MultiCare Orthopedics and Sports Medicine<\/a>, many people still don\u2019t have a clear idea of the scope of their role.<\/p>\nIn that light, here are five things you might not know about athletic trainers.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re different from personal trainers<\/h2>\n
One common misconception is that athletic trainers and personal trainers are the same thing, says Anna Gonzales, ATC. \u201cWhen patients come to the clinic they\u2019re sometimes surprised to see a \u2018trainer\u2019 there and think we\u2019re going to help them do squats and get in shape. But in fact our role is very different,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Athletic trainers work alongside sports medicine doctors and other providers to help prevent, treat, and rehabilitate acute and chronic injuries and medical conditions. They perform many different functions throughout the course of a day, from assisting with patient care and treatments such as wound care and casting, coordinating care between clinics, and handling insurance claims.<\/p>\n
They have a broad scope of responsibilities<\/h2>\n
When a patient first arrives at a sports medicine clinic, an athletic trainer typically performs the patient intake, takes vitals and a detailed history, performs an initial musculoskeletal exam, orders imaging, and presents findings to the sports medicine physician. After the physician determines the final diagnosis and treatment plan, the athletic trainer helps educate the patient on home exercises and treatment plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main goal of athletic training is to restore people to life and activity. Our overall focus is broad, but at MultiCare we function as clinical assistants to improve the efficiency and flow of the clinic and elevate the level of expertise in a patient\u2019s treatment experience with a team approach,\u201d says Chandra Lovejoy, ATC.<\/p>\n
Athletic trainers also see many different types of patients. \u201cIn general, we focus on treating active people, but we also see patients of all ages who are relatively sedentary and want to have a better quality of life. We like to say we see patients from age 5 to 105,\u201d says Tristan Fujita, ATC.<\/p>\n
They work in many different settings<\/h2>\n
Within the Puget Sound region, MultiCare athletic trainers work in a sports medicine setting, assisting individual sports medicine physicians at a clinic. But outside of the Puget Sound region, MultiCare athletic trainers work in a more traditional physical therapy setting.<\/p>\n
In general, athletic trainers might also work in hospitals, industrial settings, for professional sports teams, or in educational settings such as colleges, universities, elementary schools, and secondary schools.<\/p>\n
They have advanced training<\/h2>\n
Athletic trainers need to have at least a bachelor\u2019s degree, although according to NATA 70 percent of athletic trainers have a master\u2019s degree, and as of last year, all new graduates will be masters prepared. The curriculum and clinical training of athletic trainers follows a medical-based education model that includes courses in biology, anatomy, nutrition, sports medicine, and kinesiology. Almost all states require athletic trainers to be licensed or certified to practice.<\/p>\n
They love their jobs<\/h2>\n
For Gonzales, Lovejoy and Fujita, the opportunity to work alongside patients throughout the recovery journey is motivating and inspiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love being a guide post for patients by helping them understand their care plan better and feel more confident in what provider is helping them to do, and getting to see them when they come back and they\u2019re feeling better,\u201d says Fujita.<\/p>\n
Lovejoy agrees. \u201cI enjoy being an advocate and care coordinator for my patients by communicating both to the patient on their terms and to the provider on their terms,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really enjoy getting to know the patients, what fires them up and what they love to participate in, and I like to walk with them through their recovery process. When someone first gets hurt they\u2019re in a pretty disappointed place in their life, so I\u2019m able to support and encourage them. Once they can return to their sport, I get to see their joy and know that I helped them along their journey,\u201d says Gonzales.<\/p>\n
Learn more about MultiCare Sports Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve ever been to a high school or college sports match or visited a sports medicine doctor for an injury, you\u2019ve likely seen an athletic trainer in action \u2014 maybe without realizing it. With school sports starting again, now\u2019s the time to learn more about these important providers. The National Athletic Trainers\u2019 Association (NATA) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":343,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-orthopedics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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