Proper Use of Master’s Level Athletic Training Students

Certified athletic trainers are board-certified and state-licensed health care providers with a dynamic skill set. They are skilled in prevention, diagnosis and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries and are also skilled in concussion diagnosis and treatment, emergency care, and other areas of health care depending on the setting in which they provide care.

In secondary school, collegiate, and professional athletics, the athletic trainer has become a cornerstone of the department staff because of the role he/she plays in health care to their athletes.

When a school district needs to hire an athletic trainer, the hope is that a solid applicant pool will be the result and the district will be able to find a qualified athletic trainer. However, there are times when the ideal applicant pool is not achieved, and the school is required to still bear the responsibility of providing a safe athletics environment for their students.

The temptation in this case is to look for anyone who could fill the role, such as an EMT, a physical therapist or a nurse. However, these health-care professionals are not qualified to provide the full scope of necessary health care.

Because athletic training is a dynamic, exciting and interesting profession, there is typically a large amount of interest from students to gain experience under the supervision of the athletic trainer to determine if they are truly interested in the field and to gain experience in the field. These students can sometimes seem like a viable solution to hire in place of a certified athletic trainer when a qualified individual cannot be found. This is extremely dangerous for the athletes on the field as these students have had either inadequate or no formal training, and are absolutely not qualified to provide care to athletes independently.

The intent here is to clarify the differences between the students that might be found on the sidelines of a secondary school, and to make it clear that these students are not a suitable replacement for a certified athletic trainer. There are various roles that students can play as a supporting role within an athletic training department.

Athletic Training Student (ATS)
Students who are formally enrolled in a Master’s of Athletic Training program (MSAT) have obtained a bachelor’s degree in a related field and are pursuing a graduate degree in athletic training so they can meet the requirements to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. These are students who have committed to athletic training as a career field. Their role as an athletic training student (ATS) is regulated by their institution as well as the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

These students must be under the direct supervision of a certified athletic trainer and are not permitted to provide care autonomously. These students are present in the sports/athletic environment primarily to learn and gain clinical experience to prepare them to practice as an athletic trainer after passing the BOC examination. While gaining experience in the clinical environment, these students are concurrently completing coursework in injury evaluation, injury rehabilitation, pharmacology, and various other topics related to the athletic training field.

Observation Student or Student Aide
These students are not formally enrolled in an MSAT program. These students may be checking out the profession as a possible career path, or they may just simply enjoy being in the sports environment. Depending on the institution, these students have a varying level of responsibility. This can range from simply being responsible for setting up the field or assisting with distributing water during practice to providing care for athletes under the supervision of an athletic trainer. These students have had no advanced education in athletic training but may have taken one or a few basic classes in anatomy and sports medicine.

It is imperative that administrators and coaches understand these different types of roles for students that find themselves on the sidelines, locker rooms and athletic training facilities of their institutions. It is also imperative that administrators understand that these students are not qualified healthcare providers and should be viewed as an adjunct to the athletic training staff rather than a member of it. They certainly should not be utilized as the person who is solely responsible for the health and safety of the student athletes of that school. Allowing or expecting an ATS or observation student to provide care in a role other than that of a student creates liability for the institution and compromises the care provided to the athletes at the institution and violates state law.

Additionally, administrators and coaches should understand that because these students are concurrently enrolled in coursework, be it undergraduate or graduate, they will not be able to serve as a consistent full-time member of the athletic training staff. Their presence will often be inconsistent due to academic commitments and additional employment, as athletic training students and observation students are generally unpaid roles. Thus, they cannot be relied upon to provide consistent care to the student athletes of the school.

When an opportunity is made available for students interested in athletic training to get hands-on experience in the field, all parties benefit. The student benefits by gaining valuable experience in the profession. The athletic training staff benefits from the opportunity to teach and mentor the future of their profession, and they are better able to focus on the care of the athlete patients as the students aid with that care. The school also benefits because the student athletes as well as coaching staff and parents benefit from additional eyes on the field and hands in the athletic training facility to make sure they are provided the best possible care. Administrators and coaches also benefit because they can trust their athletes are getting high quality medical care. It is important for all parties to understand that these students do not fill the shoes of the board-certified and state-licensed athletic trainer and should not be thought of as a replacement for an athletic trainer.