Battaglia 1

Daniel Battaglia
Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-018
24 November 2014
The Athletic Training Education Program
Statement of Significance and Background of Major
Throughout this report, the literacy practices and discourse of the Athletic Training
Education Program are explained in many different ways. The goal of the Athletic Training
Education Program is to teach students about the body and how to help people stay healthy and
active. Most of the students who graduate from this program will become athletic trainers.
Within the ATEP (Athletic Training Education Program) community, medical terminology and
good communication skills are needed to succeed. Being able to not only communicate with your
peers while as an undergraduate, but also with athletic trainers and the athletes you are working
with requires these skills. While this major requires a prospective student to be accepted into the
program, there is one more important characteristic that makes this major unique. During my
interview, an athletic trainer said that the program and athletic trainers are like family. While her
focus was on the athletic trainers, she mentioned how this is also applicable to the ATEP
community since the twenty students will always be work together. This idea of being a family is
what separates the Athletic Training Education Program from other majors.
The reason the word family makes the ATEP program vastly different from other
majors is because if they dont work together, helping people would not go as smoothly. The
students learn this idea of family as they go through the two and a half year program with the
same twenty peers. They will constantly have to work together in order to figure things out and

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ultimately move on from the program. The theme of communication always plays a big role in
the program. The students will have to learn to communicate with 20 other people which, in turn,
will help them become the most effective athletic trainers they can be.
Background of Artefacts
For this report, I gathered information through seven artefacts that dealt with the Athletic
Training Education Program. These artefacts were: an ATEP brochure, an anatomy textbook, a
high school sports medicine test, an interview with ATEP advisor Josh Larson, observations in
the training room, a survey of ten athletic training related articles, and a technical standards sheet
on the ATEP website. All of these artefacts were useful to find information about the major,
however, I will only go in to depth with the first five artefacts because they will help explain the
majors literacy practices and discourse in the best way possible.
The Artefacts
The first artefact I will use to explain the ATEP programs literacy practices and
discourse is the anatomy book. The book starts with biology and goes through chemistry,
anatomy, and physiology. The sections about the human body start with body tissues and works
its way inward, ending with the various systems within the human body. The publishers could
have been separated the book into different and possibly more detailed books rather than putting
everything into one book. However, putting all the information into one book is beneficial
because everything in the human body is related to and builds off itself. The text does not change
much since it is limited to human knowledge and there is only a certain amount of ways one can
study the human body.
Within this major, injuries are one of the main focuses and students will learn how to
prevent and treat them. The books main focus is anatomy and physiology, which to understand

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injuries, one must understand the body. Whether studying about how the body works or studying
injuries, the anatomy book is one of the most important resources an ATEP student will use.
My second artefact is an interview with ATEP advisor Josh Larson. My interview with
Josh helped me understand how students in the major work together and how important
communication is to this major. It also gave me a chance to have an in-depth look at the Athletic
Training Education Program. He explained how medical terminology is a key part of this major
but also explained how the student must have knowledge of what these terms mean in order to
help their athletes understand those terms. Through this interview I found that the goals of
athletic trainers are to provide healthcare and help healthy people stay active. This interview also
gave me the statement that said the athletic trainers and students are like a family. This is an
extremely important statement because everyone working together allows the program to thrive
and students to flourish. The twenty students will work together during their five semesters in
order to graduate and become either athletic trainers or move on to another job within the
medical field.
In most majors, there is a hierarchy. However, Josh presented myself with an artificial
student hierarchy. Within this major, students play a big role in decision making. At the end of
each year, they gather the students up and have them give feedback on how to improve the
major. They call it a hotwash and is very valuable for the advisors to see the strengths and
weaknesses of the program. There are always students within majors who are looked up to and
respected, which is also the case in the ATEP major, however, when a hotwash happens, every
student is seen as equal and their opinions are all weighted the same. Of course, there is still a
regular hierarchy where you have the advisors, professors, and students, but the most important

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hierarchy in this major is the one where the students get to give feedback to help the advisors
make changes.
My third artefact is a high school sports medicine test. The test talks about identifying
injuries and the use of basic emergency practices. Sports medicine is a way to describe the
athletic training field because it is the study of injuries and prevention. While this test is a high
school test, it is still testing kids on things that are present within this major. This test is
specifically testing students on the shoulder and as mentioned before, basic emergency practices.
Going through the test shows that it is filled with medical terminology and would only be
understood by future ATEP students or athletic trainers. What is on the test is determined by
what part of the body it is on. Along with this written test is a practical exam that tests the
students on their ability to perform evaluations of athletes. This test helps high school students
see what they would encounter if they pursue an athletic training major in college.
To hear and see the literacy practices and discourse of the ATEP in action, I observed the
training room on multiple occasions for a total of around an hour. While this observation dealt
with actual athletic trainers rather than students in the program, it was still a very helpful tool in
understanding the literacy practices and discourse of the major. The training room is actually a
part of a classroom for the major and if you arrive early enough you will be able to listen to the
students talk using the ATEP discourse. Most of the talking by the athletic trainers was done
either to create conversation in the training room or to ask about an injury someone has come in
for. This talk is mostly casual and does not have much to do with the major, except for when an
athletic trainer is explaining what the injury is. The bulk of the terminology-filled talk comes
when an athletic trainer is explaining rehab exercises to the athlete.

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When explaining rehab assignments to athletes, words such as eccentric movements,
flexors, and extensors are used quite often. Some athletes may not understand what the words
mean and then it becomes the athletic trainers job to explain these words to them. As stated
above, this observation dealt with mostly athletic trainers, however, it is very useful in
understanding the major because the students are learning how to evaluate, treat, and rehab
injuries. Whether or not an ATEP student becomes an athletic trainer, in order to be a part of and
graduate from this major, they must learn and understand these words and phrases.
Easily, the ATEP brochure is the most important artefact for this major because it gives
the most information about the major. This brochure is what helps attract kids to this major
because it outlines everything for the prospective student. From prerequisites to the majors
mission statement and objectives, this brochure has the most important information. Not only
does it show what it takes to get into this major, but it also gives an outline of what the student
will be doing in their five semesters if they are accepted. This brochure is not written in full
ATEP discourse to ensure that prospective students will understand what the information is
saying. There are parts of it that may be confusing to someone outside the major, but the
brochure as a whole will still be understandable. There are other ways to get information about
this major, but this is by far the most efficient way to get it.
Having a brochure will allow a student to always carry it with them and they will be able
to write on it to make notes about certain things. The easiest way to get the brochure it to meet
with an ATEP advisor. This will also greatly benefit the student because if there are any changes
to the program or if the student has any questions, the advisor will be there to help the student
and make and necessary changes. While this is not the best way to learn about the discourse of
this major, it helps students become aware of the discourse and allows a look into the program as

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a whole. Overall, this is the best way to learn about the program since it gives all the information
a prospective student would need in order to apply and become a part of the ATEP major.
The Athletic Training Education Program is very unique. Only about twenty students are
accepted into it each year, professional athletic trainers and students work side-by-side, and
students play a big role in the changes of the major. The goal of this major is to further help
students learn how to keep healthy people active and treat people who are hurt. Much of this goal
is achieved through learning about the body and how it functions. There is a lot of time spent
within the classroom as well as on the field, gaining experience to further help the students
learning experience. If a student understands what the major is about and is willing to do
everything to be accepted into and then succeed within the major, all these artefacts will be
crucial for that student throughout their journey.

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Works Cited
Department of Exercise & Sport Science. Athletic Training Education Program. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
Print.
Larson, Joshua, M.A. Personal interview. 13 Nov. 2014.
Marieb, Elaine N., R.N., Ph.D. Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology. Ninth ed. San
Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2009. Print.
"Observation of Athletic Training Room." N.d. Raw data.
"St. Francis High School Sports Medicine Competition 2014." N.d. TS.