Tagged with 'Athletic Training'

USSA MESS Course Prepares Sports Medicine Professions for More Challenging Work

Those in the Sports Medicine profession, especially those that deal with snow-related activities, know that it’s more than ankle tape, cuts, and bruises when caring for athletes. Injuries can get real and intense in a blink. We know that practice makes perfect, and this readiness and preparation is no different. This past May, the Medical Emergencies in Skiing and Snowboarding course (MESS) provided education and skill development for the those in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Medical Pool. During this course, participants learned about acute injury triage and illness commonly seen when traveling with elite level teams. Even in the summertime, this course, developed for PTs, ATs, MDs, and POs, offered unique insight into how to assist athletes who play winter sports.

Dr. Jaron Santelli, the Sports Medicine Director at the United States Ski and Snowboarding Association (USSA), was one of the leaders of this course.

“Standing on the side of the hill and working in cold environments is different than responding to an injury on a basketball court or a football field,” Santelli said. “Since we have a variety of specialties, there are different skill sets, so this is a way to upscale the providers with the skill we need them to know.”

The MESS course is specifically designed for professional volunteer staff and provides a Continuing Medical Education (CME) for physicians and medical providers, which is a requirement to join this medical pool.

Santelli shares a passion for sports, athletes, and their safety. Her experience and education as an emergency medicine doctor provides important insight for properly responding to emergencies on the slopes.

“I went to medical school with the intention to be in sports medicine. I have been around sports and snowboarding my whole life from Division I to the professional level. When the USSA job was available, I saw an opportunity to give back to a community that has always been there for me.”

Skiing and Snowboarding are individual sports, so USSA athletes are always working towards accomplishing challenging individual goals, which makes the day-to-day and culture a bit different than if they were playing a team sport.

“We have numerous sports within USSA, so we are always dealing with different cultures, athlete population, and ages,” Santelli said. “These athletes are true craftsmen and professionals in their field and there is something special about watching them work towards something like the Olympics.”

School Health was a sponsor of the MESS course and has a growing relationship with USSA as they work together to make sure the athletes are receiving quality treatment with the best equipment possible.

“School health has provided not only support in coverage, but also, they provide a lot of our medical equipment. They are always generous in terms of donations and improvements in our products. We look forward to this continued partnership and increasing that partnership in the future.”

School Health provides these items to keep USSA well equipped:

·        Pocket BVM with Black Case

·        Aer Cervical Collar

·        Fasplint Vacuum Extremity Splints

·        Fasplint Fullbody Mattress Set

·        5.11 Tactical Emergency Ready Pouch and Bag

The USSA hosts the MESS course in January of next year. Check back here for updates.

School Health is proud to support the Special Olympics Unified Cup which will take place in Detroit, Michigan, from July 31-August 6. This international soccer event will bring together 450 players from 24 teams who will be competing across 60 soccer matches to claim the Unified Cup. The teams consist of players of all abilities, many of whom have special needs.

This is the first year that School Health is sponsoring the Unified Cup and the company will be sending two Athletic Trainers, Donna Boyd and Ric Moreno, to support Team USA on the field. Check out their bios and photo below!

Donna Boyd, MS, LAT, ATC

Donna Boyd has dedicated her career to teaching and helping others. She is a certified athletic trainer currently on the medical staff with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Emory University’s ATC Outreach program. After a 28-year teaching career, she is back in the virtual classroom teaching various college courses as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Montevallo. She has helped aspiring athletic trainers at the University of Alabama and at the high school level where she taught clinical sports medicine.  Outside of the classroom, Donna has helped thousands of student, collegiate, and professional athletes over the years to achieve their best on and off the fields and courts of play. She is excited to join the Special Olympics team and work with these exceptional athletes and people. 

Ric Moreno MS, ATC, CSCS, EMT

Ricardo Moreno received his bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science/Biology and a Masters in Exercise and Sports Science/Sports Administration from The University of Arizona. He is also Certified as a K-12 Teacher of Biology and Physical Education, an Athletic Trainer, a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, CPR/AED and First Aid Instructor and Emergency Medical Technician. His 39 years of experience have taken him all over the world working with High School, College, and Professional Athletes (Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Harlem Globetrotters and The United States Tennis Association). 

He has learned a great deal working in Physical Therapy Clinics and the back offices of Orthopedic Surgeons.  He has run his own Strength and Speed Summer Camps, planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating the athletes’ performance. He has counseled and coached individuals in the areas of Nutrition and Sports Psychology to help create a complete and balanced performer.

To learn more about School Health’s sponsorship at the 2022 Special Olympics Unified Cup, visit our press release page.

Playing college basketball became my goal when I was about 10 years old. I was scrawny, scared of contact, and honestly just not a good player, so I knew I had an uphill battle. I have been told thousands of times to push yourself to the limit to see progress, so that’s what I did from then, until the last time I left the floor. I achieved my goal, which really set the tone for my work ethic the rest of my life, but I beat my body to the ground. I played through injuries and didn’t tell anybody, and I overworked myself. I always told myself that it was the right thing to do because I’m supposed to “embrace the suck”-turns out I was just stubborn and didn’t want anything to halt my progress. But whether I knew it or not, it did. I don’t regret anything about my achievement, but I regret not taking care of myself and not listening to my athletic trainers throughout the duration of my career.

Fast forward to now and I find myself as a high school basketball coach. When I first arrived, I began to see a few players with my old habits, which is good and bad. The moment I noticed, I knew that one of my main priorities would be to keep them fresh, make sure they utilize our athletic trainers, and create an atmosphere where they can speak up if they are hurting. In my short time as a coach, I have learned that good communication between coaches, players, and athletic trainers is so essential, and I truly wish it was more present when I was a player. Since I am only about three years removed from being an athlete, that communication is still something that lacks in many athletic programs, and there is still major room for improvement. Good communication makes a player feel safe, respected, and most importantly, healthy.

Some of this poor communication stems from lack of trust, mostly between the coach and the athletic trainer. This is the something that bothered me a lot when I was a player, especially when I was at the college level. Concussion protocols are a great example. I have witnessed a coach get angry at an athletic trainer because they concluded that my teammate had suffered a concussion. It was not a hard fall, but concussion protocol is strict, as it should be. These actions enable a culture of fear for athletes because it does not allow the athletic trainer to do their job with confidence and makes the player think they should play through almost anything. A player’s health should always be prioritized over winning.

Communicating with your athletic trainers about what they need is also important. The high school level is often guilty of having underequipped athletic training rooms. While most high schools may not have the budget to have every piece of equipment imaginable, quality equipment for basic treatments should be a priority. Just because the athletes are young, doesn’t mean they don’t need any extensive treatment or rehab. Many young athletes can have their sport lead them to a free education, and even a career for the lucky few. The way an athlete is taken care of early on, effects the duration at which they can perform at an elite level.

Coaches, athletic trainers, and their departments should be doing everything they can to take care of their athletes and be a steppingstone to whatever their goal may be. Trust, good communication, and using your budget to ensure safe environments can reassure an athlete that they are in good hands. Working together to create a culture where safety is a priority can bring success to athletes, confidence for an athletic trainer, and better collaboration within the coaching staff.

NATM 2022: Why Do You Love Being an Athletic Trainer?

National Athletic Training Month may have come to an end, but we won’t stop celebrating you! We want to give a huge thank you to all the athletic trainers who joined the #SHNATM22 conversation on our Sports Medicine social media pages, showed off their AT spirit, and shared stories about why they love what they do.

We understand that the role of an athletic trainer has changed a lot in the last few years due to the pandemic. Besides providing essential care for athletes, many athletic trainers were also asked to be contact tracers for their schools or districts, help track immunization status among students and school staff, and so much more. Through these changes, many ATs continued to follow their passion to help athletes succeed on and off the field.

We recently asked you to share why you love being an athletic trainer. Check out some of the stories you shared with us on social media during National Athletic Training Month!

“I love being an AT for a lot of reasons, but one thing that never gets old is when an athlete in pain gets excited when something simple fixes their pain. I love being able to teach them easy ways to take care of their bodies that they can then take with them for life.  – wahisportsmed

I love being an athletic trainer when I see my students go on to become ATs… I especially love it when student-athletes come back and say that high school ATs work the hardest compared to the college and professional level ATs, because we cover all the sports and all the athletes – usually working with hundreds of athletes and giving them all the time that they need – heidi.s.bower

There are so many reasons why I love being an athletic trainer. I love when my student-athletes come back to visit me and tell me how I was the biggest mentor in their life while in high school. The most heartwarming memory I have is when my student-athlete’s mom hugged me and was so grateful for me saving her son’s life. I love my profession! – aperow24

A few years after I left grad school, I got a text from the parent of a previous student that said, “Just wanted to check in and see if this number was still yours. We miss you and hope you’re doing well.” We went back and forth catching up, and it was so nice to see the impact I made in my first year as an athletic trainer! – sarahw3317

I love being an AT for several reasons, but the biggest must be watching athletes return to play after sustaining an injury. The rehab process can be difficult and can diminish spirits. However, watching the athletes finally return makes it so special. I think I’m their biggest fan! – megcoughlin.11

Making memories and supporting athletes through their ups and downs is why I love being an athletic trainer. – Peter Sands

I think there are a lot of reasons that we all love being ATs, and that have made us stay in the profession. But I think my favorite part is the connections that I make with the athletes I work with and seeing them grow as they become more mature adults. I truly love helping teach these young adults how to properly take care of their body, both physically and mentally. It’s great knowing that I’m working in a profession that impacts so many young minds that are ready to enter the world. – megz0623

School Health supports athletic trainers across the country by providing the proper equipment and resources, so you can provide your athletes with the best care. As always, thank you for everything you do to help keep athletes safe on and off the field!

The winner of our first prize was Tiffany from Grapevine High School.

Tiffany nominated Kamden saying, “Kamden has taken a small 4A school and brought new innovations to it when taking over. He was promoted to be the head athletic trainer going into a COVID year, which has been tough on all of us. As he was being promoted, they also eliminated an athletic trainer position from the school. So, he's had to navigate through being a new Head Athletic Trainer, while downsizing, in the middle of a pandemic. During this time, he has built even more trust from his community. He even managed to secure enough sponsorship to purchase a SideLinER for his school, making it only one of two schools in the area to have one. This advancement is huge because these privacy tents are becoming the gold standard of care. Ensuring his student athletes in a small rural community are receiving the same care as the student athletes in bigger schools is a win for the entire community.

The winner of our second prize was Leslie from Impact Baseball.

Leslie nominated Charlene saying, “I want to nominate a fellow colleague and friend of mine, Charlenne Medina. Charlenne has impacted the athletic training community by participating in the California Athletic Trainer's Association and in the Far West Athletic Trainer's Association and has advocated for licensure and placement of  athletic trainers 's at secondary schools. In the  athletic training community, she has worked with youth sports to collegiate athletes, while also fulfilling the roles of a preceptor in the CSULB Athletic Training program. Outside of her work as an Athletic Trainer, she also assisted and helped firefighters in the California fires last year by providing First Responder services as an EMT. after certification, she assisted in her EMT program to help other students learn new skills. She is a hard worker and has inspired many, including myself, to take our profession further. She deserves to be recognized for all she has done in her early career!”

The winner of our third prize was James from Conway High School.

James nominated Lorin saying, “My nominee is Lorin, a Retired Athletic Trainer and Athletic Director at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Lorin gave me my first job out of college and inspired me to become a volunteer leader within my state, district, and National Athletic Trainer Associations. While I only worked with Lorin for two years before leaving for another job, her activism and volunteer spirit gave me the confidence and knowledge to become a leader myself and I am forever grateful for her mentorship, influence, and continued friendship some 30 years later.”

The winner of our fourth prize was Nicole from Mountain View HS.

Nicole nominated Jessica saying, “Jessica is the most amazing athletic trainer I have ever had the experience of working with here at Mountain View High School. She helped to pilot a program that would offer physical therapy treatments to our student athletes during their study hall classes. This program decreased student absences and recovery time for students and teachers within the school building. She keeps open channels of communication between the students, parents, coaches, teachers, counselors, and the school nurse to facilitate and initiate concussion protocols so the students can return to learning and participating in activities in a timely manner. She answers her cell phone day and night to ensure that our students receive the best care in all of the nation. Jessica decided to pursue her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in the last couple of years and had to take a break from being the athletic trainer at our school.  She currently works at Northside Hospital Sports Medicine and will hopefully finish her degree from which she has had to take a break for personal reasons. Students from the school still go to her for guidance and therapy as we no longer have the programs that she instituted during her presence.”

The winners of our grand prize are April from Miami Southridge SHS and Linette from John A. Ferguson SHS.

April shares, “The Athletic Trainer that inspired me to pursue this profession is Mrs. Linette the head ATC at John A. Ferguson SHS. When I was in 11th grade, I did not pass my sports physical due to a heart murmur. I was not able to participate in basketball that year but remembered that the season prior I spent a lot of time in the Athletic Training Room due to injuries and [ worked on] preventing those injuries from re-occurring. So, I decided to ask her if I could become her student athletic trainer and learn from her. To my amazement she said yes! She taught me everything that I  needed and wanted to know. She taught me the importance of seeing beyond the injury and helping the person fully, since injuries can affect mental health as well. She taught me different ways of taping injuries and how to assess them at the same time. I was in the sports medicine academy in high school and won the Sports Medicine Award in both my 11th and 12th grade years. The coaches also trusted me with taking care of their student athletes in case she was not present. I graduated high school and went off to college, but she always allowed me to come back and intern for her. She helped me out when I wanted to quit school and told me that anything is possible if you keep your eye on what you want. I graduated and took my BOC test before anyone in my class and passed! She took me on as her assistant Athletic Trainer that fall. Just a couple months later there was an opening at a high school for an ATC and she helped me apply. I am now not only her prodigy, but also her friend and colleague. We learn from each other and are always there for each other. She's inspired me to become a better student, teacher, athletic trainer, and most of all, a better person. I care for my athletes’ whole well-being just like how she taught me. Every day when I come to work, I always think back on that day in 11th grade when she took me on and how it molded me to become just like her.”

We want to thank everyone who participated in our giveaway! We loved hearing your stories and appreciate all you do!