Athletic Training - for the sports, health and fitness communities

What is Athletic Training? Click to open

What is Athletic Training?
Athletic Training is an allied health care profession recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) that specializes in the prevention, evaluation, treatment, management and rehabilitation of athletic related injuries and illnesses.

What is an athletic injury?
An athletic injury is an injury resulting from participation in exercises, sports, games, or recreation requiring physical strength, agility, flexibility, range of motion, speed, or stamina or any comparable injury which prevents participation is athletic or physical activity.

What is the History of Athletic Training?
Athletic training has roots dating back to ancient Greece, but the athletic training profession as it is known today is radically different by comparison. Gone are the days when "trainers" were known mainly for carrying water jugs and acting as team managers. Today, Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) are highly educated health care providers who specialize in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of athletic injuries.

Who is the Certified Athletic Trainer?
The Certified Athletic Trainer is an allied health care professional that is certified by the Board of Certification (BOC). The certified athletic trainer is a highly educated and skilled professional specializing in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries. In cooperation with physicians and other allied health personnel, the ATC functions as an integral member of the athletic healthcare team in secondary schools, colleges and universities, sports medicine clinics, professional sports programs, industrial settings and other healthcare environments. Specifically, the Certified Athletic Trainer's role encompasses six domains:

Athletic Injury Prevention and Risk Management
Recognition, Evaluation and Assessment of Injuries and Illnesses
Immediate Care of Injuries
Treatment, Rehabilitation and Reconditioning
Health Care Organization and Administration
Professional Development and Responsibility

As a part of the complete sports medicine team, the Certified Athletic Trainer works under the direction of a licensed physician and in cooperation with other health care professionals, athletics administrators, coaches and parents.

There is a certification exam offered 5 times per year. The exam is taken after all course work and clinical requirements have been met. For more information regarding the exam and dates please see the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification web site at www.nataboc.org

What is the education for a Certified Athletic Trainer?
All athletic trainers have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Athletic trainers are health care professionals similar to physical, occupational, speech, language and other therapists. ALL certified or licensed athletic trainers must have a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited college or university. Degrees are complementary to accredited athletic training majors and include established academic curricula. Athletic trainers' bachelor's degrees are in pre-medical sciences, kinesiology, exercise physiology, biology, exercise science or physical education. Academic programs are accredited through an independent process by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) via the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Athletic Training (JRC- AT). - NATA.org

The following educational content standards are required for athletic training degree programs:

Acute care of injury and illness
Assessment of injury and illness
Exercise physiology
General medical conditions and disabilities
Health care administration
Human anatomy
Human physiology
Kinesiology/biomechanics
Medical ethics and legal issues
Nutritional aspects of injury and illness
Pathology of injury and illness
Pharmacology
Professional development and responsibilities
Psychosocial intervention and referral
Risk management and injury/illness prevention
Statistics and research design
Strength training and reconditioning
Therapeutic exercise and rehabilitative techniques
Therapeutic modalities
Weight management and body composition

The competency areas are as follows:

Risk Management and Injury Prevention
Pathology of Injury and Illness
Assessment and Evaluation
Acute Care of Injury and Illness
Pharmacology
Therapeutic Modalities
Therapeutic Exercise
General Medical Conditions and Disabilities
Nutritional Aspects of Injury and Illness
Psychosocial Intervention and Referral
Health Care Administration
Professional Development and Responsibilities - NATA.org

70 percent of athletic trainers have a master's degree or doctorate.
Certified athletic trainers are highly educated. Seventy (70) percent of AT credential holders have a master's degree or more advanced degree. Reflective of the broad base of skills valued by the athletic training profession, these master's degrees may be in athletic training (clinical), education, exercise physiology, counseling or health care administration or promotion. This great majority of practitioners who hold advance degrees is comparable to other allied health care professionals. NATA.org

Athletic trainers know and practice the medical arts at the highest professional standards.
Athletic trainers specialize in injury and illness prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for all physically active people, including the general public. NATA.org

Athletic trainers are regulated and licensed health care workers.
While practice act oversight varies by state, the athletic trainer practices under state statutes recognizing them as health care professionals similar to physical therapists, occupational therapists and other health care professionals. Athletic training licensure/regulation exists in 44 states, with aggressive efforts underway to pursue licensure in the remaining states. Athletic trainers practice under the direction of physicians. NATA.org

An independent national board certifies athletic trainers.
The independent Board of Certification Inc. (BOC) nationally certifies athletic trainers. Athletic trainers must pass an examination and hold a bachelor's degree to become an Athletic Trainer, Certified (ATC). To retain certification, credential holders must obtain 80 hours of medically related continuing education credits every three years and adhere to a Code of Ethics. The BOC is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. NATA.org

Athletic trainers are recognized allied health care professionals.
ATs are highly qualified, multi-skilled allied health care professionals and have been part of the American Medical Association's Health Professions Career and Education Directory for more than a decade. Additionally, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine - among others - are all strong clinical and academic supporters of athletic trainers. NATA.org

More than 50 percent of NATA's certified athletic trainer members work outside of school athletic settings and provide services to people of all ages. Certified athletic trainers work in physician offices as physician extenders. They also work in rural and urban hospitals, hospital emergency rooms, urgent and ambulatory care centers, military hospitals, physical therapy clinics, high schools, colleges/universities, commercial settings, professional sports teams and performing arts companies. They are multi-skilled health care workers who, like others in the medical community with science-based degrees, are in great demand because of the continuing and increasing shortage of registered nurses and other health care workers. The skills of ATs have been sought and valued by sports medicine specialists and other physicians for more than 50 years. As the U.S. begins its fight against the obesity epidemic, it is important that people have access to health care professionals who can support lifelong physical activity. NATA.org

Athletic trainers have designated CPT/UB Codes. The American Medical Association (AMA) granted Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for athletic training evaluation and re-evaluation (97005, 97006) in 2000. The codes became effective in 2002. In addition, the American Hospital Association established Uniform Billing (UB) codes - or revenue codes - for athletic training in 1999, effective 2000. NATA.org

What are Licensure Qualifications?
A bachelor's degree at minimum, taking and passing a legally defensible national certification exam administered by the independent Board of Certification Inc. (BOC) or (NATABOC) The BOC is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

What is the Athletic Training Governing Board?
It is a state agency charged to regulate the practice of Athletic Training. The Board is responsible for protecting the health, safety and welfare of individuals who receive athletic training services.

What does the Athletic Training Governing Board do?

Members meet monthly to conduct Board business and,
Develop policy and set standards of practice
Review applications and issues licenses to qualified applicants
Investigate complaints and take appropriate disciplinary action when violations are found to have occurred
Monitor and enforce continued certification at the national level

How is the Board organized?
The five-member Board is made up of three licensed Athletic Trainers, one physician and one public member, appointed by the governor.

How does the Board monitor competency of licensees?
The Board requires that every licensee demonstrate proof of continued BOC certification, which requires continuing education in activities relating to development for the purpose, of updating and developing skills in order to provide appropriate athletic training services. To retain certification, ATC credential holders must obtain 80 hours of medically related continuing education credits every three years and adhere to a code of ethics.

Why you may want to contact the board?

To determine whether the practitioner holds current license.
You feel the Athletic Trainer has behaved in an unprofessional manner.
You are dissatisfied with the Athletic Training services provided and have not ?received satisfaction after notifying the Athletic Trainer and/or the employer.
You want to know' if a specific Athletic Trainer has had any disciplinary actions taken against him/her.
You have any questions regarding Athletic Training services.

How are complaints filed? A person who wishes to file a complaint, should contact the Board to inquire as to what information the board will need to act upon. When the complaint is received, the board will review it. If the board determines the complaint is within their jurisdiction, the board will investigate further.

When does the Board take disciplinary action?
When an Athletic Trainer has been found guilty of:

practicing Athletic Training in a manner detrimental to the public health and welfare;
obtaining or attempting to obtain a license by fraud or deception;
by engaging in unprofessional conduct as defined by the board;
gross negligence or incompetence.

How does the Certified Athletic Trainer interact with other healthcare professionals?
The athletic trainer typically does the initial assessment of an injury, performs first aid, and, if appropriate, refers the player to a physician or another healthcare professional for treatment. The athletic trainer helps athletes in rehabilitation and, when the player is released, evaluates the player and clears them to return to the playing field.

What is a typical day in the life of a Certified Athletic Trainer?
ATCs are highly involved in the day to day routines of professional, intercollegiate, or high school athletics. Some duties of a Certified Athletic Trainer will include:

Prepping athletes for practice or competition including taping, bandaging, bracing or applying other forms of risk management
Evaluating injuries to determine the best course of action.
Designing and implementing conditioning programs
Implementing treatment and rehabilitation programs
ATCs who are not integrated in the athletics communities may function as a sports rehabilitation specialist. The sports rehabilitation specialist spends their days in a private, corporate or hospital based rehabilitation clinic constructing rehabilitation protocols, monitoring therapeutic exercise regimens and performing treatments with the various therapeutic modalities that may be offered for patient care. An ATC must have a strong knowledge of the human anatomy and health and human performance, and strong decision making skills through education and training.

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