Instructor – Certified Athletic Trainer, Professional Sports Partnerships

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Orthopedics is seeking an experienced Certified Athletic Trainer to serve as the central clinical and operational liaison between CU Sports Medicine, UCHealth, and professional sports partners, including Kroenke Sports & Entertainment franchises and the Colorado Rockies. The role is primarily focused on relationship management and care coordination rather than sideline coverage. The successful candidate will connect players, coaches, and team personnel with orthopedic and primary care sports medicine physicians, subspecialty providers, and UCHealth Executive Health; anticipate team needs; coordinate large-scale events such as team physicals; and develop workflows for a growing professional sports medicine program. This is not a traditional 9-to-5 position. The role requires flexibility to respond to urgent needs outside regular business hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. The position is hybrid, with the number of in-person days to be determined as the role evolves. The role offers the opportunity to work with orthopedic and sports medicine physicians at an academic medical center and partner closely with medical staff from Colorado professional sports teams. As a newly dedicated position, the incumbent will help establish the workflows, relationships, and standards that guide support for these teams as the program grows.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Athletic Training, Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, or a related field.
Certification by the Board of Certification (BOC) for Athletic Trainers.
Colorado Athletic Trainer licensure or eligibility for licensure.
Current CPR/BLS certification.
Willingness to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.
Knowledge of sports medicine conditions sufficient to triage requests to the appropriate provider.
Proven ability to build trusted relationships with athletic trainers, physicians, and coaches.
Excellent organization, communication, and problem-solving skills across multidisciplinary teams.
Ability to independently manage competing, time-sensitive priorities.
Professionalism and discretion when working with high-profile athletes.
Process-improvement mindset and flexibility as the program evolves.

Nice To Haves

Experience in professional, elite, or collegiate sports medicine settings.
Familiarity with the Epic electronic health record.
Experience with workers’ compensation, billing, or team physicals.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary operational contact for each team’s athletic trainers and medical staff; learn their workflows, check in proactively, anticipate needs, and resolve concerns.
Build relationships with team physicians, athletic trainers, and clinic personnel to streamline communication and care.
Coordinate appointments, imaging, consultations, and testing for players, coaches, staff, and affiliates, and follow through promptly on urgent requests.
Interface with CU and UCHealth subspecialty providers, including Cardiology, ENT, and OB/GYN, to facilitate timely and appropriate care.
Use Epic to pend orders that expedite care; the role does not have order sign-off authority.
Coordinate care for team-affiliated workers’ compensation cases, particularly for Colorado Mammoth players and Rapids Academy athletes.
Serve as the point of contact with UCHealth Executive Health for urgent needs of team-affiliated individuals and lead the transition of professional sports coordination into this role without service disruption.
Plan and run preseason physicals, medical testing, and other large-scale team events, including scheduling, staffing, logistics, and communication.
Coordinate billing, documentation, and administrative processes with Executive Health, physician practices, and finance.
Identify inefficiencies and develop standardized workflows to improve service and team satisfaction.
Respond to urgent team needs during evenings, weekends, and holidays, and take on new initiatives and responsibilities as partnerships and the program grow.