Certified Athletic Trainer

Valor Healthcare, Inc.•San Antonio, TX

18d

About The Position

The Certified Athletic Trainer provides athletic training and sports medicine services to service members in accordance with the guidelines of the National Athletic Trainers Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. The role includes injury prevention, evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, emergency response, fitness and conditioning support, patient education, and clinical documentation. The trainer works independently within their professional scope and under the supervision of a designated Sports Medicine physician and/or a member designated by HPS/CC. The position involves examining musculoskeletal and exertional injuries, developing differential diagnoses or diagnoses, determining impairments, and planning further assessment, referral, treatment, activity limitations, and follow-up. Clinical services may include therapeutic exercise and modalities, manual therapy, taping, wound care, heat mitigation, emergency first aid, and on-site emergency medical response. The trainer also develops conditioning programs, screens for injury and illness risk factors, educates service members, participates in research and quality-improvement initiatives, and coordinates care with physicians, instructors, and other healthcare personnel. The role requires documenting evaluations and treatments in the patient’s electronic health record and closing out encounter documentation within 72 hours. The trainer may provide independent medical coverage during unit physical training and may assist with emergency responses within scope of care. Benefits are effective the first day of the month following the start date.

Requirements

Master’s degree from a CAATE-accredited Athletic Training Education Program or bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Athletic Training.
Certification by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification (NATABOC) or National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA).
In-person Basic Life Support (BLS) certification accepted by the American Heart Association for healthcare providers or by the American Red Cross; online courses are not acceptable.
For the stated minimum qualification: at least one year of experience diagnosing, treating, and/or preventing musculoskeletal injuries in a high school, collegiate, professional, or military setting with a master’s degree; candidates with a bachelor’s degree must have at least three years of such experience.
Current, full, active, and unrestricted Texas state license.
Must be a U.S. citizen.

Nice To Haves

Senior-level qualification: master’s degree with at least five years of experience, or bachelor’s degree with at least eight years of experience, diagnosing, treating, and/or preventing musculoskeletal injuries in a high school, collegiate, professional, or military setting.
Head-level qualification: at least ten years of experience as a certified athletic trainer diagnosing, treating, and/or preventing musculoskeletal injuries in a high school, college, professional sports, or military training setting, plus at least three years overseeing a sports medicine or athletic training program with three or more athletic trainers and/or strength and conditioning coaches.

Responsibilities

Prevent, recognize, evaluate, treat, and rehabilitate injuries and exertional conditions within professional standards and scope of care.
Perform comprehensive clinical examinations, take appropriate histories, interpret findings, formulate diagnoses or differential diagnoses, identify impairments, and develop plans for assessment, referral, treatment, activity limitations, and follow-up.
Provide therapeutic exercise, modalities, manual therapy, taping, wound care, and other interventions for musculoskeletal injuries and related conditions.
Provide emergency first aid, initial injury evaluation and treatment, and emergency medical response, including on-site coverage of physical training activities when needed and within scope of care.
Design and fabricate protective pads, equipment, and braces, and apply appropriate taping techniques.
Develop and implement strength, aerobic conditioning, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, corrective exercise, and injury-prevention programs for individuals and large groups.
Coordinate and supervise fitness support for service members recovering from injury or who have failed a physical fitness test, while ensuring programs do not add overall health risk.
Screen service members for injury and illness risk factors, including flexibility, strength and endurance, cardiovascular fitness, posture, ergonomics, and body composition.
Educate service members about sports medicine, injury prevention, self-rehabilitation, functional movement, therapeutic-regimen compliance, nutrition, acclimatization, and fluid and electrolyte balance.
Document evaluations, treatments, and other encounter data in the electronic health record and close out documentation within 72 hours.
Participate in research, continuous process improvement, outcome tracking, and IRB-approved studies, including data collection and, where appropriate, analysis and publication.
Evaluate and recommend techniques and equipment to improve performance optimization for the sports medicine team.
Partner with Sports Medicine physicians and other care-team members to meet clinical objectives, maintain patient safety and quality, and facilitate timely communication about patient status.
Complete three peer reviews of patient-care documentation for a designated Sports Medicine physician and/or HPS/CC designee by the first day of each month.
Attend Athletic Training Program meetings and briefings as requested.
Perform other medical management and continuous process improvement initiatives within the athletic trainer’s scope of care as directed by designated leadership.