Professor Rick Howard Coordinates Largest NSCA Regional Conference in the Nation

Get FIT: Fitness and Nutrition for People with Developmental Disabilities

Get FIT is a fitness and nutrition program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as autism, epilepsy and Down Syndrome. The program welcomes both the person with the IDD and his or her caregivers, encouraging families to become healthier together. Founded by the Family Resource Network, this video features the Get FIT program at Rowan University (NJ).

Rowan Achieves 100% pass rate on Athletic Training Certification six years in a row

Rowan's Athletic Training program is in the top of its class, literally. For six consecutive years, Rowan University has been the only school in the state of New Jersey to achieve a 100% pass rate on the Board of Certification Exam from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. The national average for first time pass rate is 80%.

"I am so proud of the students that are graduating in this program and passing this crucial test on their first attempt," said Robert Sterner, chairperson of the Department of Health & Exercise Science and program director of Athletic Training Education. "This is an outstanding accomplishment that speaks to the dedication and drive to succeed in this growing career."

Athletic Trainers are health care professionals who collaborate with physicians. Traditionally, the athletic trainer has been an integral part of a comprehensive health care program for those participating in physical activity. Their presence ensures that physical activity is consistently safer, injuries receive appropriate attention in a timely manner, and the efficiency of medical management of health care for the physically active is greatly enhanced.

Students who wish to practice in the Allied Health Care Profession of Athletic Training are required to pass the exam. Students are assessed in the following five practice domains:
• Injury/Illness Prevention and Wellness Protection
• Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis
• Immediate and Emergency Care
• Treatment and Rehabilitation
• Organizational and Professional Health and Well-being

The Board of Certification, Inc. has been responsible for certification of Athletic Trainers since 1969. In 1989, the BOC became an independent, non-profit corporation, whose mission is "to provide exceptional credentialing programs for healthcare professionals to assure protection of the public."

The bachelor's degree in Athletic Training at Rowan University was established in 2010. The number of graduates in this program has tripled in the last five years.

Rowan earns accreditation for MSN program

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) recently awarded Rowan University's Master of Science in Nursing program a five-year accreditation.

Students in the program's two tracks, Clinical Nurse Leader and Nurse Practitioner (specializing in either Adult Gerontology Acute Care or Family Practice), now can take necessary certification tests to begin working in the field after graduation.

Dr. Mary Ellen Santucci, director and chair of the Department of Nursing, said the Rowan program is unique in that it's targeted toward working nurses. Classes are scheduled so that students can balance their professional demands and an academic work load. "It is designed so that students can take as few as four credits a semester," she said.

The students in the program work at a variety of hospitals in the area, including Virtua Hospital-Mount Holly, Inspira Medical Center-Vineland, Cooper University Hospital and Kennedy University Hospital.

This summer, nine MSN students are expected to graduate from the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. In the fall, five will graduate as Family Practice Nurse Practitioners and one as a Clinical Nurse Leader.