OhioHealth Sports Medicine and Ohio University have launched the first accredited pediatric-focused athletic training residency program in the United States. The program, which evolved from a post-professional master’s degree started in 2016 by Laura Harris, PhD, and Bill Davis, transitioned to a residency format in 2021. This initiative addresses new national standards requiring aspiring athletic trainers to hold a master’s degree instead of just a bachelor’s degree.
Residents participate in a 12-month full-time program that combines clinical practice with coursework covering administration, policy development, psychology, anatomy, evidence-based medicine, and manual therapy. Each resident is required to complete at least 500 hours of mentored clinical practice and present a project at the Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium.
Chris Hite, OhioHealth sports medicine manager and residency co-director, said the curriculum follows Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies: patient care and procedural skills; medical knowledge; practice-based learning and improvement; interpersonal and communication skills; professionalism; and systems-based practice.
Participants are employed by OhioHealth Sports Medicine during their residency period. They may also receive tuition reimbursement and access continuing education opportunities. Residents work as clinicians in secondary schools while gaining experience at events such as The Arnold Sports Festival and Cap City Half Marathon. The program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE), highlighting its quality.
Katrina Stibel, Director of Sports Medicine at OhioHealth, said: “There are skills that simply can’t be taught in a book like how to be an effective communicator, time management, conflict resolution, etc. and with the experiential learning and mentorship that is offered in this program, the takeaways will be life lessons carried with them far beyond the program.”
The structure emphasizes mentorship from multiple educators. Hite noted: “Because mentorship is so deeply tied into our program, statistically, the program aids in retaining athletic trainers in secondary school jobs.”
Hite further explained why focusing on pediatric patients matters: adolescents have more immature skeletons than adults which makes them more prone to injury. Additionally, understanding emotional factors unique to youth athletes is essential for effective communication—something not always addressed thoroughly by other programs.
“This is the only pediatrics-focused athletic training residency in the United States, yet more athletic trainers work in secondary schools and youth sports than any other area. This seems disproportionate,” Dr. Harris said.
Dr. Harris added: “Don’t get me wrong, the program is strong; I feel as if we have the program in a good place. But residency training is still not recognized as a common option for newly credentialed athletic trainers,” she said. “With residency training, we have a chance to train athletic trainers to intervene before injury occurs and because we are preparing athletic trainers to understand the psychosocial stages of adolescents, we are also able to communicate and motivate these unique athletes to employ self-care techniques”.
The aim of this collaboration between OhioHealth Sports Medicine and Ohio University is to prepare future pediatric athletic trainers with both practical skills and theoretical knowledge relevant for working with young athletes.