any-attempt BOC pass rate is 100% compared to the national mean of 88%.

“Our pass rates say a lot about our professors. They go above and beyond, and they want us to be successful,” said senior athletic training major Gabrielle Martin. “They share with us the knowledge we need and go out of the way to teach us things like how to handle testing anxiety or other factors that may effect our results.”

“We get a wide variety of clinical settings which helps us know where we want to start in our career,” said senior athletic training major Skyla Strum. “We also get exposure to a lot of people who have different specialties and knowledge on a variety of subjects.”

Throughout the program, students receive more than 1,200 hours of clinical experience and 68 semester hours of professional and core courses in athletic training. The combination of classroom and field experience allows students to enhance their decision-making and critical thinking skills. By the time they are taking the exam, AU students are already thinking like athletic training professionals.

Graduates of the program go on to work in a variety of settings, including high schools, collegiate and professional sport athletic training facilities, corporations and physical therapy clinics. Many graduates also purse advanced degrees in kinesiology, exercise physiology, sport management, physical therapy and other healthcare fields.

For more information about the athletic training program, visitaurora.edu/athletictraining.

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Aurora University Hosts Sports Medicine Workshop

Dozens of licensed certified athletic trainers and students majoring in athletic training met at the University Banquet Hall on the Aurora University campus Saturday to participate in the 12th annual Current Trends in Sports Medicine Workshop.

Oscar Krieger, Aurora University Athletic Training Education director, said the program usually attracts professionals from around the Aurora area, but that some travel from as far away as Bloomington to attend the workshop.

“We also require that our athletic training majors be here and they basically run the whole thing from checking people in to introducing the speakers,” Krieger said. “As far as topics go – we ask people through a survey given after the workshop how they liked certain presenters and what things they’d like us to consider for next year.”

Krieger said this year’s workshop was the largest ever, having grown from modest numbers both in terms of attendance and the number of students interested in the field.

“The first year we tried to do this in 2002, we had to cancel it because even though there was email back then, we weren’t connected as well and enough people didn’t show up,” he said. “We also only had about 10 to 15 athletic training majors at the time, and now there are 40.”

One of the first presenters was Dr. Bob Paras from Aurora’s Castle Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Paras spoke about medical cases in sports medicine as well as acute muscle injuries which included heat-related illnesses.

“With athletes such as football players, we’ve found cases of ‘sudden sickle cell trait’ which is a genetic disease where red blood cells are deformed and develop this ‘sickle’ shape to them which has sometimes led to death,” Paras said.

Paras also spoke about the growing concern about concussions and agreed there is a lot of ongoing research and that the public, in general, is talking about the dangers associated with them more.

“We need to establish more pre-injury baseline testing as well as have better rule enforcement in competition to reduce injuries,” Paras said. “It also falls on the athletes as well as the coaching staff to be more honest about reporting injuries.”

Those in attendance including Jill Ferree, an athletic trainer at Downers Grove North High School, said the workshop “was accessible and reasonably priced” and that for her, it has been an annual educational experience.

“I’ve come to all 12 of these, and I continue to participate because I get to learn about things that are sometimes out of my realm,” Ferree said. “I feel we get state-of-the-art information and that the people who present here are real professionals. Plus it’s a nice review of things …”

Students and graduates spoke about the program’s benefits, including Jordan Kinstner of Momence, who said she graduated two years from Aurora University and now works as an athletic trainer.

“I need to continue to earn continuing education units, and I feel they do a good job here with presenters,” Kinstner said. “I feel that I got an impeccable education here. A lot of these topics really hit home and for me – it’s a nice refresher.”

Drew Collom, who lives in Catlin and is currently a junior at Aurora University, said his ongoing studies in athletic training have given him a different perspective about himself, as well as others that continue to play sports.

“I played football here at the university my first two years, and this year I couldn’t, but I’ve had to take a look at things from a different perspective,” Collom said. “I realize by playing football, I put my body through a lot of stress, and I’m hoping to help other athletes in acknowledging the assumption of risk.”

David Sharos is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News

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