Sports were a part of life at any college or university; and while the games often succeeded in keeping spectators on the edge of their seats, everyone knew that when athletes competed against each other, chances were high that someone would be injured. Unlike many other schools, Harding dedicated time to training young professionals on how to care for and administer to athletes on the field, rather than simply learning about it in the classroom. With every major there were defining capstone courses. Some were very time consuming, but all were rewarding and gave students a better understanding of exactly what they would deal with in their future careers. Clinical Practicum I (ESXX 303) was one such course for athletic training majors. Serving as the clinical follow-up course to ESXX 302, Prevention and Treatment of Athletic Injuries, the class helped students get the hours of experience necessary to take the Board of Certification Exam. SophomoreJordan Corley from Beaumont, Texas, said the program not only applied to Harding but also encouraged students to seek experience at other schools. "In addition to working with our athletic programs, we also do rotations at Harding Academy, Searcy High School, Health Services on campus [and] various doctors' offices in Searcy," Corley said. Cleaning a wound, sophomore Peter Messer swabs a football player's turf burn. "I loved working with the football team because I was so close to the action and was right there to help when someone was injured," Messer said. Ashel Parsons Sophomore Peter Messer said the hands-on learning was the best aspect of the course and also its greatest advantage. "I think it is doing wonders for my future," Messer said. "I am getting hands-on experience from an accredited college. Most majors learn what to do; we are doing it." ESXX 303 was one of five other clinical courses students were required to take, and while students seemed to enjoy the style of learning, learning was not all they did. Students'practiced in the classroom so that when the time came, they would know the specifics on how to help their patients. "The clinical courses are where we learn how to apply everything we learn in all our other classes," Corley said. "You can read and look at pictures of how to tape an ankle all day long, but until you actually tape someone's ankle a few times, you're not really going to know how to do it." According to Messer, his favorite part of the course was hanging out with and helping the athletes. "It is extremely worth while," Messer said. "Our instructors keep the classes fairly small, so it is very personal, and we basically get thrown into the field on day one, which forces us to learn." Zachery L. Decker Sitting inches from. the runway, students in Family and Consumer Science Instructor Becky Boaz's Fashion Practicum class get ready to watch a fashion show at the Apparel Market in Atlanta, Ga. The class traveled to Georgia as a simulation project and pretended they were fashion buyers at the market. Courtesy of Lauren Davis Academics fST t¥W2
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