The title and job description of an athletic trainer is often misconstrued in the real world—but make no mistake, they are a greatly appreciated group, especially in the eyes of coaches and the student-athletes that they work with on a daily basis. The month of March celebrates National Athletic Training Month, so it is only appropriate to take a look at what they do, why they do it and what certification and skills they must possess to perform their jobs. Several members of the growing Georgia State Sports Medicine staff who keep Panther athletes on the field will explain how they became athletic trainers and what is needed to become one.
Currently, the Georgia State sports medicine staff is employed by the university and consists of six full-time certified athletic trainers, seven graduate assistant athletic trainers, one intern athletic trainer and an outside staff of four orthopaedic physicians that work to cover the medical needs of our 17 Division I sports participating in the CAA and Sun Belt conferences. They are responsible for more than 350 student-athletes.
What is Athletic Training? Board of Certification (BOC) Athletic Trainers are healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations and disabilities. Athletic training is even recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a healthcare profession.
Athletic Trainers come from a variety of different backgrounds, but at the end of the day, it seems as those most do if for the same reason.
“I was an athlete in high school and dealt with my fair share of injuries,” commented second -year graduate assistant Brandon Dobo. “I spent a lot of time in my high school athletic training room as a result of injuries. When I realized that I wasn't quite good enough to play sports in college and that was all I had known, athletic training seemed the best way to stay close to sports.”
Certified Athletic Trainers most certainly stay close to sports by attending practices and conditioning sessions and many travel with GSU teams to competitions. Often times, the athletic trainers are embraced by student-athletes who understand their role.
To become a BOC-certified athletic trainer (AT), one must earn a degree from a college or university with an accredited athletic training program, then – depending on your state regulation – take and pass the exam administered by the Omaha-based Board of Certification (BOC).
The M.S. major in Sports Medicine prepares students for career opportunities in the field of athletic training. The program includes coursework and laboratory experiences in the prevention, management, evaluation, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. The purpose of this program is to provide qualified candidates with in-depth experiences beyond entry-level athletic training expectations. Additionally, all students must complete a minimum of 400 hours of clinical experience in an approved setting as part of the degree program requirements.
“My favorite part of working as a graduate assistant at Georgia State is the experiences with my teams and my fellow graduate assistants,” continued Dobo. “I was part of a track team that was one event away from winning its second straight conference championship, which was a pretty awesome feeling. And the fellowship with my classmates and co-workers has definitely become a friendship that will last beyond my time here at GSU.”
With that said, athletic training is much more than traveling with teams and helping make sure student-athletes are properly taped and kept as healthy as possible.
“My goal, and the goal for the Sports Medicine department, is to provide the highest-quality medical care to our student-athletes by using all resources we have available,” commented Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Nutrition Bob Murphy. “I challenge myself and my staff regularly to totally commit to doing all we can to put our student-athletes in a position to succeed.”
Within recent years, that has meant growing the department in leaps and bounds with the addition of football and sand volleyball, a task that Murphy has met head on.
“First of all, the positives of our Athletic Department's growth –resulting in more athletic trainers on staff, medical facilities with more equipment and more space, more interest and assistance from the Atlanta medical community overall - have far outnumbered the challenges,” continued Murphy. “The hard work and dedication of our athletic training staff, the commitment from our team physicians, and the support from our athletic administration have all made the transition very manageable. The biggest challenges for me personally have been ensuring I have the time and energy to work directly with the student-athletes and my staff while staying on top of the administrative duties of the position.”
Just as student-athletes work hard and prepare daily with the hope of becoming professional athletes, so do athletic trainers. The list of places where athletic trainers, just from Georgia State alone, have ended up is endless, but at the end of the day, it all started here.
Many of Georgia State's athletic trainers are currently enrolled in the M.S. major in Sports Medicine.
Ashley St. Clair, an undergraduate Exercise Science major volunteering as an Athletic Training student knows that all too well. St. Clair has been working with several teams in her time at Georgia State and can often be found on the sidelines at football games working with student-athletes.
“I have always had a strong love of sports, always wanting to be as close to the action as possible, and a love for helping people, so I decided the best way to combine my two passions was athletic training,” commented St. Clair. “The people who inspire me the most as an athletic trainer are the women working with male sports, especially those working with Division I and professional men's teams such as Sue Falsone, the head AT for the Dodgers, and Sonia Gysland with the Steelers.”
Murphy gives the best advice for someone looking to get into the industry, which honestly can be said of all of collegiate athletics.
“I would have three pieces of advice to anyone looking to get into the field,” commented Murphy. “First, learn as much as you can as a young athletic trainer – evaluate and provide care for as many injuries as possible, attend conferences, ask questions of colleagues, know the latest research. Second, put yourself in a position to advance – network with others in the profession, ask for more responsibility in your current role, get involved in professional organizations. Third, be totally committed to your job – understand and accept that working in athletics is not a 9 to 5 job, be positive in your daily actions, and do everything in your power to provide care to athletes while allowing the individual and team to succeed.”
Especially in National Athletic Training Month as well as all year long, GeorgiaStateSports.com salutes the skilled professionals for their behind-the-scenes contributions.
If anyone is interested in becoming an Athletic Trainer or participating in the volunteer student athletic trainer program, please contact Dinika S. Johnson at her office (404-413-4125) or via email: djohnson91@gsu.edu.
