As of January 1, 2021, the University of South Florida (USF) Professional Athletic Training Program and the Post-Professional Advanced Athletic Training Program moved from the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine into the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences (SPT&RS).
According to Dr. Charles Lockwood, Senior Vice President & Dean Morsani College of Medicine, “this realignment will result in greater opportunities for interprofessional collaboration between the Athletic Training and Physical Therapy programs, and their students will be better able to learn with and from each other in a multidisciplinary, collaborative work environment that emphasizes the interprofessional practices they will utilize throughout their clinical careers.”
The arrangement will also further aid research and clinical care by increasing access to laboratories and joint training opportunities, while also sharing resources, faculty and space. Athletic Training students will continue to engage with Orthopaedic clinical faculty and the Athletic Training faculty will retain their appointments within the department. Appropriate Physical Therapy faculty will gain appointments in the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
Dr. Douglas Haladay, Associate Professor & School Director, SPT&RS said “this opportunity not only benefits our students and programs but also helps set up our university to become a leader in rehabilitation and movement sciences.” The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program this past year moved into the Top 50 with U.S. News & World Report, one of the highest jumps of any DPT program, and both athletic training programs have regional and national recognition for setting the standard for excellence in athletic training and sports medicine.
According to Dr. Amanda Tritsch, Associate Professor & Program Director, Professional Athletic Training Program “this new collaboration with SPT&RS demonstrates the Athletic Training Programs’ commitment to leading the way within the profession of athletic training. We are excited to continue to prioritize academic excellence, explore new educational opportunities, and expand clinical collaboration across the professions.”
This recent move also aligns with updated collaborative policy principles from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). In recent years the APTA and NATA have been working to collaborate on advancing patient care and population health.
To learn more about this collaboration visit: https://www.apta.org/article/2021/02/04/apta-nata-adopt-joint-policy-principles