College Spotlight - University Center’s Athletic Training Suite

Athletic Training

As the reputation of NSU teams grows in the community of intercollegiate sports, the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences' athletic training major is keeping pace with the athletes in its care.

In August, 2006, athletic training students and faculty gained use of new, advanced facilities adjacent to the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center in NSU’s University Center. Undergraduate athletic training majors use the new facilities daily, as well as the adjoining clinic where they team with, or observe, NSU physicians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.

The variety of available resources offers athletic training students the opportunity to see firsthand how to incorporate the tools of the profession into their clinical practice under the supervision of their clinical instructors. Among the array of new equipment, the HydroWorx 2000 Aquatic Therapy and Fitness Pool is the only pool of its type in South Florida, offering students an exceptional opportunity. Most athletic trainers have performed aquatic therapy in a pool, but the HydroWorx has an adjustable floor, a powerful jet system for water current resistance, and a variable-speed underwater treadmill. An athletic trainer can assess a rehabilitating athlete’s gait from poolside or on video screens connected to underwater cameras.

“We’ve seen an unbelievable difference since we opened,” said Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D., program director for athletic training and associate professor in the Division of Math, Science, and Technology. “This is a comprehensive, intensive context for students. They’re able to observe physicians and athletic trainers in the same setting. Previously, we were driving student athletes across campus for doctor’s appointments.”

As athletic training student Lesly-Loudmar Mathurin enthused, “This gives us the opportunity to work with more equipment in more space.” He said he appreciated the availability of the sports medicine clinic next door because “it gives us a chance to learn more about our field as a whole. We also can deal with athletes in a more caring way. The old facilities kept everyone by themselves in different rooms and corners, while here we work together as one.”

According to Swann, the quality of these new facilities supports a greater pattern of success. They offer NSU an advantage over other Division II schools in the degree to which this enhances the quality of care that athletes receive. NSU teams are gaining recognition for divisional and national rankings, and the athletic training program has achieved a similar level of respect.