The Internship Program in Kinesiology
We have developed a focus on senior fitness at the CSUS LIFE Center. Students have an opportunity to interact with older adults in fitness classes, and to intern in a balance and fall risk reduction class. The Sport and Aging class addresses fitness and sports for older adults. A future focus in the Exercise Science Track might be to develop more classes to teach physical activity and aging, assessment, and program development. A track or focus on older adult fitness could be the ultimate goal, preparing students to work with an aging population. In addition, the American College of Sports Medicine has developed standards in the area of Clinical Exercise Physiology. While these standards have not been widely implemented at this time, they may in the future (this is addressed in detail later in this report).
The study of exercise science is constantly evolving with the advent of new technology. The department has done an excellent job in keeping up with these changes. As an example, Motion analysis devices for biomechanical research were optional instruments for exercise science programs in years past. Now they are a necessity. This department has the latest in three dimensional motion capture with real time data collection capabilities. From an applied perspective the department also has interactive motion analysis software that allows the student to easily capture video, download it onto a computer, and analyze motion using basic mathematical commands on the software. This is one example of many. The department continues to stay at the cutting edge of technology in the field.
Athletic Training
December 31, 2003 ended the internship route to certification. This is having a major impact on the field of athletic training because now the only way to be eligible to sit for the NATABOC (National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification) national certification exam, is by attending and graduating from an accredited program. All programs must be CAAHEP (Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) accredited in order to allow the student to become eligible. The programs could be undergraduate or graduate. The athletic training profession has recently decided to leave CAAHEP (in two years) as the accrediting body and are considering options of self accreditation or with another established accrediting body. Many of the universities which had the internship route are attempting to become accredited programs.
Because we are under the requirements of a national accrediting body, the CSUS curriculum is very similar to all other CAAHEP accredited undergraduate curriculums. We are currently looking at the curriculum and plan to create a course in Clinical Pathology for the Athletic Trainer which would include general medical conditions and to require statistics as a general education course and major requirement.
