Athletic Training. Athletic Training is becoming a fast growing career among young adults due to the

Transcription

1 Gleason 1 Courtney Gleason Mr. Kellerman English: IJK 19 November 2012 Athletic Training Athletic Training is becoming a fast growing career among young adults due to the increase of boys and girls of all ages getting involved in organized sports. Since 1990, the American Medical Association (AMA) has recognized Athletic Training as an allied health care profession. Athletic Training is practiced by athletic trainers, health care 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, function limitations and disabilities. There are six domains of Athletic Training which are as follows; prevention, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, immediate care, treatment and rehabilitation and reconditioning, organization and administration, professional responsibility for each athlete, client or patient in their care. With the heavy influence on sports in contemporary society, in young boys and girls are facing more injuries than ever before, making a greater need for Athletic Trainers. Becoming an Athletic Trainer starts in high school by taking specific courses that are associated in the medical field and this education will continue in college by taking a curriculum based on Athletic Training for four years.

2 Gleason 2 The career for Athletic Training needs has increased over the past few years due to the increase in younger children getting involved in sports at such a young age. Sports have been considered a healthy and educational activity for the younger children. According to the Center for Kids First, 30 million to 40 million children get involved in organized sports in the course of a year. This is why Athletic Training has become so popular because there are so many more athletes that are getting involved in sports which are now played year-round or these athletes play multiple sports without ever giving their body a chance to rest. Injuries often occur because these athletes play their year-round sport or play multiple sports and their bodies get tired and injuries start to happen to them. According to the Boston Children Hospital, of the 30 million children and teens participating in the form of organized sports, about 3.5 million injuries occur each year. Also, with so many sports going on, trainers will still have the normal ankle sprain, concussion, collarbone injury which happens often in sports. About 60 percent of organized sports related injuries occur during practice. The more athletes there are, the more injuries there are, and this is one of the main reasons Athletic Training has become so popular. Also, there is such a heavy influence on sports in our society today, that athletes of all ages risk an injury, making a greater need for Athletic Trainers. In contemporary American society, sports have increased so that they have become a national task. Many organizations sponsor children to get involved in sports and to exercise daily. Most children start off their athletic careers at a very young age; most of them playing on youth soccer teams, basketball teams, or baseball teams and many other youth teams for kids out there. The younger athletes that are in grade school usually play multiple sports throughout the school year. Once the student athletes get into high school, they start training and lifting weights in the beginning of the school. High school students usually play two sports in their high school

3 Gleason 3 career but the training for the sports year round. The select teams have increased now to where there are many student athletes playing select sports year round. The athletes are playing select soccer, select basketball, select volleyball, select baseball and many other sports. Since select teams are all year long, the student athletes get no break in between the sports they are playing. Overuse injury, which occurs overtime from repeated motion, is responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students. Also, injuries continue to occur because of immature bones, or the athlete rushes back to his or her sport and did not rest the injury sufficiently. Another reason injures happen is because the athlete has poor training or conditioning. A recent survey found that among athletes ages 5 to 14, 15 percent of basketball players, 28 percent of football players, 22 percent of soccer players, 25 percent of baseball players and 12 percent of softball players have been injured playing their respective sports. The more the student athletes are playing year round and not giving their bodies a break, they can cause injury to themselves. There are differences in girls versus boys when it comes to injuries in sports. Injuries happen to both girls and boys but are there more injuries that happen to girls than to boys. According to statistics, in several sports, namely soccer, basketball and softball, girls have a higher rate of severe injuries, meaning fractures and sprains, than boys do. Also, girls have doubled the rate of concussions. Why do girls get injured more than boys? Health experts blame differences in body mechanics for the discrepancy. Another interesting fact is that girls are more susceptible to injuries because they use their quadriceps more than their hamstrings, and girls rely more on ligaments than muscle when running and jumping. Also, concussions happen in girls more than boys because they have weaker neck muscles. In boys, the most common injury is usually a sprain or muscle strain. But one of the most common injuries in

4 Gleason 4 boys is the clavicle or collarbone injury because boys are more involved in contact sports like football, hockey, wrestling, and lacrosse. Both boys and girls get injured when playing a sport, but sometimes these injuries can be prevented. Athletic Trainers and Coaches should make sure that the equipment is safe and fits properly, make sure the playing field and court is in good shape, and make sure that all athletes follow the rules and that these rules are enforced. Why would anyone become an Athletic Trainer? In an interview with two Athletic Trainers, both of them responded the same way. They both are Athletic Trainers because they love sports and they love helping athletes get back on the field or court. They also love being around the athletes and getting to know them better. Becoming an Athletic Trainer would be a very interesting field to get into. They get to work in a variety of settings where they can help prevent and treat injuries related to sports activity. Employment as an Athletic Trainer is a perfect career for people who want to work in health care and who also love sports. Another good reason to become an Athletic Trainer is, this career is also a good fit for people who love sports and also enjoy teaching. High schools commonly hire a teacher who also can be the school Athletic Trainer and coach a sport as well. Athletic Trainers get to work in clinics, high schools, and they get to work with other health care professionals. The Athletic Trainers will have many different clients which will keep their job interesting and diverse. The U.S Bureau of Labor statistics expects employment for athletic trainers to increase much faster than average through at least Increasing opportunities are available in hospitals and offices of health practitioners, along with fitness and recreation sports centers. The average salary for Athletic Trainers in a full time position with full benefits in 2008 was $41,000. Both Athletic Trainers commented that you cannot get into for the money, or you will be disappointed, one must be truly passionate about the job.

5 Gleason 5 To become an Athletic Trainer starts in high school. Students interested in athletic training should take high school courses in algebra, geometry, biology, chemistry, physics, first aid, health occupations or medical professions education, English, computer skills, physical education and health. In college, students need to earn a degree from an accredited Athletic Training curriculum over a four year period. Some of these programs include human anatomy, physiology, therapeutic modalities, and nutrition assessment of injury/illness prevention, to become a certified. Athletic Trainers must earn a degree from a college with an accredited athletic training program in order to become certified. All students will then have to pass their state exam to become an Athletic Trainer. College also requires to serving an internship at an area school for hands on training session. To become an Athletic Trainer, certain skills are required. These are some of the skills that have been quoted on My Major s Website. Critical thinking - using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problem. Active listening - giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate. Speaking talking to others to convey information effectively. Social Perceptiveness being aware of others reactions and understanding why they react as they do. Monitoring monitoring/assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. Writing communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. Learning Strategies selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. Complex Problem Solving identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implements solutions. Some other skills are coordinating, instructing, service

6 Gleason 6 orientation, judgment and decision making, reading comprehension, active learning, time management, persuasion, and negotiation. Becoming an Athletic Trainer requires certain work styles. As stated in an article on My Major Website, it states different styles for an Athletic Trainer. Here are some styles needed. Concern for Others job requires being sensitive to others needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. Dependability job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable and fulfilling obligations. Another very important style is Integrity job requires being honest and ethical. Stress Tolerance job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations. Some other work styles that will help in the athletic training field include attention to detail, leadership, social orientation, innovation, adaptability/flexibility, persistence and achievement and effort. The knowledge that Athletic Trainers need to know can be very complicated. Some of the important knowledge should be knowing medicine and dentistry, therapy and counseling, customer and personal service, psychology, clerical, education and training, biology, personnel and human resources, computers and electronics, public safety and security, English language, communications and media. To become an Athletic Trainer requires a person to be a people person. They need to be able to assess the injury and let the athlete know what is going on in a timely manner. The goal of an athletic trainer is to get the athlete healthy again and back on the court or field. With the heavy influence on sports in contemporary society in young boy and girls they are facing more injuries than ever before, making a greater need for Athletic Trainers.

7 Gleason 7 Works Cited Busse, Cindy. Electronic Interview. 23 Oct Clarke, Linda. Electronic Interview. 23 Oct.2012 Donaldson, A and Mahler, P.B. The limits of prevention- sports injures as an example. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion Vol. 7 (2009): n. page. 23 Oct Feldman, Andrew. The Jock Doc s Body Repair Kit Print Stephen B. Thacker. Public Health Surveillance and the Prevention in Sports: What Gets Measured Gets Done. Journal of Athletic Training 42(2): (2007): n. page. 23 Oct