Masters Thesis

A Policy and Procedure Manual for the Part-time Secondary School Athletic Trainer

Policies and procedures (P&P) manuals are growing in their importance for many associations. They allow the association and those it serves to clearly understand the values and quality of preparedness of the association and its staff, which is especially important in the healthcare setting. Athletic training room (P&P) manuals exist for many universities, colleges, and well-established high school athletic training departments with at least one full-time athletic trainer and a team physician. These manuals encompass the essential components of a sports medicine program based on recommendations from multiple sports medicine related professional organizations and are specific to the needs of the individual institution. They are updated regularly to meet the demands of the ever-changing profession, as well as federal and state laws. However, a number of high schools only employ one part-time certified athletic trainer (ATC). These ATCs are paid for only 20 working hours a week and spend the majority of those hours tending to the needs of their student athletes and event coverage. They have little time to create and manipulate written policies and procedures; but having a (P&P) manual is essential to maximize their efficiency, decrease liability, create transparency of care and preparedness for many situations, and adhering to standards of appropriate care for the secondary school setting. The purpose of this manual to is have a living document that secondary school ATCs and administrators can use to create a sports medicine department that provides the best care possible for their student athletes, while upholding the standards of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and other professional organizations related to healthcare, athletics, and secondary school administration.

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