AMHERST, N.Y. – Daemen College’s athletic training graduates have for the eighth consecutive year achieved a first-time pass rate that is well above the national average on the rigorous National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Board of Certification exam.

This year’s graduates earned an 86 percent first-time pass rate on the certification exam, a rate that exceeds the national average of 81 percent. Overall, Daemen students have achieved a first-time pass rate of 96.4 percent since the college’s first athletic training class graduated in2012.

“We are very proud of all of the accomplishments of this year’s athletic training graduating class, and their success on the BOC exam is a testament to their resiliency during these trying times,” said Dr. Rebecca Begalle, athletic training department chair and program director. “Achieving such a high pass rate is a credit to the tremendous dedication demonstrated by our students and their unwavering support of one another, as well as their great achievements in the classroom and in their clinical experiences.”

Daemen Class of 2020 athletic training graduates who achieved the high rate on the NATA certification exam are: Calvin Dejong of Hamilton, Ont.; Abigail Gullo of Depew; Justin Losowski of Rome; Taylor Miller of Ransomville; Kristen Schlabach of Killeen, Texas; Griffin Spatorico of North Tonawanda; and Audrey Yokopovich of Webster.

BOC certification is widely recognized as the foremost credential in the U.S. for athletic training professionals. The national exam tests knowledge, skills, and abilities in prevention and wellness, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, immediate and emergency care, treatment and rehabilitation, and organization and professional health and well-being.

To become a certified athletic trainer, a student must graduate with a degree from an accredited professional athletic training education program and pass the BOC exam. Once certified, athletic trainers must meet ongoing continuing education requirements in order to remain certified.

As Western New York’s premier health sciences educator, Daemen is the only private college in the Buffalo Niagara region to offer an athletic training program and is also currently the only private college across New York State to offer a professional master-level athletic training program that is in good standing with accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

By 2022, the CAATE has changed the professional degree requirement to a master’s degree to become a certified athletic trainer, making Daemen’s established program well-positioned to meet this new educational level.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of athletic trainers is projected to grow 19 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations.