After Graduation
Student usually graduate in 3 years (97%) following their initial admission to the athletic training education degree program. For those graduates about 54% go on the graduate schools or professional schools. The graduate school programs that these students seek out are typically in athletic training, exercise or the sport sciences. A few other areas of concentration for these graduates are: nutrition, sports administration, business administration, counseling, and health promotion. Usually with these graduate school admissions our students obtain graduate assistantships to work with intercollegiate athletics, local schools, or local private/corporate business opportunities. The other larger group of graduates enter professional schools, most in physical therapy. However, many of these students enter physician assistant, medical, osteopathic, dental, dietetic, or prosthetics schools.
The other 46% go into employment settings mostly in private clinics (physical therapy or physician-owned) or hospital clinics. Industrial and corporate settings for employment have been popular but occasionally professional sport opportunities or olympic training centers and the military have been options.
Regardless of their post graduation plans, students usually attempt the nationally sponsored BOC examination for athletic training and become licensed to practice athletic training. Since the change in format of the national BOC examination 3 years ago (2006), 48 Iowa graduates have averaged 91% first-time pass rate and 100% passing with one or more attempts.
Where are they now:
Larry Sayles (1977) - Larry Sayles came to us from Ottumwa IA. Upon graduation in 1977, he initially worked with the Harlem Globe Trotters out of Los Angeles CA and for 13 years was part of their world-renowned show. Following the globe trotters, Larry settled in Milwaukee WI where he has been the athletic trainer with the Milwaukee Wave, League Soccer champions for many years.
Kevin Negaard (1984) - Kevin Negaard was originally from Rock Valley IA. On graduation he went to Johnstown PA to work in a physical therapy clinic and orthopaedic medical practice with other former Iowa graduates. Kevin worked in Johnstown for many years and influenced many young athletic training students. In the 1990's he moved back to Iowa and settled in Sioux City where he remains today as the Chief Clinical Officer of a multi-specialty medical clinic.
Mark Kaufman (1986) - Mark Kaufman hails from tiny Olds IA south of Iowa City. Mark went to graduate school at the University of Arizona and studied under Gary Delforge. He also had a graduate assistantship to work with an area high school. When he finished at Arizona, he went to Northwestern's Physical Therapy School in Evanston IL. From there he developed over the years into the now prolific and very successful founder, developer, and entrepreneur of AthletiCo in the Chicago area and beyond with 40 plus clinics. His reach and contributions to athletic training at Iowa and across the US is remarkable.
Margaret Peter-Hunt (1989) - Margi Hunt was from Manchester IA. Her post-graduation goal was to go to Syracuse University as a graduate assistant. Following that she ended up at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs CO to eventually become the Head Athletic Trainer and Medical Director at the training center. Margi has been all over the world with the greatest athletes in the world.
Julie Elliott-Campbell (1995) - Julie went to Arizona State University on graduation from Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant with their athletic teams. She remained on staff for awhile and eventually sought the head job at the University of Denver where she is now the Director of Sports Medicine. Also in that same graduating class were Robin Hayward and Eric Waters. Robin was a graduate assistant at Iowa and eventually went to physician assistant school at Iowa and now works as a team physician and Student Health PA here on campus. Eric went to graduate school at Boise State University and then has a stint as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls Basketball Team and now works as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Washington Red Skins Football franchise.
Aaron Brock (2000) - Aaron went to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs CO on graduation as a graduate assistant then came back to Iowa as a graduate assistant. He spent some time with a small college in Naperville IL before developing his current position as the athletic trainer with the US Men's Volleyball Olympic Champions. He is living in Anaheim CA.
Brad Floy (2002) - Brad Floy was accepted as a graduate assistant at Iowa working with men's basketball in 2002 and remained here while working on his MS and PhD. In 2008 he took an assistant professor position at the University of California - Fresno in the accredited athletic training education program. He is also active clinically.