Certification Athletic Training: Where did it start?

Certification Athletic Training: Where did it start?

An athletic trainer is the professional that treats, prevents, and helps rehabilitate injured athletes.  This valuable person is usually present in universities and high schools that have a sports program.  One of the main duties that an athletic trainer performs is teaching athletes how to use their equipment properly and how to prevent injury.  They also treat many injuries, which most often involves taping and bracing injured body parts.  The repercussions for not having an athletic trainer are devastating as well as costly, which is why Longwood University should provide an athletic trainer for their club sports.
Athletic training first emerged during the 20^th century at the Olympic Games.  After football surfaced as a national sport in the United States, many realized the need for these trainers to be present at the games.  The 1950s brought about the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, which included trainers from Japan, Canada, and the United States.  In 1989, the National Board of Certification emerged as a certification program for athletic trainers.  Finally, athletic training as a professional health career first emerged in 1990, when the American Medical Association deemed it an “allied health profession”.
At first, the training for these highly qualified professionals included training in health and physical education courses, but many saw the need for a specific curriculum just for athletic trainers.   In the 1970s, a curriculum specific to athletic trainers emerged.  By 1982 Athletic training became a college major, and today one can receive a masters and even a doctorate degree.  As of 2008, 39% of athletic trainers work in schools and universities.  Therefore, most schools with NCAA sports have an athletic trainer.
Although Longwood does have athletic trainers, these professionals are only for NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) athletes.  However, there are also club sports at many universities including Longwood that could use an athletic trainer.  The problem is that Longwood does not have an athletic trainer for their club sports, like many other colleges and universities.   Longwood currently only has 9 NCAA sports, but they have 18 club sports.   Considering Longwood has double the NCAA sports in their club sports program, one would think that the university would be able to meet the needs of club sports and provide them one or two athletic trainers.

Citations:
“Club Sports Contacts.” Longwood University. Club Sports Council, 2012. Web. 23 Jan 2012. <http://www.longwood.edu/recreation/14263.htm>.
Kragenbrink, Alexis. “The History of Athletic Training.” LIVESTRONG.  10/04/2010. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/270102-the-history-of-athletic-training/.>

Board Certification Of Athletic Training - What is ATHLETIC TRAINER

Board Certification Of Athletic Training - What is ATHLETIC TRAINER

An athletic trainer is an expert at recognizing, treating and preventing musculoskeletal injuries. ATs meets qualifications set by the Board of Certification, Inc., and adhere to the requirements of a state licensing board. ATs practice under the direction of a physician and are membersof a health care profession recognized by the American Medical Association.

Requirements:
• Must obtain, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in athletic training
• Must pass a comprehensive exam to earn the ATC credential
• Must keep their knowledge and skills current by participating
in continuing education
• Must adhere to standards of professional practice set by one
national certifying agency and to a national code of ethics

Daily Duties:
– Provide physical medicine and rehabilitation services
– Prevent, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate injuries (acute and chronic)
– Coordinate care with physicians and other health care professionals
– Work in schools, colleges, professional sports, clinics, hospitals,
corporations, industry, military, performing arts

 Board Certification Of Athletic Training - What is ATHLETIC TRAINER

Board of Certification Athletic Training

 

 Board of Certification Athletic Training

To become a BOC-certified athletic trainer (AT), you must earn a degree from a college or university with an accredited athletic training program, then – depending on your state regulation – take and pass the exam administered by the Omaha-based Board of Certification (BOC).
 

Don't have a Bachelors Degree?

• Go to http://www.caate.net/
• Click on Accredited Programs (in the brown heading stripe)
• Leave State field blank, select Undergraduate in the Program Type area
• Click Submit to see the listing of all undergraduate level programs

Bachelors Degree Holder?

1. You can get a second bachelor’s from one of the schools mentioned above. 
2. Or you can get a masters in athletic training from a university with an accredited entry level masters program.  There are fewer than 20 of these.  For a list of schools with accredited entry-level masters programs, go to:

• Go to http://www.caate.net/
• Click on Accredited Programs (in the brown heading stripe)
• Leave State field blank, select Entry Level Masters in the Program Type area
• Click Submit to see the listing of all entry level masters programs

Already hold the ATC credential?

Consider an advanced masters degree program. There are about a dozen of these. For a list of these programs, go to:

• Select Education from the list on left
• Click on Education Programs
• Click on Post-Professional Education
• Click link to open NATA Accredited Post-Professional Programs

Admissions information:  For questions about admission to an accredited program, contact the program director at the individual college or university.
State practice acts: Most states regulate the profession of athletic training.  Go to http://www.nata.org/members1/gov_affairs/stateregboards.cfm (requires members-only login) to check the regulatory act in states where you may wish to practice.  Verifying the requirements in advance is important because in some cases you cannot start your first day on the job until you have met the stipulated qualifications.

Certification: For certification information, go to www.bocatc.org or contact staff@bocatc.org or call 877.BOC.EXAM. 
Student membership:College students are eligible to join NATA.  Learn more about student membership, careers in athletic training and other aspects of the profession at http://www.nata.org/student.

Maintaining Your Credential

The 2006-2011 Recertification Requirements outline the requirements to maintain your BOC certification. The requirements include information about completing the continuing education (CE) requirements, meeting the emergency cardiac care (ECC) requirements, submitting the BOC certification fee and adhering to the BOC Standards of Professional Practice.

Certification Athletic Training Terminology

 Certification Athletic Training Terminology

The NATA districts and the board of directors have voted to remove the term "physical activity" from the NATA mission statement. The new statement for NATA is: "The mission of the National Athletic Trainers' Association is to enhance the quality of health care provided by certified athletic trainers and to advance the athletic training profession."

Definition of Athletic Training

(approved by NATA Board of Directors in October, 2007) Athletic training is practiced by athletic trainers, health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities.

Typical patients and clients served by athletic trainers include:

• Recreational, amateur, and professional athletes
• Individuals who have suffered musculoskeletal injuries
• Those seeking strength, conditioning, fitness, and performance enhancement
• Others delegated by the physician

Some places athletic training services are provided include:

• Athletic training facilities
• Schools (K-12, colleges, universities)
• Amateur, professional and Olympic sports venues
• Clinics
• Hospitals
• Physician offices
• Community facilities
• Workplaces (commercial and government)

Athletic trainers deliver rehabilitation services under a physician’s guidelines.

Guidelines are general directions and descriptions that lead to the final outcome, thereby allowing the athletic trainer to rely on clinical decision making in constructing the rehabilitation protocol. Protocol are rigid step-by-step instructions that are common in technical fields and do not allow flexibility and/or clinical decision making.

Athletic trainers function under a physician’s direction.

The terms "direction" and "supervision" mean two different things. Most importantly, supervision may require the on-site physical presence of the physician and that the physician examines each and every patient treated by an athletic trainer. Direction, on the other hand, requires contact and interaction, but not necessarily physical presence.

Athletic trainers refer to the population that receives their services as patients or clients.

Athletes comprise a significant proportion of the population who receive care from athletic trainers. However, once an athlete (or any other individual) becomes injured, he or she is a patient. The term "client" should be used for situations where individuals receive athletic training services – usually preventive in nature – on a fee-for-service basis.

Athletic trainers refer to Secondary School and College-based work spaces as facilities or clinics.

The term "Athletic Training Room" does not appropriately recognize the health care services that are delivered within its walls. It may be impractical to find a "one term fits all" descriptor to describe this area, and each institution/facility will use the most appropriate term for their venue.

Athletic trainers should not utilize the term "board certified."

In medicine, the definition of "Board Certified" is a process to ensure that an individual has met standards beyond those of admission into licensure and has passed specialty examinations in the field. Various medical professional organizations establish their own board certification examinations. While the term "Board Certified" is recognizable within the heath care and medical communities, based on the above definition, the entry-level examination does not fit the criteria of being Board Certified. The recommended term is "certified athletic trainer." For more information, contact Judy Pulice, ext. 103.

 Certification Athletic Training Terminology

Certification Athletic Training

Certification Athletic Training

 Certification Athletic Training - What is an Athletic Trainer?

BOC Certified ATs are healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations and disabilities. Athletic training is recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a healthcare profession.

Certification Athletic Training Practice Domains

Certification Exam: The following domains are in effect as of the April 2011 exam
Recertification: The following domains are in effect for continuing education as of January 1, 2012

• Injury/Illness Prevention and Wellness Protection
• Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis
• Immediate and Emergency Care
• Treatment and Rehabilitation
• Organizational and Professional Health and Well-being

Professional Preparation

Students become eligible for BOC certification through an athletic training degree program (Bachelor’s or entry-level Master’s) accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Students engage in rigorous classroom study and clinical education in a variety of practice settings such as high schools, colleges/universities, hospitals, emergency rooms, physician offices and healthcare clinics over the course of the degree program. Students enrolled in their final semester are eligible to apply for the BOC exam.

Employers of Athletic Training Services

• Professional and Collegiate Sports
• Secondary and Intermediate Schools
• Sports Medicine Clinics
• Hospital ER and Rehab Clinics
• Occupational Settings
• Fitness Centers
• Physician Offices

NATA's Guide to Athletic Training Services

Certification Athletic Training