Sue Stanley-Green (left), athletic training education program director and associate professor of athletic training working with FSC students.

LAKELAND, Fla. (July 18, 2011) — Demonstrating a continued commitment to excellence in athletic training, Florida Southern College hosted the inaugural Florida Athletic Training Education Seminar (FATES) last month. The seminar provided a much sought-after opportunity for athletic training educators from around the state to gather and discuss emerging trends in their field and to learn from experts as well as one another's successes.

The conference was the brainchild of Sue Stanley-Green, athletic training education program director and associate professor of athletic training at FSC, along with Mick Lynch, FSC's clinical education director and associate professor of athletic training.  There are 14 accredited athletic training education programs in Florida, including the one at FSC, but for years, faculty members in those programs only saw each other at the annual national conference held in Washington, D.C. Stanley-Green created FATES in response to the lack of local networking opportunities for educators in the Florida athletic training programs.

Held June 29-30 on Florida Southern's campus, the seminar provided a unique and invaluable opportunity for professors in athletic training programs from around the state to attend presentations offered by experts in the field. Of the 14 athletic training education programs in Florida, all but one had representatives in attendance. There were also numerous informal discussion sessions where each department shared what they found to be effective in their own programs and gathered inspiration from their colleagues' ideas.

"It was fantastic to see everyone so excited about the work they are doing and the direction that the athletic training field is taking," said Stanley-Green. "It was a very positive, constructive meeting."

Expert presenters at the seminar included Ron Courson, the University of Georgia's head athletic trainer; Micki Cuppett, president-elect of the Commission for Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and athletic training education program director at University of South Florida; and Denise Fandel, executive director for the Board of Certification, Inc.  Topics ranged from how to prepare students for the certification examination to the many recent updates in the industry's standards and guidelines, particularly the modified emergency care procedures.

After Wednesday's portion of the seminar, a barbecue dinner was held on campus to allow attendees a fun opportunity to get to know one another and informally share ideas.

"It was a very well-received meeting and we are absolutely going to repeat it next year," said Stanley-Green.

At the seminar, Florida Southern's athletic training faculty discussed the exceptional developments recently made in their hands-on program. Each athletic training student at FSC participates in a semester-long internship as part of their senior year; recent placements have included the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and Auburn University's football, gymnastics, and soccer teams. Students are also highly involved in prevention, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation for FSC's outstanding athletic teams.

For more information, please visit Florida Southern College's Athletic Training Education Program or call 863.680.4262.