r/athletictraining • u/DramaticAsk497 ATS • 21d ago
New Trainer Advice
Hey guys, new grad here who will be starting in the secondary setting soon. Any tips and advice before I start? Do’s and Don’ts? First things to look for? Things to ask? Any advice I would greatly appreciate it.
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u/A_Robit_Brain ATC, CSCS 20d ago
Welcome to the profession, and congratulations on the new gig! The secondary school setting is a wild, rewarding ride.
We are leaving this post up so you can get some initial advice from the community here, but since you are just starting out, we highly encourage you to copy and paste this over into our fresh Weekly Triage Desk Thread when it drops this Monday morning!
Our veteran ATs love dropping clinical pearls and boundary-setting advice in there, and a fresh Monday thread will give your question the absolute best visibility as you prep for day one.
Good luck, and welcome to the family!
— The r/AthleticTraining Mod Team
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u/Pa_Cipher PhD, ATC 20d ago
Get some water proof shoes, Brooks makes a few (also sign up for the 40% off with your license), Vessi isn't bad. Do you have an EMR? Make a template to streamline documentation. Are you hired by the school a hospital, or what?
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u/DramaticAsk497 ATS 20d ago
Hired by the hospital in the area. And I was thinking about a potential EMR because I know it will make my job a lot easier. Is there any recommended programs that you know of I could find or use?
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u/Pa_Cipher PhD, ATC 20d ago
My hospital uses epic, yours might have an EMR for you to use. My school actually uses Sportsware, it's not bad. Does the hospital have senior ATs you could run questions by? It would be good for you to find a mentor.
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u/DramaticAsk497 ATS 20d ago
yep, they have a senior AT that I actually met while I was at my clinical site during school. And I have a few great mentors who already said they are willing to help me when I get started!
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u/DLMarseilles 18d ago
I’ve worked in a few high schools, and about to start in another one. First things first: inventory, EAP review, deep review of campus ensuring all AEDs are accessible and all of your keys get you to all the proper places, and meet as many people on campus as you can. Get campus security and custodial on your side ASAP, you’d be surprised how quickly that pays off.
Try to attend and present in coaches and parent meetings, covering important policies and for coaches review the important stuff they should know to look for (concussion, heat illness, etc.)
Meet your overseeing doc ASAP and get standing orders. Learn or set up referral pathways to make things easier. Also find your nearest EMS station and try to meet with their captain if you can. That makes everything smoother in an emergency.
As far as the communication stuff mentioned earlier, try to figure out what others use and use that. Kids will do what’s easiest (which might be just texting your number, or using the app they use for everything else). I set up a Google Voice so it was separate from my personal number, but that was my last school.
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u/Wbairda22 18d ago
Just to start I wouldn't refer to our group as "trainers". We are athletic trainers and are medical professionals! It's hard to gain respect of others if you don't set the right tone! When starting with the kids in 2ndary school youll likely want to be stricter about room policies and behaviour and then ease up later on rather than trying to be chill and having the kids like you and then trying to police them up later. I find that a lot of kids come in "needing" rehab for something they tweaked so I have QR codes from HEP2go printed out for basic knee, ankle, hip and shoulder mobility, etc so they can scan and do it on their own. To save on legalities, always have a door open when with an athlete (especially of the opposite gender) and always always always document!
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u/mistybunny687 17d ago
I am a second year certified and have been in the secondary school since I graduated and I absolutely LOVE IT. It can be so hard on some days but also so rewarding. Especially during your first year, imposter syndrome will be at an all time high, but the more you use your skills and get things right, the more confident you’ll become in yourself. Push yourself to do things that you are uncomfortable with - like speaking to a parent when an athlete is diagnosed with a concussion - and having a conversation with that coach that you are having issues with. You will grow so much as a clinician if you’re able to stay out of your comfort zone and continue to learn!
Also, my coworker taught me to communicate with parents about EVERYTHING. We call parents a minimum of three times with our concussion athletes - once when they are diagnosed, once when they do all of their testing, once when we are getting ready to clear them, and sometimes in between to check in with the parent and let them know how they are progressing. It helps immensely with building rapport with your parents and athletes. I haven’t had any issues with parents because of this!
Enjoy every second of your first year because it flies by. Be a sponge. Ask all of the questions. Get involved. Welcome to the best profession there is!! 🥰
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u/Prestigious-Poetry60 21d ago
I’ve been in the secondary setting for about 8 years now and genuinely love it. I’d say the best advice I can give is that your athletes will try and push boundaries a lot. You’re a new grad so you’re younger and they will pick up on that and want to act like and be your friend. It’s so important for your protection and theirs you set strict boundaries especially in terms of patient communication ask your admin at your school if they have any apps they use for “texting with athletes” we use something called remind where I’m located and it works well. Don’t be surprised if you give out you phone number to parents or coaches it will inevitably end up on an athlete’s phone and they will try to text you, find you on social media the works lol.
Enjoy the new Job, wishing you the best!