Welcome to my blog on the profession of Athletic Training. I want to use this as forum to comment on issues in the profession, talk about techniques, hints, tricks of the trade, product reviews, etc. So join me!
I previously reviewed NCAA legislation that was up for a vote in Division II. Well, the legislation passed. I bring this up because the resulting legislation will not only make for a more balanced life for Division II student-athletes, but will also impact athletic trainers in a positive way. The main changes that were passed are:
Student-athletes in football, cross country, field hockey, soccer and volleyball report to school a week later. That will reduce the time that only student-athletes occupy campuses and, in turn, lighten the financial burden on the institutions to house and feed them.
Pre-season practices in Cross Country, Soccer, Field Hockey, Women's Volleyball, will be limited to 6 hours of athletically related activity. (only 5 can be devted to physical activities). Practices cannot last longer than 3 hours and there must be a 3 hour break in between sessions.
Student-athletes in soccer and volleyball also will play two fewer contests (a two-game reduction in field hockey begins in 2011), and the Division II Football Championship will be played a week later than in previous years.
Baseball and softball student-athletes also will spend less time on the diamonds through a six-game reduction for men and no more tournament exceptions for women. Golfers also get a three-contest-date reduction starting next year.
The Balance package also affected basketball with a one-game cut for men and women. In addition, a seven-day dead period over the winter holidays (12/20 - 12/26) gives student-athletes and staffs alike some strategic down time.
Unrelated to the life in the balance initiative but of interest to AT's is the following:
Head coaches and other full-time coaches to be certified in first aid, CPR and AED use.
This will make life a little easier at the Division II level. You may even see AT's leaving town on vacations over Christmas. A 5 day cruise would not be a bad idea.
Division II is not finished with their "Life in the Balance Initiative". Phase II will examine the non championship segments and exempted contests. Also to be considered is a change in the hourly limits (20 / 8 hour rules) for athletically related activities in and out of season.
Division II seems to have the right attitude regarding what makes for the best overall college experience for the student-athlete. These initiatives also have a positive impact on the support staffs. Let's hope it continues.
The NATA and the BOC put out a clarification last spring on the use of our credential and the proper acronym use.
From the BOC:
"ATC refers to the credential held by a Certified Athletic Trainer (AT). ATC should only be used when referring to the credential, and it should not be used in singular or plural form (ATC or ATCs) when referring to an individual Athletic Trainer (AT) or a group of Athletic Trainers (ATs)."
May be listed after the name of a Certified Athletic Trainer (without the registered trademark symbol)
Correct: John Doe, ATC
2.
May be used to refer to the credential (with the registered trademark symbol)
Correct: John Doe earned the ATC® credential.
3.
Should not be used to refer to the certified individual
Incorrect: John Doe is an ATC.
NATA Policy on ATC Terminology:
"NATA’s policy is not to use the ATC acronym as a noun. ATC is an acronym that describes a credential, not a person, and it should only be used following the name of a certified individual. Using the ATC acronym as a noun inhibits the Board of Certification’s ability to protect the ATC credential against misuse. In other words, NATA and the BOC cannot protect the copyright on the ATC mark if it becomes known as a common noun."
One of the other recommendations is that we use either the term Athletic Training Clinic or Facility instead of Athletic Training Room. I can go along with this. It is a better representation of our work environment.
We should begin incorporating this terminology as soon as possible. People often complain about the term "trainer" . What better way to phase out the it's use than by referring to yourself and your colleagues as an AT. When we refer to other health care providers we usually use initials such as, PT, PA, EMT, etc. Eventually, our athletes, coaches, administrators and finally the public will associate the term to us.
I decided to check out the NATA Think Tanks section on their website. You need to log into the members section and follow the link on the left side. The registration process did not go well. I followed the link to register and was eventually sent an email directing me to another link to finish the registration process. The only problem was that the page that I was sent to was the original registration page. The email directed me to click on a link on the upper left corner. There was no link, I was just sent back to square one. I emailed the NATA staff member who sent the original email telling her that I was getting no where. She did respond back promptly that she would inform the tech people and they would get back to me. Well, a week goes by and no response from the NATA tech people. I then email the original contact and ask "what is going on"? She again responds back promptly and forwards my email to the tech guys again. They do respond back right away with a new link and instructions. I am finally registered. I emailed back the tech guy and told him that everything was working fine. I also asked him how they expected people to participate in these Think Tanks if it so difficult to register. He stated that it has been a problem over the last couple of months and they may be looking at a different software vendor. So anyway, I am finally in. The Think Tanks are divided into different areas of interest. Clinical & Emerging Practices
You choose the areas that interests you but once registered you have access to all subject areas. It looks like these forums began in September of 2008. There are not many posts in many of them. Fundraising has 8 and Health Care Reform has 6. The most traffic is in the Secondary School and College/University. 496 and 112 respectively. Some threads are very entertaining, especially in the Secondary School discussion. You will get a good laugh out of, Coaches ...... Who has the best story, Parents....who has the best story, or Athletes say/do the darndest things. Great reads and of great educational value to entry level AT's or students.
Overall, I think the Think Tanks are a great idea, but it seems their execution is wanting. Participation is key in a discussion forum and if it is difficult to sign up you will not end up with new subscribers you need to keep things interesting. I think the NATA needs to push these more.
I would like to review a new product that I tried out this fall. It is the Portable Smart Heat by Therapy Innovations. I came across this in a catalog last spring and thought it was interesting. I am always looking for new products that will make my job easier. When I attended the NATA Convention this past summer I made a point of checking this product out.
Therapy Innovations makes two products, the Smart Heat System and the Portable Smart Heat. The Smart Heat System is designed for your use in a facility. I will review only the Portable Unit. The number one modality that AT’s use for heat is a Hydrocollator. They have been around for many years. Their chief drawback is you need to fill them with water and they have a long initial warm up time. This is okay in a facility where they are just kept on 24/7. When traveling it becomes a little difficult to carry a small Hydrocollator unit, fill it with water, and then wait for it to heat up. I have seen AT’s do this but it was not for me. Yes, you can use the home team facility, but with some sports this becomes unmanageable, i.e. football. You can also use this in your hotel. So when I saw this unit I thought this may be a great traveling unit for my athletes.
The unit comes in an insulated travel bag, with three pads that measure 12” x 12”. The plug goes into the wall and the other end has three connectors that plug into each pad. You can also purchase additional pads in oversize, neck or multi joint configurations. It takes about 10 minutes for the pads to heat up and each pad has a washable cover. When ready to use, unplug the pad and apply. When you are finished you just plug the pad back into the connector to reheat. It will reheat in approx. 3-5 minutes. You can place a moist towel between the pack and skin if you prefer moist heat.
I have found this modality very useful for road trips. The pads heat up quickly and provide a quick means of therapeutic heat while traveling. I also plan to also use these in the dugouts for baseball and softball games. In conclusion, I would recommend this product to athletic trainers. It is a portable and efficient means of applying heat when the usual modalities are unavailable.
Finished my annual inventory of my supplies this week. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I made with amount purchased in the summer, price paid, and amount on hand in January. I have accumulated this information for over twenty years making for a rather large spreadsheet that needs the hide columns feature to make it workable. In 1987, I paid $29.81 for a case of J&J Coach, this year I paid $37.42.
This process helps me in deciding what I will need to purchase next summer. It also helps to alert me if I may be running out of an important item before the next purchase cycle. This year I am running low on plastic wrap. I will probably have to pick up some more to make it through the year.
Inventory of your supplies gives you a snapshot of your program. Sometimes you find that you have more of something than you thought, sometimes less. It also alerts you to situations were people may be wasting supplies. Maybe someone is using an Elatikon or a Elatoplast type tape when just plain elastic will do. Sometimes I let things run out so everyone learns to do without. Something we all should do now and again as necessity is the mother of invention. Having this information also can help in justifying budget increases. Showing your administrator that your costs have slowly risen over the last couple of years will go a long way in convincing them to increase your budget.
I use to print out the spreadsheet and enter the numbers on paper and then transfer them into the spreadsheet. I now use a PDA. I download the spreadsheet into a PDA, do the inventory and then download the file back into my PC. It saves a lot of time.
FYI: I am kind of a geek. I like technology.
Another thing I do throughout the year is write down any item that I see we are getting low on. I do not wait for the inventory. This is kept in a file folder for next years purchases. This helps tremendously when I work on purchasing. My actual purchase procedure I will save for a later entry.
The Annual NCAA Convention will be held January 13-16, 2010 in Atlanta, GA. Why is this noteworthy? It is at this meeting that proposed NCAA rules and changes to current NCAA rules are voted on. Some of those changes have a direct impact on athletic trainers at the collegiate level. This is where the restrictions to spring football where put in, (15 practices opportunities, limited contact, etc.) mandatory one day off a week for athletes, no more than four hours per day of supervised activity, and more recently the ban of consecutive 2-a-days in the fall football. I always like to look over the proposals and see if there are any that will impact athletic trainers. Sometimes this can be negative, sometimes positive.
The NCAA classify schools as either Division I, II, or III. (as far as rules go) So rule changes in one division will not effect how the other divisions operate. Although some times the changes are association wide, especially when dealing with Health & Safety issues.
So with that introduction lets us review some of the changes up for votes:
Division II has a big package as part of their "Life in the Balance" proposal. As quote from the NCAA.org website:
"The four-proposal Life in the Balance package that Division II delegates will consider at the January 16 business session in Atlanta addresses what a recent Knight Commission survey of presidents cited as a primary concern: the inability to moderate athletics."
These proposals also provide athletic departments an opportunity to trim expenses. This is an additional benefit considering the economic times today.
Life in the Balance proposals for the 2010 Convention (Division II)
Reduce contests in men’s and women’s soccer (from 20 to 18), field hockey (from 20 to 18), women’s volleyball (from 28 to 26), baseball (from 56 to 50), men’s and women’s basketball (from 27 to 26), men’s and women’s golf (from 24 dates to 21) and softball (by eliminating the tournament exception).
Reduce the length of seasons in soccer, volleyball, field hockey and cross country by allowing student-athletes to report 17 days before the first permissible contest (which cannot be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or five days before the start of classes, whichever is earlier. Those dates are about a week later than current legislation.
Football student-athletes could begin their preseason practice activities either 21 days before the first permissible contest date in Division II (which also couldn’t be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or seven days before the start of classes at the institution, whichever is earlier. The Division II Championships Committee approved a policy change (contingent on the adoption of the proposals) to move the football championship back one week to accommodate the later reporting dates.
Establishes limitations on student-athlete participation in countable athletically related activities during the preseason practice period while classes are not in session. Only applicable to cross country, field hockey, soccer and women’s volleyball.
Countable athletically related activities limited to six hours per day. (no changes to the football preseason practice period)
Only five of six hours per day shall be devoted to physical activities like practice, weight training or conditioning.
Any session with physical activities shall not last longer than three hours.
Three continuous hours of recovery time is required between any sessions with physical activities. The three hours of recovery time cannot include meetings or any athletically related activity, but medical treatment and meals are okay during the recovery time.
Establish a seven-day “dead period” from December 20-26 that prevents winter-sport student-athletes from participating in practices or games and precludes student-athletes in all sports from participating in voluntary workouts on campus during the same period unless those activities are conducted in facilities open to the general student body.
Below is a video presentation of the proposals from the Division II President's and Management Councils
Impact
This legislation, if passed, will have a positive impact on Division II Athletic Trainers. It basically starts fall practices a week later but does not extend the seasons except for football. Since practices start a week later it saves Universities money that they would spend on room and board and cuts the number of contests because of the later start. Cross country, field hockey, soccer and women’s volleyball cannot practice more than 5 hours a day and they need at least 3 hours between practice during fall camp. This will cut down on the number of three-a-day practices. There is also a dead period over Christmas for seven days. No practices or games. Great opportunity to take a vacation for a few days. Softball and Baseball also have a reduction in their games.
These changes are a win for the athletic trainer at the Division II level. There may be some jealousy at the college level. AT's may want to start out in the big time of Division I but after they burn out they can move to DII for a more balanced lifestyle.
Division I
Division I has a basketball proposal that reduces the season by 2 games but allows for a staggered start beginning October 1. It seems that there will be less games but the season got longer????
The proposal reads:
"A revised playing-and-practice-season model that reduces the number of regular-season games to 28 (or 26 plus a multiple-team event) and provides a “staggered” schedule for the start of team practice beginning October 1 (four of the eight allowable hours devoted to practice the first week, increasing to the current 20-hour week beginning October 15)."
I am not sure if you can view this a a positive or negative. You start earlier but with two less games you would at least have one less road trip. You may also have a little more time between games so more time to "get 'em healthy".
So there it is folks. That's why it is important to stay tuned to the NCAA legislation process. By staying informed you can at least make your opinion heard to your AD before the convention. This is especially true if the change would have a negative impact on you.
Mike Leach, Head Football Coach at Texas Tech University was fired for the mistreatment of one of his players. Adam Leach, son of former SMU football great and ESPN television analyst, was diagnosed with a concussion that was sustained in practice. He was held out of practice on the Team Physicians orders. Now, I do not intend to go into all the minutia surrounding the punishment, the rooms, justifications, etc. I would like to comment on the situation that the athletic trainer, Steve Pincock, was put in. Here is a quote from Mr. Pincock's affidavit: "Leach was upset and concerned about James' appearance and attitude. Leach said he did not want him loafing while the players were working. Leach told me to place James in a dark place near the practice field. Leach further said something to the effect that he wanted me to tell James that I was to "lock his (expletive delete) in a place so dark that the only way he knows he has a (expletive delete) is to reach down and touch it,'' which I repeated to James. Leach further told me to have him stand in the dark during the entire practice.He did not want James on the field, and he did not want James in the training facility. He did not want to see James. He wanted James to be uncomfortable. He did not want him showing poor effort. I took James and Jordan (an undergraduate student athletic trainer) to the sports medicine/athletic training shed near the field. At the time, all coolers or water containers were removed from the building so James could not sit on them. Leach ordered me to place James in the dark, enclosed area where he could not sit or lay down. The shed is a portable building that is used to store items like coolers and other equipment, which are used for practice. It is approximately the size of a single car garage. It has an overhead type garage door. It does not have windows. After repeating Leach's words, I told James that he was to stand in the dark for the entire practice. He was not supposed to sit down. I told him I would get him out when practice was over, and I shut the door. When I went to check on James after approximately 30 minutes, Jordan told me he had checked on James and found him on the floor. Leach had also instructed me to have a student trainer sit outside the shed to make sure he was standing and that he did not leave. I told Leach where I had placed James, and he was fine with it." I would venture that most of us would not like to be put in that situation. Unfortunately, there are coaches out there that make our jobs much more difficult than they need to be. Some would argue that the AT should have refused to comply with the coaches request. I would argue that he probably did not have any options. Athletic Trainers at that level were coaches are being paid million dollar salaries work at the pleasure of the head coach. It used to be when a coach was fired he and his coaching staff was replaced. Nowadays it is not uncommon for a new coach to come in and replace the athletic trainer also. Job security is not what it used to be. It is frustrating to see AT's work 20 years at a University and then let go because the new hot-shot hire wants to clean house and do it with his own people. Then three years later the hot-shot is now bounced out on his ear. I think this brings to light a real need for universities to stipulate that the AT reports to someone not associated with the coaching staff. An AT should have been involved in those events. Mike Leach used the AT to convey an air of legitimacy to the punishment he was prescribing. If Mr. Pincock had the job security to refuse the instructions, Leach would would probably still be employed.
Hi, I am a certified athletic trainer with over 30 years of experience. Over the years I have picked up a few things that are not taught in textbooks, they are things I learned from my everyday observations and experiences. I hope to include some of these here, along with my opinions on certain matters. I wish to remain anonymous as I feel this gives me more freedom of expression in this politically correct word of ours. Enjoy
