March is National Athletic Training Month!
Athletic trainers (ATs) are health care professionals who provide medical services for active patient populations. From injury prevention and enhanced wellness to rehabilitation and return to activity, ATs are essential to health care in work, life and sport. March is National Athletic Training Month (NATM), a time to celebrate the essential role that athletic trainers play in health care.
ATs provide essential health care services on the field, in the hospital and countless other locations. ATs are experts in injury and illness prevention – in fact, ATs spend nearly 50% of their time providing preventative health care. ATs provide essential health care in times of an emergency, such as sudden cardiac arrest, exertional heat stroke or cervical spine injury. Perhaps one of the most rewarding parts of being an AT is helping an athlete, performer or public servant return to the sport, stage or job they love after sustaining an injury. ATs work collaboratively with other health care professionals to rehabilitate an active patient to work, life and sport.
Essential health care services that ATs provide include:
Injury and Illness Prevention: ATs implement injury prevention programs and help mitigate risk by developing venue specific emergency action plans.
Examination and Diagnosis of Injuries: ATs help ensure that patients receive the necessary health screenings as well as evaluate injuries when they occur.
Immediate and Emergency Care: ATs provide emergency care for injury and illnesses such as concussion, cardiac arrest, spine injuries, heat stroke, diabetes, allergic reactions and asthma attacks.
Therapeutic Intervention: ATs recondition and rehabilitate injuries, illnesses and general medical conditions for optimal performance and function.
Health Care Administration: ATs are pioneers of change. Through injury data collected by ATs, the athletic training profession is shaping injury prevention and identifying new ways to keep patients healthy while reducing overall health care costs.
