Clinical Lead Athletic Trainer - Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine

Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation • Park Ridge, IL

13d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Clinical Lead Athletic Trainer - Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine will act as a resource and demonstrate leadership in day-to-day work activities. This role involves training and orienting departmental support staff, assisting with human resource responsibilities such as interviewing, staff development, and performance feedback. The position also involves advising staff on procedural changes, monitoring work progress and productivity, and providing guidance on complex issues. The Clinical Lead Athletic Trainer will demonstrate problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills to support team outcomes. They will serve as a clinical and department resource, mentor staff, and facilitate clinical problem-solving. This role assists in developing training guidelines, staff orientation, competency, and education activities. The position promotes and develops rehabilitation programs, leads referral development projects, and participates in community education events. The Clinical Lead Athletic Trainer will also serve as a durable medical equipment (DME) resource for fittings, ordering, and process education. They will perform injury assessments, communicate with patients to triage and instruct in self-care, and communicate with the physician and medical team to determine the need for special tests or services. The role involves establishing and implementing a plan of care, monitoring outcomes, and adjusting treatment plans as needed. They will identify potential issues, advocate for patients, and address patients' physical and psychosocial comfort needs. The position requires completing patient after-visit summaries, including home exercise programs, patient/family teaching, and ordering equipment. All required documentation must be completed following department policy. The role requires knowledge and skills to provide age-appropriate care, understanding of growth and development, and the ability to assess and interpret patient status. Responsibilities also include preparing and assisting physicians with injection procedures, providing post-operative wound care, suture removal, and dressing changes. The Clinical Lead Athletic Trainer develops and implements patient management plans, assists in continuity of care, and performs cast and/or DME application and removal.

Requirements

• Current athletic training certification by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC).
• Currently licensed for Athletic Trainer license issued by the state in which the teammate practices.
• Ability to complete American Heart Association Healthcare Provider (BLS), which includes CPR and AED training within 30 days of hire.
• Bachelor's degree in athletic training from a Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) program.
• Five years athletic training experience, including two of those years as Clinical Athletic Trainer Senior or other applicable experience.
• Ability to proctor casting, splinting and DME application to staff.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Relay information appropriately.
• Ability to understand and communicate medical terminology.
• Explain all processes to patients in plain language and utilize teach back to ensure understanding.
• Initiate problem solving and conflict resolution skills to foster effective work relationships with peers.
• Must be able to: lift up to 50 lbs. from floor to waist.
• Lift up to 10 lbs. from waist to overhead.
• Lift and carry up to 40 lbs. at waist height a reasonable distance.
• Ability to work under stressful situations.
• Frequent periods of extended standing and sitting.
• Ability and flexibility to manage multiple tasks simultaneously; well organized.
• Must be able to: Push/pull with 30 lbs. of force.
• Perform a sliding transfer of 150 lbs. with a second person present.
• Must have ability to work flexible schedule and in an environment that varies from office to outside temperatures/varying outdoor environments.
• Position requires travel so will be exposed to weather and road conditions.
• Must have functional use of senses to allow effective communication.
• Ability to perform fine manipulation for dressing.
• Must frequently walk, assist and lift patient(s) as needed.
• Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served.
• Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Acts as a resource and demonstrates leadership in day-to-day work activities.
• Trains/orients departmental support staff.
• Assists with human resource responsibilities, which may include interviewing and selection of new employees, staff development, providing performance feedback, resolution of employee concerns, and employee morale.
• Advises and updates staff on procedural changes.
• Assigns, monitors, and reviews progress and accuracy of work, monitors productivity, maintains appropriate staffing levels, directs efforts, and provides guidance on more complex issues.
• Demonstrates problem-solving, decision-making, decision sharing and conflict resolution to support team outcomes.
• Acts as a clinical and department resource.
• Mentors and facilitates clinical problem solving with other staff.
• Assists in developing training and/or clinical guidelines and assists in the development and implementation of staff orientation, competency and education activities.
• Promotes and develops rehabilitation programs, leads programs or referral development projects, and participates in community education or sponsored events.
• Serve as durable medical equipment (DME) resource for fittings, ordering and process education for clinic team.
• Support staff development by assisting in training, competency assessments, and clinical guideline creation.
• Performs injury assessments and refers patient for necessary care.
• Communicates with patients to triage, answer questions and to instruct in self-care, prevention, and treatment.
• Communicates with Physician and medical team to help determine need for special tests or services.
• Establishes a plan of care and implements individual treatment based on evaluation results, health goals and by utilizing appropriate techniques.
• Communicates plan of care to all involved in patient's care.
• Monitors and evaluates outcomes and appropriately adjusts the individualized treatment plan based on the patient's response to treatment.
• Recognizes potential issues and the need to advocate for patient by working with the physician and/or key professionals.
• Identifies factors affecting patient's physical and psychosocial comfort and attends to these needs.
• Able to work with diverse patient population.
• Plans for and completes patient after visit summary including providing written home exercise programs, patient/family teaching, referral for community services, and ordering equipment.
• Completes all required documentation following department policy, including patient assessment, patient progress notes, after visit summaries as appropriate, to record patient care.
• Prepare and assist the physician with injection procedures done in the office.
• Provides proper post-operative wound care and education, removal of sutures and dressing changes to post-surgical patients as directed by the attending physician.
• Develops and implements patient management plans, assists in provision of continuity of care from offices visits through surgery if necessary as well as therapy needs.
• Perform cast and/or durable medical equipment (DME) application and removal.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• Generous retirement offerings
• Programs that invest in your career development
• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level