Knight Life @UCFCHPS spotlights one student’s clinical rotation working with players on the ECHL hockey team
Second year Master of Athletic Training student Madison Fraser chose UCF’s Athletic Training Program because of the wide range of clinical opportunities available. These clinical opportunities range from universities and secondary schools to collegiate and professional sports teams. Students are also able to gain experience in outpatient rehabilitation clinics, industrial settings and performing arts settings. Fraser has spent the past semester in clinical rotation with the Orlando Solar Bears, an ECHL hockey team.
During her time with the Solar Bears, she received hands-on training in a professional sports setting, working under the guidance of a preceptor to provide treatment and rehabilitation support to injured athletes. The experience offered a new perspective into the world of sports and athletic training.
“This professional setting has been very different than what I’ve done,” says Fraser, who last semester completed a clinical rotation with the Orlando City Soccer Club. “Hockey is very aggressive, so the acute care that I’m getting in this is drastically different than anything else I’ve seen. I’m getting to see the education part of it from the classroom and then apply it on the ice with an athletic trainer and the team doctor.”
Fraser shares her experience on the latest episode of Knight Life @UCFCHPS. The series gives insight into students’ day-to-day lives by highlighting their experiences in internships, research, study abroad, specialized courses, student organizations and other high impact practices.
The Master of Athletic Training, or MAT, program is a two-year, six semester program that begins in the summer. Each cohort enters the program, completes their courses, and graduates together. During their time in the program, students gain experiences in a variety of clinical settings that prepare them to enter the workforce. The clinical education experiences are designed so students leave with experience in a variety of sports settings, with all types of equipment, in both male and female sports, orthopedic and non-orthopedic conditions and patients of varying socioeconomic status.
“Our success is attributed to our awesome faculty and clinical preceptors who go the extra mile to ensure our students are well prepared,” says Kristen Schellhase, program director and senior lecturer of Athletic Training. “UCF has always been one of the largest programs in the country, so the size of our alumni network means that we often have a personal connection at places our graduates are applying.”
In addition to the clinical opportunities that draw students to the program, the MAT program has a 95% overall pass rate of the Board of Certification (BOC) exam and a 95% employment/placement rate.
