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North Park Athletic Training Program Now Accredited
CHICAGO, IL (November 3, 2003) - North Park University's Athletic Training
Educational Program has received national accreditation after four years
of development and implementation.
The school has been in the process of certification with the
Chicago-based Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational
Programs (CAAHEP). The recent announcement means that North Park will
join a select number of colleges and universities in offering a
full-service Athletic Training Educational Program.
"It was a lot of work, but we were extremely delighted with the full
support we received from the administration, faculty, staff and
students," said Andrew Lundgren, program director of athletic training.
"It's a very meticulous process and you have to pay attention to details
all the way through. We had a very favorable site visit (in September
2002) and we wanted to work out the final details so that everything is
in order."
North Park has had an athletic training program for nearly two decades,
said Lundgren. However, NPU and others were advised to upgrade the
program to stay current with requirements. Any student wishing to work
in the athletic training profession will need to graduate from a school
offering a CAAHEP-accredited program beginning January 1. North Park is
among 14 programs in Illinois that has received favorable ratings and
one of a select few Christian liberal arts institutions (Hope College in
Michigan and Bethel College in the Twin Cities are among the others)
with accreditation for athletic training.
Although North Park has been only recently accredited, Lundgren (who has
been at North Park for eight years) noted that recent alums have worked
for high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and private sports
medicine clinics throughout the United States. There are currently 16
students in the athletic training program and the school expects to have
many more, thanks to the recent news.
"We're in Chicago, so we have tremendous outreach opportunities where
students can gain experience here that they can't gain anywhere else,"
said Lundgren. "And we have almost 100 percent placement rate for
graduates (in athletic training) for those who stay in the Chicago area
because of the opportunities available. I'm happy."
For more information about NPU's athletic training program, call
Lundgren at 773-244-6293 or email him at alundgren@northpark.edu.
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