Wright State’s athletic training program has a 100 percent job placement rate for students who want to work right after graduation. Some students instead choose to pursue a more advanced degree before entering the job market or go onto medical school.
Bottom line, according to program director Tony Ortiz, is: “If they want a job in athletic training, we can get them a job.”
Ortiz attributes his program’s stellar record to a family-like network among athletic trainers and the broad education that students uniquely get at Wright State.
During the program, students observe a surgery and meet with surgeons, take a cadaver anatomy class, learn about general medical conditions, experience emergency care including a day spent with Fairborn paramedics, perform clinical hours, work with Wright State athletes and complete an internship.
Ortiz said when he came to Wright State in 1980, there were about 12 athletic trainers working in the area. Today, there are as many as 400. The field continues to expand as more high schools hire athletic trainers, he said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates growth will be “much faster than average,” at 30 percent between 2010 and 2020. About 5,500 jobs will be added nationwide.
Three students graduated in June and all have jobs, said Rebekah Bower, interim program director. Eight students graduated in July and are awaiting word on whether they passed the national certification exam. Typically, 14 to 16 students graduate in a class, Bower said.
Alumnus Joseph Neel, who graduated in June 2012, was hired by the Kettering Sports Medicine Center. He said he chose the program because he has always had a “passion for helping others.”
“Athletic training has been a great career choice because I get to do all the things I love,” he said. “I get to help injured athletes return to playing sports and healthy athletes improve their athletic performance as well. Both of which are very rewarding.”
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