Athletic Training Essay

Most people today have seen on television during a sports game an Athletic Trainer run out to the field to assist an injured athlete. They are the first line of care during any emergency situation on the field when they are present. Many different athletic and even non-athletic settings employ Athletic Trainers for the different services they can provide. Athletic Trainers can provide more than just taping an ankle and applying ice. They also create rehabilitation programs, manage acute injuries, along with many more tasks. They can be easily overlooked when the general public only views a glimpse of the profession and notices what they do off the field or court. Colleges at all levels and professional sports have realized the benefits of having a Certified Athletic Trainer on their staff. A Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) is an individual who has received a B.S. Athletic Training degree from an accredited university and passed the Board of Certification exam (BOC). Currently in the state of California any person with slight training …show more content…
The role of the physician is to complete the healthcare team provided at an athletic event. The ATC works under the physician since there are injuries that take place that are out of the scope of practice for an ATC (E. Quandt, M. Mitten, & J. Black, 2009). Both the ATC and physician should be aware of each other capabilities of each other practice to perform the best care for the student athletes. Dr. Michael Shepard, official orthopedic surgeon of the Los Angeles Angles and of local Anaheim high school, claimed that many physicians do not want to volunteer to cover high school athletic events for fear of being sued (personal communication, October 26, 2016). This fear raises the need of an ATC so there can be at least a portion of a healthcare team on site to cover an emergency situation along with more minor