Kiara Willis
English IV
Mrs. Lynn Black
December 9, 2014
Athletic Training
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who collaborate with physicians. Athletic trainers help prevent and treat injuries that are typically caused by athletic involvement. (Live Strong 1) Athletic training first emerged during the 20th 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. (Live Strong 1) In the 1930’s athletic trainers tried to form a national organization (National Athletic Trainers’ Association), however it disappeared during the 1940’s during World War 2. It was not until the 1950s when the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) was brought back. In 1989, the National Board of Certification emerged as a certified program for athletic trainers. (Live Strong 1) Finally, athletic training as a professional health career first emerged in 1990, when the American Medical Association deemed it an “allied health profession”. In order to understand Athletic Training, one must consider educational requirements, equipment, and the safety procedures. By the 1990s the curriculum for athletic trainers began to emerge. In 1986, Sayers Miller, proposed a major specific option for athletic training to be offered in colleges.(Jenkins 1) Athletic trainers meets qualifications set by the Board of certification, Inc., and adhere to the requirements of a state licensing board. The educational requirements for a professional athletic trainer is to obtain, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in athletic training. Must past a comprehensive exam to earn the ATC Credential. An athletic trainer must keep their knowledge and skills current by participating in continuing education. Also must adhere to standards of professional practice set by one national certifying agency and to a national code of ethics. Athletic Trainers practice under the direction of physician and are members of a health care profession recognized by the American Medical Association. (Altman 1) One of the main duties that an athletic trainer performs is teaching athletes how to use their equipment properly and how to prevent injury. (Live Strong) They also treat many injuries, which most often involves taping and bracing injured body parts. The general goals of athletic taping are to restrict the motion of injured joint, compress soft tissues to reduce swelling, support anatomical structure involved in the injury, serve as a splint of to secure a splint, secure dressing or bandages, protect the injured joint from re-injury, and protect the injured part while the injured part is in the healing process. Braces are a great way to provide extra support and stability to an area. There are various types of braces for all parts of the body. The most common ones include braces for the ankle, knee, and shoulder. Braces and tape would seem like they are basically the same thing but in reality they are not. Most athletes prefer to wear tape than braces just because it provides security on the injured body part. One of the main things an athletic trainer needs with them at all times is a first aid kit. A First Aid Kit is one of the most important things for an athletic trainer. It does not only carry bandages, it carries things from medicine to a blood pressure cuff. These are the things an athletic trainer refers to first when there is some type of medical situation. It is highly important for a trainer to have these equipment in order to perform their jobs. Athletic trainers do all they can to help a player but it is very important for a trainer to follow the safety procedures. There are many safety procedures to follow for different types of things but something that trainers really want to protect their selves from are blood borne pathogens. These are common disease such as hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). (Department of Labor) In order to reduce or eliminate the hazards of occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens, a trainer must follow the safety procedures of how to take care of an athlete when blood is involved, for example wearing gloves and also disposing used equipment the right way. There are different safety procedures for different type of injuries, for example the trainer would have to follow certain precautions if a person had a concussion. One must consider educational requirements, equipment, and the safety procedures, in order to understand Athletic Training. The life and times of an Athletic Trainer have changed over the past twenty years. Traditionally, an athletic trainer worked either in a high school or college setting with an occasional placement in a physical therapy practice. Or if you were lucky enough, you could work with a professional sports team. Today, athletic trainers can be found working in a wide variety of “non-traditional” settings. Not only do athletic trainers work in hospitals, corporations, industrial settings, but have delved out into the world of NASCAR racing, NASA, rodeo, police and fire safety to name a few. Potential for employment as an athletic trainer is left only to the imagination and creative problem solving of current vocational trends and shortages.