Chapter 2

The Athletic Health Care Team

Benefits of Having an Athletic Trainer on Campus

• The cost effective approach since MD’s can’t be present at every game or practice

• AT’s are in the position to observe injuries as soon as they occur

• In such cases, the AT can make decisions regarding injury severity, medical referral, and return to play

What Should a Sports Medicine Team Do?

• The physician, AT, and coaching staff should coordinate efforts regarding injury prevention (conditioning programs, equipment inspection, purchases, repairs, and environmental conditions

• Provide pre-participation health screenings• Development and implementation of an emergency plan• Medical supervision of practices and games• Injury recognition and treatment (including rehabilitation)• Implementation of injury prevention strategies• Adequate record keeping• Education programs for coaches and athletes• Communicate with the local EMS regarding specific emergency

procedures and game coverage

Sports Medicine

Definition: “A field that uses a holistic, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary approach to health care for those engaged in sporting or recreational activity.”

Practitioners include primary care physicians, orthopedic surgeons, athletic trainers, sports physical therapists, dentists, exercise physiologists, conditioning coaches, and sports nutritionists.

Key Team Members

Key Team Members - Coaches

• Typically not recognized as experts in sports injury, but they are still critical to the team because in many cases they are the __*__ __*____

• Coaches are trained in basic conditioning procedures, _________*___________________________, first aid, CPR, AED, and recognition and management of common sports injuries

• Should also teach the correct technique of sports skills

Key Team Members – Team Physicians

• They are medical doctors who have agreed to provide at least limited medical care to a particular sports program

• Services range from those that volunteer to be on the sidelines at home football games, to those who are under contract with a professional team

• Must maintain a current, appropriate knowledge base of the sport for which they are accepting responsibility for

Key Team Members - Athletic Trainers

___*_ ____*______ athletic trainer: an allied health care professional with extensive education in clinical care & prevention of sports injuries.Athletic trainers receive formal instruction in: • Injury prevention.• Recognition, evaluation, and

immediate care.• Treatment and rehabilitation.• Health care organization and

administration.• Professional development and

responsibility.

BOC CertificationTo qualify:• Complete a CAATE-

accredited Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP).

• Take certification examination that is now offered via a national network of computerized testing centers

• Certified Athletic Trainer (___*_____ recognized)

Accredited Programs

• Must include formal instruction in:• Foundational Courses (anatomy, physiology,

exercise physiology, kinesiology, nutrition, statistics, strength training and conditioning, acute care of injury and illness)

• Professional Courses (risk management and injury/illness prevention, pathology of injury/illness, assessment of injury/illness, general medical conditions and disabilities, etc. etc. etc)

• Must also have at least 2 years of clinical education

Licensed Athletic Trainer

• Texas has it’s own licensing board for athletic trainers – must be an __*__ to work in Texas

• Very similar requirements to that of a ATC• Bachelor’s degree from a 4-year university, or a

Master’s degree in athletic training• At least 24 hours of credit in specific academic

classes (like ATC’s)• __*___ internship hours over a 3 year period• Take and pass both a written and practical exam

Professional Settings for Athletic Trainers

• Colleges/Universities• ____*_____ ______*______• Professional Sports• Rehabilitation Clinics/Hospitals• Industrial Settings• ____*_____

Colleges / Universities

• Historically the practice of athletic training was confined to the collegiate sports setting

• Emphasis on caring for injuries in tackle football

• This field continues to grow

Rehabilitation Clinics and Hospitals

• Since 1980, there has been a 300% increase in the number of registered sports medicine clinics in the US

• Clinics provide:• Fitness evaluation and exercise prescription• Lifestyle counseling• Evaluation and treatment of injuries• Sports medicine research

• Also in increase in the ATs in the hospital setting in an out-reach type program

Industrial Settings

• ATs provide direct services to their employees involved in on-site health and fitness programs

• Average annual salary of ATs employed in the corporate setting is $49,012

• Still a small percentage of ATs employed in this setting

Professional Sports Setting

• Commonly an ultimate goal for ATs is to work with premier athletes

• Cons to the professional setting:• Pressures to ***• Lack of job security associated with

changes in coaching staffs• Not expected to be a significant growth in this

area

Secondary Schools

• Most administrators think they cannot afford an AT • The most cost-effective approach is hiring an AT that is

also a teacher• Employing an AT also leads to the decrease in legal

issues for a school district• ATs provide CPR classes for administrators, create a

student athletic training program, and in-service trainings • If schools cannot afford a full-time AT, they will

sometimes hire a part-time or a grad student• Average national salary is $43,884

NATA

• Check out the NATA website for a complete listing of CAATE universities

• Also a job board available