What is athletic training?
Athletic training encompasses the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions. Athletic training is recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA), the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an allied healthcare profession.
Who are athletic trainers?
Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled healthcare professionals who render service or treatment, under the direction of or in collaboration with a physician, in accordance with their education, training, and the state's statutes, rules, and regulations. As a part of the health care team, services provided by athletic trainers include primary care, injury and illness prevention, wellness promotion and education, emergent care, examination and clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions.
Athletic trainers are sometimes confused with personal trainers. There is, however, a significant difference in the education, skillset, job duties, and patients of an athletic trainer and a personal trainer. The athletic training academic curriculum and clinical training follows the medical model. Athletic trainers must graduate from an accredited baccalaureate or master’s program, and 70% of ATs have a master’s degree. ATs must pass a comprehensive test administered by the Board of Certification (BOC). Once certified, he or she must meet ongoing continuing education requirements to remain certified. Athletic trainers must also work in collaboration with a supervising physician and within their state practice act. Florida ATs are licensed by the State of Florida Department of Health – Division of Medical Quality Assurance.
Why are Certified Athletic Trainers needed in high schools?
Athletic trainers are needed in high schools to provide leadership, oversight for sports safety, and provide medical services to athletes participating in sports. They educate student-athletes, coaches, and parents, improve functional outcomes, and specialize in patient education to prevent sports-related injury and re-injury. Preventative care provided by an athletic trainer has a positive return on investment for the school system. ATs can reduce injury and shorten rehabilitation time for their athletes, which translates to lower absenteeism from school, practice, games and reduced healthcare costs.
Athletic trainers are trained and prepared to respond to sports’ top 4 deadly risks: sudden cardiac arrest, heat stroke, exertional sickling, and head injuries. ATs have unique education and skills that allow them to properly assess, treat, and rehabilitate acute and traumatic injuries in high school athletics. In coordination with the team physician, they routinely make decisions regarding the return-to-play status of student-athletes. Finally, most situations encountered by athletic trainers should not be left to a coach or layperson who does not have the necessary education and medical and emergency care training.
Athletic Training Vision Statement
The Paxon Athletic Training Program shall provide injury prevention, care, and rehabilitation services of recognized excellence to the student-athletes within the Athletics Department. The Athletic Training Program is committed to providing the best possible quality care that reflects the philosophical excellence of the school.
Athletic Training Mission Statement
The Paxon Athletic Training Program delivers traditional athletic training to the student-athletes at Paxon School for Advanced Studies. The services to be delivered can be broken down into five domains:
1. Risk Reduction, Wellness, and Health Literacy.
2. Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis.
3. Critical Incident Management.
4. Therapeutic Intervention.
5. Healthcare Administration and Professional Responsibility.
We are committed to using whatever technology is available and affordable in the delivery of these services. We will remain committed to the continuous upgrading of the education, clinical skill development, and equipment used in the delivery of athletic training services.
The purpose of the athletic training program is four-fold:
1. encourage a philosophy of sport that places a high value on health and wellness
2. substantially reduce the risk of athletic injury for student-athletes in our service
3. allow easy access to athletic training services and sports medicine referrals to student-athletes
4. enable injured student-athletes to return to their sports as soon as is medically safe.
The underlying philosophy for the athletic training program is that the student-athletes needs shall always be the first consideration for all sports medicine team members. We are committed to ongoing evaluation of our athletic training program so that our student-athlete can be assured of the highest quality in athletic training care. Furthermore, we are committed to promptly addressing problems and concerns so that our student-athletes needs can continue to be met.