Athletic Trainer… The Other Healthcare Provider

 

 

It never fails that every time I meet someone new I will inevitably here these words, “So what is it that you do?”

Every time I respond with the same answer. I know my response will result in either a confused look or the ‘ah ha’ moment.

“An athletic trainer? What is that?”

“Athletic Trainer? Ohh, like a personal trainer?”

“Trainer. So you get people into shape?”

All of these remarks typically have me internally rolling my eyes and trying to keep from popping off an unkind remark. Would you ask what a physical therapist is? Would you think that a nurse only draws blood? Are doctors confused with veterinarians?

But this is the world we live in. In society today everyone knows the basic job description of an EMT, a nurse, a physical therapist, even a personal trainer. However, you will be hard pressed to find someone who knows what an athletic trainer is, unless that person has actually met an AT.

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love teaching people about my profession. I find joy in hearing a student tell me they want to become an athletic trainer one day. Every time an athlete or their parents thank me for “everything that you do,” I have to admit I tear up (every damn time). Don’t even get me started on advocating for this profession. I will do anything I can to give back to the profession that gave so much to me. However, none of this keeps me from wondering, what would life be like if everyone knew what an athletic trainer was?

Key facts you should know:

• In 2013 there were an estimated 1.24 million ER visits for sports related injuries in youth under the age of 19.
• Between 2008 and 2015 there were more than 300 sport-related fatalities of young athletes.
• The secondary school (Junior High and High School) leads the nation in athletic-related deaths.
• Those between the ages of 15-17 have the highest rate of ER visits.
• 62% of sports related injuries occur during practice.
• Almost 8 million high school athletes participate in youth sports today.
• In 2014-2015, almost 60% of injuries reported to an athletic trainer by high school athletes were during a competition, the rest were during practice.
• In 2015, 50 high school athlete’s died during sports or physical activity while thousands of others have long-term complications from athletic related injuries.

(Information from At Your Own Risk, a public awareness campaign sponsored by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association designed to educate, provide resources and equip the public to act and advocate for safety in work, life. and sport.)

www.nata.org/advocacy/public-relations/at-your-own-risk 

After reading those facts can you imagine your child or any athlete you know not having access to a qualified healthcare provider at practices and games?

Me either.

But here are more stats you should know:

• In 2015 a study found that only 37% of high school in the U.S. provided full-time athletic training services. (Korey Stringer Institute)
• The State of California does not regulate athletic trainers. This means anyone can provide services of an athletic trainer. 49 other states and DC require athletic trainers to be licensed or regulated by the state.
• High School athletes with a sports-related concussion are more likely to report and receive concussion care in schools with higher availability of an athletic trainer.
• CDC estimates that 2,000 patients under the age of 25 die of sudden cardiac arrest every year in the U.S.
• Many schools can afford to hire an athletic trainer
• An AAP study found that athletic trainers can have a positive impact on student athlete health, resulting in lower injury rates, improved diagnosis and return-to-play decisions for injuries such as concussion, and fewer recurrent injuries.

Now let me back up a moment. Hopefully you are asking yourself, “What is an athletic trainer? How can I get one?”

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Athletic trainers work under the direction of a physician as prescribed by state licensure statues. (NATA, 2019)

So now that you know the basics of what athletic trainer is, the question should be what can an athletic trainer do for me or my school?

The answer is simple. If your school does not currently have access to an athletic trainer, parents, coaches, students, and the athletic director should all work together to try and arrange coverage. Here is a quick list of essential functions that athletic trainers contribute to student athletes.

• Develop emergency action plans (who cares for your child in an emergency? what is everyone’s role?)
• Monitor field, environment, and weather conditions (who is making sure your child is safe? Who is preventing injuries before they happen?)
• Coordinate injury prevention programs (Pre-hab is better than Rehab)
• Prepare athletes for practice and games (Are coaches taping and wrapping your athletes? How do you know they are doing it properly?)
• Communicate with physicians about injuries (Do you know the difference between a sprain and strain? What about ACL reconstruction and Tommy John surgery? What is baseline testing and return to play protocols?)
• Treat and rehab injuries
• Help determine return-to-play programs

I found that Go 4 Ellis has a great poster that demonstrates the need for athletic trainers.

There are so many reasons that schools and sports teams should have athletic trainers present for games and practices. Athletic trainers’ reach goes far beyond that of high school sports. Athletic trainers can be seen in colleges, professional sports, performing arts, military, rodeo, Fortune 500 companies, clinics, hospitals, and the list goes on. Athletic trainers provide so many functions to keep their patients and clients safe. “Your protections is our priority!” (NATA, National Athletic Training Month 2017 slogan)

Back to my question of what would the world could be like if everyone knew what an athletic trainer was. Currently only about a third of high schools have access to a full time athletic trainer. But could we change that to every high school? What about those 2000 deaths from sudden cardiac arrest every year? Athletic trainers have advanced knowledge of first aid, CPR, and AED usages. Would that 2000 drop below 500?

Every year over a million people visit the Emergency Room for sports related injuries. Is this because athletic trainers are not present. Of the 50 deaths in 2015, could that number have been cut by 50%, 75%, even 90% if every school had an athletic trainer?

In a world where athletic trainers are as mainstream as school nurse, would the rates of sport related injuries during practices fall from 62% to 20%? We can only imagine.

This March is National Athletic Training Month. The image at the beginning of this post is the poster for this year’s campaign. I implore you to do your research on athletic trainers and whether your school has one. It takes more than one voice to make a change. #AT4ALL