Springfield College Hosts 22nd Annual Athletic Training Student Workshop

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College recently hosted its 22nd annual Athletic Training Student Workshop on campus. The five-day workshop, co-directed by Springfield College Athletic Trainer and Assistant Professor of Physical Education Wayne Rodrigues and Springfield College graduate Bob Kuzmeski, is intended for high-school students interested in careers in athletic training and sports medicine.

“The goal of the workshop is to give high-school students an opportunity to gain some valuable experience in learning the athletic-training profession as they prepare for college,” said Rodrigues. “This workshop is a great opportunity for high-school students to understand what it takes to be a certified athletic trainer prior to their college careers. It’s also a great way to showcase the athletic training program at Springfield College and the first-class facilities we have to offer.”

High-school students from throughout the country attend the workshop and focus on anatomy, injury prevention, and care of common lower-extremity athletic injuries. Lectures, demonstrations, and practice sessions about athletic-injury prevention and maintenance take place during the workshop. Students also have the opportunity to receive hands-on exploration of cadaver anatomy in the cadaver laboratory on campus. Presentations on career options also are part of the workshop curriculum.

New to the program this year was the use of iPads during both classroom and laboratory practice sessions about athletic-injury prevention, recognition, and treatment. Using the downloadable healthcare applications, attendees learned the anatomy and pathology of sports-related injuries. The Knee Decide application effectively educates patients using interactive 3D animation, text description, and radiographic imagery of the most common conditions and procedures. The application is utilized on a regular basis by the Springfield College athletic-training program during the academic year.

Athletic training is an allied health profession, recognized by the American Medical Assoc., that provides healthcare services for physically active individuals. The athletic-training major at Springfield College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, and is one of the most competitive programs of its kind in the country. Program graduates are found across the U.S. working in sports medicine clinics, at high schools, at colleges and universities, and with professional sports teams.