Seal of approval for TUS Athletic and Rehabilitation Therapy Degree
TUS has received Athletic Rehabilitation Therapy Ireland (ARTI) reaccreditation for its BSc (Hons) in Athletic and Rehabilitation Therapy, meaning that graduates are eligible for certification as athletic therapists.
The popular four-year honours degree, which emphasises experiential learning, is one of only three such degrees nationally to be accredited by ARTI.
“ARTI provides excellent stewardship and support for the athletic therapy profession in Ireland, and we are delighted to have our accreditation renewed for our BSc (Hons) in Athletic and Rehabilitation Therapy,” Dr Aoife Lane, who leads the Department of Sport and Health Sciences at TUS, explained.
“This degree is one of two flagship sports programmes in the Midlands and thanks to the commitment of our lecturers and support staff and a talented student pool, we are contributing well to the profession at large across Ireland.”
Over the course of the degree, students are given a unique opportunity to develop skill sets in both the theoretical and practical application of athletic and rehabilitation therapy, studying the prevention, assessment and treatment of injuries in sporting and non-sporting populations.
An example of the degree’s practical orientation, TUS START is a free clinic run by second, third and fourth-year athletic and rehabilitation therapy students and supervised by academic staff, which diagnoses and treats musculoskeletal injuries. START is open to all students and staff, who can make an appointment through the online booking system.
Students also provide emergency first response and cardiac care for the university’s sporting teams through START, including assessing pitch-side injuries, and typically undergo a semester-long international placement in countries like Canada, America and the UK.
According to Lynn Allen, course coordinator and herself a certified athletic therapist, this clinical experience, further strengthened by the degree’s accreditation by ARTI and its association with the World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy, is what makes TUS athletic and rehabilitation therapy graduates so "highly sought-after".
Anna Postawa, course coordinator and lecturer, also welcomed news of the renewed ARTI accreditation and said that it further demonstrated TUS’ commitment to providing the “highest standard of education and a quality learning environment to support the growth of top-level, certified athletic therapists”. ARTI is the governing body responsible for the promotion, regulation, and continued education of athletic therapists in Ireland.