NW Valley Times

Olivia Bauer, a former student athletic trainer with the Phoenix Rising Football Club during her time at Grand Canyon University (GCU), attributes her success on the national certification exam to the university's athletic training faculty. The Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer exam (BOC) saw a national first-time pass rate drop from 74.1% in 2022 to 68.7% in 2023 after a new version was introduced.

GCU’s athletic training students experienced a similar decline, with their first-time pass rate falling from 100% in 2022 to 87% in 2023. Despite this being significantly above the national average, GCU’s faculty aimed for all students to pass on their first attempt.

In a turnaround, all 16 students who took the BOC exam between April and June achieved a 100% first-time pass rate, which will be reflected in the official numbers for the academic year 2024-25.

“That is HUGE the year after having that new test blueprint to have a 100% pass rate for our students,” said Dr. Brandon Warner, Director of Athletic Training.

Dr. David Mesman, BOC success coach for athletic training, noted, “I know that typically when a new test blueprint comes out, scores drop tremendously...so to see a second-year result of 100%, especially considering last year's lack of preparation for it, is pretty phenomenal.”

Program alumna Olivia Bauer shared her challenging journey: “Dr. Mesman gives you hard truths,” she said. After facing personal challenges and insufficient practice exam scores, Bauer dedicated two hours daily for three months to study intensively and passed her BOC on her first try.

The program’s approach draws inspiration from GCU’s nursing program success under Amy Leach's guidance as NCLEX success director. Warner credited Mesman's role as crucial: “A lot of success we’ve had here came about when we appointed Dr. Mesman as the BOC success coach.”

Mesman emphasized relationship-building with students and tailoring study plans based on individual strengths and weaknesses. Tools like ACES Preparatory Workshop and strategic class drills were also instrumental.

Bauer highlighted faculty support even post-graduation: “They do a lot of preparation...like just going to the test center to relieve test anxiety.”

Mesman praised collective efforts: “The entire program just pours into them – all our faculty,” he said.

Athletic training has transitioned into a master’s program since fall 2022 due to national standards changes. Future students will now pursue an undergraduate degree in related fields before entering GCU’s two-year master’s program in athletic training.

Warner expressed optimism about ongoing improvements: “We always continually try to improve...our students have always done extremely well…hopefully we continue to do that.”

Manager of Internal Communications Lana Sweeten-Shults can be reached at [email protected] or at 602-639-7901.

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