Boise State Athletic Trainers Celebrate 50 Years of Mentoring the Next Generation

For 50 years, Boise State University has helped prepare future Athletic Trainers for the challenges of caring for athletes. And while classroom instruction is essential, much of that preparation happens alongside experienced Athletic Trainers who share their knowledge every day.

Through a partnership between Boise State's Athletic Training program and its athletics department, students complete eight-week clinical rotations, working directly with professionals who care for collegiate athletes.

Matt Schofield, an Athletic Trainer with Boise State women's basketball, sees mentorship as an opportunity to show students what the profession actually involves.

“Students are following athletic trainers throughout their job,” Schofield explained. “They'll come over from class for practice, treatment, all of that kind of stuff.”

But the learning goes both ways.

Marc Paul, Boise State's associate athletic director for Sports Performance, Health & Wellness, says mentoring students encourages experienced professionals to stay current with developments in health care.

“That curiosity keeps the staff as preceptors for those students on our toes,” Paul said.

The results speak to the program's longstanding commitment to education. Boise State reports a 95% job placement rate at graduation, reaching 100% for its most recent spring graduating class. Its first-time Board of Certification pass rate is 90.5%, compared with a national average of 70.5%.

Today, the university's approximately 40 clinical affiliations expose students to patient care in settings beyond collegiate athletics, including hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, and high schools.

As Boise State celebrates this milestone, the spotlight belongs not only to the students entering the profession, but also to the Athletic Trainers who take time to teach them.

Their willingness to share experience, encourage questions, and demonstrate quality patient care helps strengthen the next generation of Athletic Trainers.

And that's a legacy worth celebrating.