Bachelor of Science (Honours) Athletic & Rehabilitation Therapy

Why take this course?
The term sports injury refers to the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur during sports or exercise. Some sports injuries result from accidents; others are due to poor training practices, improper equipment, lack of conditioning, or insufficient warm-up and stretching.

Although virtually any part of your body can be injured during sports or exercise, the term is usually reserved for injuries involving the musculoskeletal system, including the muscles, bones, and associated tissues such as cartilage. For example, tennis elbow, runner’s knee, breaks to bones, torn ligaments and torn tendons. In this honours degree, students will become skilled in the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries related to physical activity.

What will I experience?
In first year, the basic building blocks of science are introduced, as well as a number of modules which build on transferable skills and pave the way for the transition to third level education. Athletic rehabilitation therapy is introduced as a profession and students will have the opportunity to become involved in the pre-participation screening of injuries in various teams including collegiate and professional teams. In the second year, anatomy, conditions and injuries serve as the theme, while students will be introduced to clinical practice through student-led clinics and practical placements.

In year 3, clinical practice with student-led clinics is further developed and the main themes are injuries, diagnosis and therapies, thereby creating the foundation pillars for the clinical practice placement which takes place in the first semester in year 4.

In the final year, the emphasis is on advanced clinical and rehabilitation techniques with the clinical practice placement having an embedded research project strand. The final year is really a capstone year designed to cap all the skills acquired by the student throughout the four years of the programme, preparing them for the profession of Athletic Rehabilitation Therapy and employment as a professional clinical practitioner. A key element of this course is that Pre-hospital Emergency Care Council of Ireland (PHECC) approved first aid courses are embedded into the course. Students will become certified Cardiac First Responders (CFR) and Emergency First Responders (EFR) by Year 2 of this programme.

What opportunities might it lead to?
As a graduate from this programme, you may expect to find rewarding careers in the areas of sports injury clinics, employment with amateur and professional sports clubs and teams, employment with national governing bodies of sports associations, and in health and fitness centres. You could also be self-employed as an Athletic Rehabilitation Therapist. Other areas of activity include preventing, treating and the rehabilitation of injuries in sport and physical activity arenas.

Following graduation students can transfer to a wide range of postgraduate courses at both MSc and PhD level in AIT, nationally and internationally. An honours degree is an effective basis for postgraduate training and research leading to Master’s and PhD (Level 9/10) qualifications

Additional Information
This course is accredited by Athletic Rehabilitation Therapy Ireland (ARTI) and successful graduates of this course will be eligible to apply to become certified Athletic Rehabilitation Therapists (ARTC). Further information on ARTI is available at www.arti.info

Students on the BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy with Rehabilitation (BSc. (Hons) Athletic and Rehabilitation Therapy) programme will be required to achieve the learning outcomes treating sports-related injuries. The learning process will involve treating both individuals and teams in a variety of sporting areas. Inevitably, children and vulnerable adults will form a subset of those individuals requiring treatment. In order to safeguard the rights and interests of children and vulnerable adults, students registering on the BSc (Hons) in Athletic and Rehabilitation Therapy programme will be required to obtain Garda clearance through the Garda Central Vetting Unit (TGVCU).

Assessment Information
Students will be assessed using a variety of assessment; presentations, written work, practicals, as well as final exams. Assessments will be carried out individually and in groups, and will incorporate experiential and applied learning.