“ The trend in athletic training is going toward more immersive experiences .”
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That , of course , was one of the things that put Manchester on Giorgi ’ s radar . And it was one of the things that attracted Cayla Pusey , a Fort Wayne native who attended Spring Arbor ( Mich .) University her freshman year before transferring to Manchester .
“ I had talked to Jeff Beer , and he kind of explained to me the whole process of staying in exercise science if I transferred to Manchester , and that I should get my master ’ s in athletic training through Manchester because it ’ s an entry-level program ,” says Pusey , whose goal is to become an athletic trainer on the college level .
Achieving that requires both classroom and clinical work at sites ranging from area high schools to area colleges such as Huntington , Indiana University-Purdue University
“ I wanted them to get better . I wanted them to come back quick , get better faster and come back stronger than ever . And I thought , you know what , athletic training is what I need to do . I want to help the kids heal and get back out there instead of being the one to break them down and to injure them .”
She gets to do that now in a learning environment that is nurturing , personal and cutting edge , in the sense that the Manchester Master of Athletic training program has consistently met goals and industry mandates before it was required to do so .
The latest : Moving toward phasing out its undergraduate program ahead of the mandated policy that , beginning in the fall of 2022 , institutions may not admit students to an undergraduate program in athletic training . That ’ s because , in 2026 , only those holding
“ The trend in athletic training is going toward more immersive experiences .”
– Mark Huntington
Fort Wayne , Saint Francis and , of course , Manchester . Pusey does her off-site work at Snider High School in Fort Wayne ; Giorgi does hers at IPFW , where she works with the men ’ s volleyball team .
That kind of hands-on experience in helping athletes is exactly why Giorgi chose to pursue a master ’ s in athletic training .
“ I ’ ve done sports my whole life , and I was very injury-prone , so I would have to see the athletic trainer a lot ,” she says . “ And then my past three years before I came to Manchester , I was a coach for a local high school in cross country and track and field , and all my kids kept getting hurt . And I was like ‘ I don ’ t know how to help these kids .’ master ’ s degrees in athletic training will be eligible to apply for certification . In advance of that , Manchester last fall admitted its last undergraduate class .
And once the undergraduate program is phased out ?
In keeping with Manchester ’ s tradition , Huntington sees all sorts of exciting horizons opening up .
“ Once the undergrad major goes away , we will be able to be more creative with the curriculum ,” he says , noting that the creativity could manifest itself in anything up to and including residency programs . “ The trend in athletic training is going toward more
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