University President and Professor | Cumberland University, Lebanon
University President and Professor | Cumberland University, Lebanon
Throughout the month of March, Cumberland University has been celebrating National Athletic Training Month. This unique month was established in 2000 and is sponsored by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) to spread awareness about the evolving profession and highlight a specific group of Health Care Professionals across the globe.
“Athletic Trainers treat a range of patients and work in a variety of settings outside of the traditional sports setting,” said Cumberland University Director of Athletic Training Dr. Katie Arnold. “To date, Athletic Trainers have been found in public and private secondary schools, universities, professional, and olympic sports. More non-traditional work settings include the performing arts working with both collegiate and professional level dancers and musicians. We are even seeing an increase in Athletic Trainers in industrial settings working with occupational health departments and more than 45,000 professionals represented by NATA.”
Cumberland University is one of only three schools in the state that currently offers the newly required Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) degree. In 2016, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) announced the transition from a bachelor’s required field to master’s, with the last bachelor’s class being fall of 2023. Cumberland transitioned their bachelor’s program to the MSAT in Fall 2020. Earlier this month, Cumberland hosted Athletic Training alumni, preceptors and friends during a celebration honoring the profession where Wilson County Mayor, Randall Hutto, delivered a formal proclamation confirming March as National Athletic Training month.
With 31 NAIA sports on campus, Cumberland employs seven Athletic Trainers that are charged with providing quality patient care for athletes focusing on preventative care as well as rehabilitation. Additionally, Cumberland partners with preceptors in the greater Nashville area, like Hughston Clinic, Urban Physical Therapy and Vol State as well as preceptors at local high schools like, Friendship Christian, Lebanon High School, Watertown High School and Green Hill High School that are working with current students in the MSAT program in a clinical setting.
“Our community partnerships are vital for the success of our students,” said Coordinator of Clinical Education (CCE) Dr. Whitney Graves. “We are currently working with preceptors at eight different locations providing hands-on experiences in different clinical settings, ensuring our students are prepared and continuously contributing to their academic and professional success.”
Cumberland’s Athletic Training staff and MSAT students are partnering with Whataburger for a fundraising event in Lebanon, located at 630 S. Cumberland Street on Wednesday, March 22 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Whataburger will donate a portion of the sales during these specific hours to Cumberland Athletic Training as a part of their commitment to community improvement.
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