Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) announced a new Master of Science in Athletic Training Practice (MSATP) degree program. Applications are now being accepted for the fall 2020 semester.

“The MSATP curriculum is designed to help students advance careers as athletic trainers,” said Dr. Michelle Monaco, RMUoHP MSATP program director. “It is designed to address the evolving field of athletic training, teach leadership concepts, better understand the mental health of active individuals, emergency medical procedures and response, and is based on evidence-based athletic training principles.”

The MSATP is for bachelor-prepared certified or licensed athletic trainers seeking a post-professional master’s degree in athletic training, as well as athletic trainers with master’s degrees other than in athletic training who are seeking professional growth in the areas of critical thinking, problem-solving, and advanced knowledge and clinical skills.

The program is clinically focused and rooted in the 2020 Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) knowledge and skills standards. The curriculum allows athletic trainers to become current in advanced knowledge and skills through an evidence-based program.

The program focuses on four key areas of athletic training:

  • Leadership: Helps students learn leadership theories, and healthcare leadership concepts. It also includes communication, strategy, and uncertainty management.
  • Mental Health: Helps students understand mental health in regard to active individuals and teaches them to identify mental health disorders, recognize signs, and develop referral plans. It emphasizes understanding of substance abuse and other pharmacological agents.
  • Emergency Procedures: Teaches students how to respond to urgent and emergency medical procedures within the scope of practice of an athletic trainer. It includes wound care, skin closures, advanced cardiovascular support, and administering intravenous fluids or medications.
  • Evidence-based Practice: Teaches students how to review and critically appraise research and to use research to make informed clinical decisions in their practices. It also includes learning how to use sophisticated research and evidence-based thinking to evaluate clinical practice and adapt patient care.

The six-semester MSATP degree program at RMUoHP is designed for practicing athletic trainers to develop advanced competencies. Primarily an online program, with one onsite immersion experience, athletic trainers can earn their degree while they work in their home communities. There is also an accelerated program option allowing athletic trainers to obtain an MSATP degree in less than two years with eight-week courses. Several credit units from the MSATP are transferable to RMUoHP’s PhD in Health Sciences with concentration tracks in Athletic Training, Human and Sport Performance, or Health Promotion and Wellness.

People interested in the MSATP can learn more and apply at the MSATP admissions website.