Athletic trainers (ATCs) are health care professionals who collaborate with physicians and other specialties to optimize the health care of active patients. ATCs don’t just provide care to athletes on the field or in jerseys: they also provide care to populations in physically demanding workplaces as well.
UofL Health’s ATCs are an integral part of the organization’s sports medicine team. In a physician practice setting, athletic trainers function as a direct extension of their supervising provider. Our ATCs also work directly with high school, collegiate and professional sports teams, as well as with amateur athletes participating in community sporting events, such as the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Tour de Lou and Louisville Sports Commission’s Urban Bourbon Marathon.
An ATCs work goes well beyond ice and tape. Athletic trainers are front-line providers who focus on:
- Emergent and immediate care for injuries
- Evaluation, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic injuries
- Intervention and rehabilitation of injuries
- Injury prevention
To become an ATC, extensive musculoskeletal anatomy, first aid and emergency care education and training are required. After obtaining a degree from a CAATE-accredited program, athletic trainers receive board certification. At present, more than 70 percent of certified athletic trainers hold at least a master’s degree.
Don’t let an injury keep you out of the game. Turn to UofL Health – Sports Medicine for the area’s leading sports medicine physicians and orthopedics, advanced diagnostics, UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute and convenient urgent care and emergency care locations. Our board-certified sports medicine physicians treat a wide variety of injuries and illnesses. They know how to get you safely back to optimal fitness and ready to compete.
Unsure where to start? Call 502-637-SPORT (7678) and talk with a member of the UofL Health team for more information or to schedule an appointment.
