athletic trainers=sports doctors

[sneakfreak]

I have always wondered about this. When you mention sports doctors, many people assume that you are referring to athletic trainers. What role, or stigma, do they have in the medical profession?

Also, similar to podiatrists and orthopedic surgens, do athletic trainers and orthopedics collide in anyway? How do MD's view them?

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[Skialta]

When I think of sports doc I am thinking of team physicians/orthopods, not athletic trainers. The role of the athletic trainer is under the physician or other professional in most cases. Not really sure what you are asking?

 

[VienneseWaltz]

I have always wondered about this. When you mention sports doctors, many people assume that you are referring to athletic trainers. What role, or stigma, do they have in the medical profession?

Also, similar to podiatrists and orthopedic surgens, do athletic trainers and orthopedics collide in anyway? How do MD's view them?

Who assumes this? I think most people know the difference. Sports medicine is a fellowship after Orthopedics or Emergency Medicine residency(depending on your area of interest). In my experience with ortho, sports doctors are well-respected (sometimes envied, given the perks & prestige--in the case of the Hopkins orthopods who are Ravens or Orioles docs), and I'm pretty sure no one gets them confused with trainers.

 

[HollisticAppeal]

I'm bumping this, 12 years after the last post to clarify some things for the OP.

sports doctors are not athletic trainers. Unless you're a 12 year old soccer player and your knee hurts, the ATC might be "the doctor people" you see.

The stigma lies in ignorance. Our role lies in our liason between athlete and physician. We work well with sports doctors/internal medicine/primary care/pods and orthopeds because of our day-day contact with patients and injuries.

Simply put we are Jack of all trades: injury prevention, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, administration. We are autonomous but all that we do is under a physician. We work well with PTs, PAs and Nurses because we are liason and the sources of plan implementation.

I'm currently working with an MD and a DO and they love using L-ATCs in their practice because of our ability to communication causes for sports injury, administer physician directed home exercses, and communicate further plan and how to move forwards. **While translating complex medical terms into lamens terms.

No one in their right mind should confuse a sports doc (read: team physician) for an athletic trainer. But realize that for professional sports, once the show is over - that athletic trainer is back in the locker room scheduling follow ups for rehab, scheduling appointments for doctors, ensuring those athletes stay hydrated and avoiding hypoglycemia. The team physician isn't there for every tape job, rehab appointment, glucose check etc. For some teams, ATC is similar to mom. Even for a grown 30 year old basketball player.

Most athletic trainers come from a sports background; either current or retired athletes. With that background comes the mindset of teamwork and camaraderie. We know our place and respect every diagnosis and plan provided by our doctors. We expect the same respect from those physicians.

PS, my boss is an MD and he's only hired athletic trainers. He has one paramedic on staff and that's because they go way back.

If you ever finish your fellow in sports medicine - respect your ATCs, we have a lot of patient hours and we're not afraid to get our hands dirty.

:]

 

[psychMDhopefully]

I'm bumping this, 12 years after the last post to clarify some things for the OP.

sports doctors are not athletic trainers. Unless you're a 12 year old soccer player and your knee hurts, the ATC might be "the doctor people" you see.

The stigma lies in ignorance. Our role lies in our liason between athlete and physician. We work well with sports doctors/internal medicine/primary care/pods and orthopeds because of our day-day contact with patients and injuries.

Simply put we are Jack of all trades: injury prevention, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, administration. We are autonomous but all that we do is under a physician. We work well with PTs, PAs and Nurses because we are liason and the sources of plan implementation.

I'm currently working with an MD and a DO and they love using L-ATCs in their practice because of our ability to communication causes for sports injury, administer physician directed home exercses, and communicate further plan and how to move forwards. **While translating complex medical terms into lamens terms.

No one in their right mind should confuse a sports doc (read: team physician) for an athletic trainer. But realize that for professional sports, once the show is over - that athletic trainer is back in the locker room scheduling follow ups for rehab, scheduling appointments for doctors, ensuring those athletes stay hydrated and avoiding hypoglycemia. The team physician isn't there for every tape job, rehab appointment, glucose check etc. For some teams, ATC is similar to mom. Even for a grown 30 year old basketball player.

Most athletic trainers come from a sports background; either current or retired athletes. With that background comes the mindset of teamwork and camaraderie. We know our place and respect every diagnosis and plan provided by our doctors. We expect the same respect from those physicians.

PS, my boss is an MD and he's only hired athletic trainers. He has one paramedic on staff and that's because they go way back.

If you ever finish your fellow in sports medicine - respect your ATCs, we have a lot of patient hours and we're not afraid to get our hands dirty.

:]

Wow, OP hasn't logged on since 2005. , do you think hes really going to see this?

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Wow, OP hasn't logged on since 2005. , do you think hes really going to see this?

I ignored the "for the OP" part and found his post informative.

 

[HollisticAppeal]

Wow, OP hasn't logged on since 2005. , do you think hes really going to see this?

Probably not. but someone will. As future physicians we might as well know who is on our team.

 

[SPD5]

I'm bumping this, 12 years after the last post to clarify some things for the OP.

sports doctors are not athletic trainers. Unless you're a 12 year old soccer player and your knee hurts, the ATC might be "the doctor people" you see.

The stigma lies in ignorance. Our role lies in our liason between athlete and physician. We work well with sports doctors/internal medicine/primary care/pods and orthopeds because of our day-day contact with patients and injuries.

Simply put we are Jack of all trades: injury prevention, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, administration. We are autonomous but all that we do is under a physician. We work well with PTs, PAs and Nurses because we are liason and the sources of plan implementation.

I'm currently working with an MD and a DO and they love using L-ATCs in their practice because of our ability to communication causes for sports injury, administer physician directed home exercses, and communicate further plan and how to move forwards. **While translating complex medical terms into lamens terms.

No one in their right mind should confuse a sports doc (read: team physician) for an athletic trainer. But realize that for professional sports, once the show is over - that athletic trainer is back in the locker room scheduling follow ups for rehab, scheduling appointments for doctors, ensuring those athletes stay hydrated and avoiding hypoglycemia. The team physician isn't there for every tape job, rehab appointment, glucose check etc. For some teams, ATC is similar to mom. Even for a grown 30 year old basketball player.

Most athletic trainers come from a sports background; either current or retired athletes. With that background comes the mindset of teamwork and camaraderie. We know our place and respect every diagnosis and plan provided by our doctors. We expect the same respect from those physicians.

PS, my boss is an MD and he's only hired athletic trainers. He has one paramedic on staff and that's because they go way back.

If you ever finish your fellow in sports medicine - respect your ATCs, we have a lot of patient hours and we're not afraid to get our hands dirty.

:]

I'm days away from entering medical school and am desperately trying to decide if athletic training might be a better choice for me...I would love to hear about your experience as an ATC and how you came to choose it and what a typical day looks like! I'd particularly be interested in working with a college team (not necessarily DI, I just really like the college athlete experience) do you happen to know how common those jobs are?