Why Do High Schools Need ATCs?

GONE ARE THE DAYS

when athletic training was considered part of the coach's responsibilities and most "trainers" were little more than ankle tapers and waterboys. Athletic training has evolved into an allied health care profession recognized by the AMA and regulated by the Board of Medicine in most states.

The athletic trainer certified by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification is an individual with a specialized bachelor's and / or master's degree who has successfully completed a national board exam and earned the trademarked ATC credential.

What does an ATC bring to the high school program? He or she is an allied health care professional who can provide immediate emergency care, evaluation, referral if necessary, and most important, the rehabilitation and reconditioning of athletic injuries. The ATC is, in short, the quality health care professional that high school athletes need and deserve.

Injuriees are inherent in sports, an no sport is immune. Although some injuries can be prevented, the ATC is the professional who can significantly reduce re-injuries and prevent minor injuries from becoming major problems, thus decreasing the time lost from the playing field and classroom.

A full-time ATC enables the coach to stay focused on the game, secure in the knowledge that every injured athlete is being cared for by a professional.

Can a physician or an EMS squad at games substitute for a full-time ATC? Unlikely. Research shows that more than 60% of injuries occur in practice. Are these injuries less severe because they occur in practice rather than games? No. The advantages of having an ATC on-site for immediate treatment are immeasurable. The ATC definitely improves the athlete's chances of returning to the field and playing at full potential safely.

Just as important, the ATC can evaluate a practice injury on Tuesday, immediately institute a rehabilitation program, and (probably) have the athlete ready to play Friday night.

Consider this scenario: A starter returns to the line-up after missing a few days of school due to illness. During a game, he complains of abdominal cramping and shoulder pain, but doesn't recall being hit or landing on his shoulder.

The team ATC (whose No. 1 priority is the safety and health of the athlete) immediately evaluates the athlete and suspects a ruptured spleen. He has the athlete transported to the hospital for emergency surgery and then put on the road to recovery.

What would have happened had an ATC not been available and the player had been allowed to finish the fourth quarter -- a likelihood in the absence of an allied health care medical professional? A catastrophic situation could have resulted.

The certified athletic trainer can work with coaches in developing mergency plans and ensuring the injured athletes of the best and most timely care. ATCs are educated in the levelopment of environmental guideines and return-to-play policies, and hey have the formal education to nake vital decisions. Their mere presence protects both the athletes and the schools in today's litigious climate. If at all possible, every high school should have a full-time ATC similar to college and professional ATCs.

Although the quality of play may be significantly different on the three 1evels, the severity of injuries remains the same. Since there are about six times is many participants and games (combared to the college and pro levels), the high schools deal with more catastrophic injuries -- which accentuates the need for full-time ATCs.

Budgetary problems have plagued the high school programs, but it's still necessary to press for greater health care. Just as coaches are employed to develop skills and implement strategies, the ATCs are required to ensure the safety of the athletes and optimize their participation.

We all understand that most high schools haven't got the means to employ a full-time ATC. But we believe that every school with more than 1,000 students and a full complement of athletic teams should support a full-time ATC.

The larger (over 1,500) schools may warrant an additional one or two part-time assistant ATCs The smaller schools may have more difficulty securing appropriate coverage, but creative options are available.

Schools with budget constrictions can still guard their athletes safety by opting for a teacher/ATC arrangement where the ATC teaches a reduced class schedule and provides athletic training services for the sports program. Many ATCs will discover they are eligible for teaching credentials in most states.

As allied health care providers, ATCs often find success in special education positions where individualized instruction and adaptation is needed. Vocational education positions offer another option for the ATC

Even large schools can implement an athletic health program with mini mal financial impact by hiring a teacher with ATC credentials and setting up a fund that will eventually produce a full-time ATC. Because the combined jobs of hill-time teaching and athletic training result in a 60-70 hour workweek, an effort can be made to reconcile the teaching load with the needs of the athletic training schedule.

Over the course of a few years, the school car provide a career-based employment t model for an ATC with-out feeling strangled by the impact pact of the budgetary outlay.

identifying a support position within the school is another alternative to consider when instituting an athletic health care prograrm with limited funding. Ins tructional assistants, wellness coordinators, conic aides, computer technical support, floating substitute teachers -- all of these positions can be filled by ar ATC during the first few years of the athletic training program.

As the program develops, with perhaps additional funding, the ATC position car become an integral part of the athletic department.