Athletic Training and Exercise Physiology Major

Educational use of this paper is permitted for the purpose of providing future students a model example of an Honors senior thesis project. Athletic Training is a growing field in health care that focuses on prevention and treatment of injuries in active individuals. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Board of Directors, Athletic Training is “practiced by athletic trainers, health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities.”1 Athletic Trainers have recently expanded their scope of practice to hold positions in educational settings of high schools and universities, clinical settings in rehabilitation clinics and hospitals, and are now found in the workplace promoting ergonomics and proper lifting mechanics to prevent workplace injuries. Athletic Trainers can treat an injury from onset to a full return to normal functioning. They are able to diagnose injuries using a variety of special tests and measure muscular strength using manual muscle strength testing. These will lead the Athletic Trainer to th