How to cruise through speed bumps and avoid traffic jams of the secondary school ATR

I cannot emphasis enough my passion for the secondary setting however it often comes with professionals in the early phases of burn-out. When I see these professionals I want to shake them and help them speed through the chaos of the secondary traffic jams that usually occur from 6:30-9am and 1:30-9pm. I have found that when speaking to my colleagues that are in this situation they often times refuse to change their ways and believe burn-out, stress and extreme tiredness are all part of our profession that we have to accept. This is not true!
A close classmate of mine realized this the hard way. In a classroom setting round table discussion a group of Athletic Trainers from across the nation drilled him with questions often beginning with why, such as “why do you put out water”, “why do you work on Sundays”, “why are you juggling patients” after the intense questioning he broke down. His simple answer was, “I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I have always done it.” This response got me thinking, how could I help him…….?
After collaborating with dozens of secondary athletic trainers from across the nation here is a short and simple map to beginning the steps of avoiding burn-out, lowering your stress level and enjoying your job once again-
1. Make your presence known- yes it may take more time at the beginning however in the end you’ll stop chasing your tail
  a. Speak at booster club, PTA or open house meetings- parents need to know who you are and what your title is.
    i. This is the perfect time to correct vocabulary and emphasis our title as “Athletic Trainers NOT Trainers.”
    ii. Explain your treatment protocol, concussion policy, referral policy etc.
    iii. Communicate with parents, if they have a child that is an athlete they should know you just as if you where the Head Coach
  b. Speak to the faculty- Ask your principle for a 20 minute time slot during your teacher in-service. This again gives you the upper hand in informing the staff of your title and policies
  c. Speak to each of the sports teams- This step is crucial! Do not allow a coach to speak to their athletes about your treatment policies, title, and overall athletic training room procedures. When you allow someone else to inform the athletes you give room for error
2. Make the ATR a clinic- when speaking to your parents, faculty and athletes inform them that they will be treated in a clinic not a “room”. This helps the individuals understand what you are expecting such as:
  a. Schedule appointments with your patients- have your athletes sign an appointment book when they walk in, first come first serve mind-set.
    i. Require all patients to attend am clinical treatments and if needed they can schedule an additional appointment for lunch, athletic period or after school. This gives you the opportunity to create a schedule and provide space between each treatment.
    ii. Require a sense of etiquette within the clinic- low voices, no cell phones, no food, no shoes etc. This will help the athlete understand the importance of their treatment and provide a calming environment
    iii. Slow down- yes you have too many patients for the amount of time you have with them and yes you might not be able to do the entire treatment that you would like or would be beneficial, however you must slow down
1. Learn to prioritize your patients and their treatments- try to see your patients twice a day so that you have the opportunity to do two different treatments. This will provide you time between the treatments to reflect on your patient notes and research any new treatments you would like to do in the second treatment time
2. Stop running around the ATR like a crazy person, it freaks out your patients and causes them to become anxious. Instead take your time with each patient, ask about their day, the upcoming game etc.
3. Give away hydration- yes, this has been a part of our profession forever but when you are treating 30 athletes in a 45 minute window at a 6A high school, water should be the least of your worries. Your focus should be to treat, care, prevent and rehabilitate your patients like the medical professionals we are.
  a. Most high school sports have a manager, spend one class period teaching them how to clean coolers, location of all supplies and process of setting up for practice vs. games.
    i. This allows for more responsibility from the manager which is a skill all teenagers should learn and provides you time to treat patients. This allows for the coach to communicate any schedule changes to a student whom they already have in their class instead of calling you or you worrying about what practice will be like today.
4. Be a professional- This one is going to be the hardest but will make the most impact.
  a. Dress like a professional- Don’t dress like a coach, you are not a coach, you are a medical professional with an extensive background in sports medicine. Don’t be scared to wear something other than khakis. I choose a few years ago to start wearing scrubs in the clinic and for inside sports. I have them in school colors with a monogram of the schools logo and my title. I found that the patients, parents and faculty’s attitude changed remarkably in a positive way. I am treated with respect and curiosity because I have made my presence known that I am a medical professional. This curiosity comes from patients, parents and faculty wanting to know more about athletic training and our skills.
With these 4 easy steps I hope you are cruising through your day and avoiding all traffic jams that occur in the secondary setting. Of course there are countless ways to improve our setting however these have made the most impact on my setting and many others. Please pass along any other ideas that have worked in your setting so I can add them to the list, we are only as good as our weakest link