Sports Medicine Department - Internship

Intern in action

The West Valley College Sports Medicine Department offers a 2-year sports medicine internship to students interested in pursuing a career in athletic training, physical therapy, personal training, physician's assistant and other allied health care fields. As a member of the internship program, the volunteer student athletic trainers assist the team physician and two Certified Athletic Trainers in providing sports medicine care to the 16 intercollegiate teams throughout the year.

Interested in applying for the internship program?
Email: paul_starks@westvalley.edu

During this 2-year commitment, students will:

  • learn to evaluate injuries
  • assist with strength training and conditioning programs
  • implement stretching and warm-up routines
  • perform therapeutic modalities
  • utilize taping and wrapping skills
  • assist with physicals, teams practices and game coverage

Students will also have the opportunity to observe work that is performed by health care professionals in the local community. This consists of observing a surgery performed by the team physician, and observations at nearby physical therapy clinics and MD offices.

It is strongly recommended that internship students attend local sports medicine and personal training symposiums with the Certified Athletic Trainers, in order to learn more about the profession and establish early connections (network) for future job placement.

Recommended Courses for Transferring to a CSU/UC
Course #TitleUnits
Bio 47Human Anatomy5.0
Bio 48Human Physiology5.0
Chem 30AFundamentals of Chemistry 3.0
H-Ed 11CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer0.5
H-Ed 08Understanding Health3.0
NS 15Human Nutrition3.0
PE-TH 30Introduction to Physical Education3.0
Total Units: 22.5
Recommended Electives for Transferring to CSU/UC
Course #TitleUnits
PE-TH38Introduction to Sports Medicine3.0
PE-TH42*Principles of Strength Training & Conditioning*3.0
PE-TH39Sports Injury Management & Rehabilitation2.0
PE-TH41 Competencies in Athletic Training1.0
PE Activities Courses (6 units) 6.0
Total Units: 15.0
* PE-Th42 Satisfies a 3. Unit general education requirement from Section E (Lifelong Learning & Understanding)
Hours of Operation
Fall and Spring Semesters
» Mon-Fri: 11AM-6:30PM

Athletic Trainers
Paul Starks
paul_starks@westvalley.edu
(408) 741-2005
Meredith Dillon
meredith_dillon@westvalley.edu
(408) 741-2408

Forms
» Health Screening Exam (1)
» Health Screening Exam (2)
» Medical Consent
» Medical Release
» Insurance Verification