OpEd: NJCAA celebrates National Athletic Trainers Month
Daniel D. Dennett MS, ATC
Athletic Trainer - SUNY Adirondack, Associate Professor of Health & Physical Education, NATA Board Certified Athletic Trainer, Student Advisor
What Does an NJCAA Athletic Trainer Do?
Athletic trainers have a wide range of skills and immense athletic healthcare education. We are versatile and focus on wellness services, manual therapy, musculoskeletal conditions, injury and illness prevention such as concussion testing protocol as well as record keeping and medical referrals.
Athletic trainers primarily focus on injury prevention and will educate athletes on proper ways to use exercise equipment in the weight room. We also apply specific taping methods, bandages, and braces for preventative measures or as treatments in the athletic training clinic. We, as ATs, have to be able to recognize, evaluate, and assess injuries to provide immediate care or communicate with primary care physicians or orthopedic physicians. We lead First Aid and emergency care training for our coaching staff in providing the required CPR/First Aid certifications, updating Emergency Action Plans, and staying abreast of best practices.
Athletic trainers' day-to-day responsibilities can look different based on the professional setting we're in. Most ATs, including myself, work to prevent and treat athletic injuries that may occur in practices or during games. We may also teach Phys Ed courses or athletic training introductory courses. I visit area high schools and promote athletic training by offering upper-level high school students a college credit course in Athletic Training. I have invited our local NYS senator and former assembly member Dan Stec into our classroom to speak on the importance of athletic trainers and the need to advocate for licensure.
Athletic trainers provide daily treatments and rehabilitation for all sports teams and their athletes. I have also covered many area high schools in post-season sporting events (soccer, football, field hockey, cross-country, basketball, wrestling, volleyball, swimming, track & field, baseball, softball, and golf) at both the sectional and state championship level within Region three. I have also provided workshops to area high school coaches related to sports medicine topics to better inform any level of coaches, parents, athletes, officials, and more. At SUNY ADK, I teach the NYS coaching course (Health Sciences) for coaching each Fall to my students in the physical education program and adult learners seeking the NYS coaching certification.
Athletic trainers are licensed healthcare professionals in NYS and are constantly attending state and national-level educational conferences and workshops as required to maintain CEU's for the National Athletic Trainer's Board of Certification (NATABOC). Their education follows a medical-based model.
The process of becoming an athletic trainer includes the following:
- Getting a Master's degree. The most common majors are in Athletic Training or Exercise Science programs.
- Graduating from a Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Trainer Education (CAATE)-accredited program.
- Passing the NATA Board of Certification to become a certified athletic trainer.
As a veteran certified athletic trainer at SUNY Adirondack (NY), I have been fortunate to have worked with many other high school ATs and NJCAA Region 3 athletic trainers across New York state. The Region 3 athletic trainers communicate regularly when our teams travel to/from other campuses to compete or when athletes sustain injuries while visiting. In addition, we try to meet three to four times a year as a Health & Safety Committee. We discuss and share information that we can incorporate in our athletic training settings, whether it may be a zoom meeting or luncheon to discuss best practices and other professional healthcare topics.
The goal of our athletic training is to improve the overall success of our athletic programs by serving the health and well-being of student-athletes.
About Daniel D. Dennett
Dan started his studies at Herkimer County Community College, an NJCAA member college. Upon earning an A.S. degree in Health Sciences, he transferred to Old Dominion University in Virginia to complete a B.S. degree in Physical Education. Studying Sports Science at the United States Sports Academy in Alabama, he earned his M.S degree. Today, he specializes in Sports Science education and Injury Care & Prevention. His athletic training career began in 1990 at a AAA high school in Northern Virginia as a Teacher/Athletic Trainer. Additionally, he worked as an Athletic Trainer in the 1996 Summer Olympics Games in Atlanta, GA. After 17 years in the Virginia area, he returned to his hometown in Upstate NY to become the first Athletic Trainer/Teacher at SUNY Adirondack.
In addition to providing athletic training duties, Dan is a full-time teaching professor and student advisor for the Two-year Physical Education transfer degree program - a program he created several years ago. Dan has seen former student-athletes in his program become certified athletic trainers in area high schools and colleges.
As a certified athletic trainer (ATC), prevention and care to all student-athletes across SUNY Adirondack's eight competitive sports is what it is all about for Dan. Athletic trainers such as Dan and other colleagues at the NJCAA level provide their services from early August through mid-May. That said, their connections with area physicians and other healthcare professionals are critical for overseeing pre-season physicals, referrals, and diagnosis of injuries in addition to head-related injuries and concussions.