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Policies & Procedures

Practice Coverage:

A certified athletic trainer (ATC) will be available on site and/or in the athletic training room for all in-season practices. An ATC will be on site for all collision sport practices (ice hockey, men's lacrosse, and men's soccer). All other practices will be covered by either an ATC or a work-study student if possible.

The athletic training room will open one hour before each practice and thirty minutes after the practice is scheduled to end.

Practices are discouraged from being scheduled on Sundays, and as such will not be covered by an athletic trainer.

Home Event Coverage:

An ATC will be present for all home events and will be available for pre-game treatments two hours before the start of the event and thirty minutes after the event. In the case of multiple home events, an ATC will be at the site(s) of the sport(s) that pose the greatest risk to the participants.

Home event coverage may not occur for Crew or Riding.

* In the event that a home game needs to be moved to another site, a certified athletic trainer will attend the game if possible. If the opposing team is providing coverage with a Certified Athletic Trainer, a Certified Athletic Trainer from Skidmore may not attend the game. In this situation the Certified Athletic Trainer from Skidmore will contact the opposing team or hosting institutions Athletic Trainer to arrange proper care.

Away Event Coverage:

Certified Athletic Trainers will travel with all in-season collision sports. Travel with other sports will occur when possible as priority will be given in the following order:

1. Collision Sports (Hockey, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Soccer)

2. Contact Sports

3. Non-Contact Sports

Travel will be determined by:

· Sport

· Post-Season play

· Severity of a given team's present injuries

· Home events/practices

· Certified Athletic Trainer's schedule

· Host institution

Holidays and Breaks:

The athletic training staff, in consultation with the Athletic Director, will determine holiday and break coverage. Certified Athletic Trainers will only travel with in-season sports during breaks when necessary.

Non-Traditional Season Coverage:

Practices-

All practices should occur within daily training room hours otherwise will not be covered by an ATC. Priority will be given to collision sports during these times. Coverage by a certified athletic trainer will not be available outside of designated athletic training room hours of operation. However, when available, a student athletic trainer will be assigned. Sunday practices will not be covered by an ATC.

Home Events-

A Certified Athletic Trainer will cover all collision sport events, unless there are home in-season events occurring at the same time, in which case a work-study student will be assigned to cover the event. All other events will be covered on an as can basis, with work-study students covering when an ATC is unavailable.

Away Events-

A Certified Athletic Trainer may only cover an away event for collision sports if possible. If an ATC is not available, a work-student may be assigned.

Injury Treatment

Modalities-

Athletes will be treated with therapeutic modalities at the discretion of a Certified Athletic Trainer, in consistency with their rehabilitation program goals. Modalities include heat, ice, whirlpools, ultrasound, laser, electrical stimulation, and iontophoresis.

Taping-

Taping will be administered at the discretion of a Certified Athletic Trainer, as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation program. Athletes will be taped only if they are engaged in a rehabilitation program for their injury.

Work Study Students-

Athletic training work-study students are Skidmore College students who are trained as first responders. While working in the training room, they are exposed to the field of athletic training and are engaged in the skills of injury prevention, assessment, immediate care and rehabilitation. Many of them are Exercise Science or Biology students looking towards future careers in athletic training, exercise science, coaching, or allied health professions such as physical therapy, occupational therapy or physicians assistant. They are all trained in Adult CPR, First Aid, and basic athletic training skills. They are not permitted to:

· Use modalities (whirlpools, ultrasound, electric stimulation, etc.) when there is no Certified Athletic Trainer present

· Diagnose injuries.

Practice Coverage:

Students may cover a practice that occurs during a scheduled home event, is a non-traditional sport practice, or in the event that a Certified Athletic Trainer cannot be present.

Travel:

Students are permitted to travel if the athletic training staff has deemed them qualified to do so, understanding that assignments may be dependent on sport. In general, travel will be based on:

1. Availability

2. Home event schedule

3. Level of skill

4. Sport (category)

5. Host institution

Updated on 8/15/07