If you want to work with athletes as a part of a sports activities medication staff, you would possibly take into account a profession as a licensed athletic coach (ATC). As an allied well being skilled, an ATC has totally different expertise and duties from these of a private coach. Their schooling focuses on the medical elements of bodily coaching and athletic actions.
An ATC works with medical doctors and different allied well being personnel to forestall harm, present emergency care, help in analysis, and supply therapeutic interventions and rehabilitation for athletic accidents. Additionally they work with non-athletes to advertise wellness and participation in wholesome bodily actions. The settings the place they work embody secondary faculties, schools, sports activities medication clinics, {and professional} sports activities applications.
Training
To develop into a licensed athletic coach, you have to first full a university athletic coaching program that’s accredited by the Fee on Accreditation of Athletic Coaching Training (CAATE) and acquire a bachelor’s diploma or an entry-level grasp’s diploma. Nonetheless, that is in transition and the Nationwide Athletic Trainers’ Affiliation says {that a} grasp’s diploma shall be required sooner or later. Licensed applications are discovered at a whole bunch of schools and universities throughout the U.S.
The themes you’ll research in your faculty program have a medical focus. They embody anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, train physiology, athletic coaching, vitamin. stopping harm, assessing accidents, therapeutic modalities, first support, emergency care, psychosocial methods, and healthcare administration. You may additionally do a scientific rotation with an athletic staff.
Certification and Licensure
When you graduate from an accredited program, you’ll be able to sit for the certification examination carried out by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Coach. The take a look at isn’t solely of information, but additionally in your potential to use it, make choices, and carry out applicable actions. The examination covers a wide range of matters throughout the 5 domains of athletic coaching:
- Prevention of athletic accidents and selling wellness
- Recognition, analysis, and analysis of athletic accidents
- Instant care and emergency care of athletic accidents
- Therapeutic interventions, rehabilitation, and reconditioning of athletic accidents
- Healthcare administration {and professional} accountability
As soon as athletic trainers move the certification examination proving expertise and data inside every of the 5 domains, they will use the designation ATC.
Earlier than you apply, you have to make sure you get hold of a state license or move the opposite regulatory necessities for the state the place you’ll work. You need to get persevering with schooling credit and recertify periodically.
Typical Day
The everyday day for a licensed athletic coach varies with the extent of athletic competitors, employment setting (conventional, scientific, industrial, company) and different institutional necessities.
In case you are working in an athletic setting, it’s possible you’ll start earlier than apply, making use of preventative measures akin to tape, wraps, and braces for the athletes. Throughout apply, you’ll be energetic in evaluating accidents and sending athletes to the physician or following standing orders to deal with minor accidents.
Your expertise embody prevention, recognition, and rehabilitation of sports activities accidents. Whether or not these happen throughout apply or competitors, you develop a therapy program below the supervision of a licensed doctor. As soon as an athlete is injured, you’re employed with the participant, their household, and the medical staff to speak when and the way they will return to apply and competitors.
Exterior of an athletic setting, an ATC may fit in a clinic, hospital, or enterprise and supply wellness providers, handbook remedy, and sickness prevention teaching and instructing.
