What is
the one word that we think of when we hear the word communicate? Talk. Well,
sometimes it may not be so simple. You
often have trouble finding the right words.
Talk to whom exactly?! Talk to
your friends, your parents…your colleagues?
And, tell them what?! It’s hard
enough to talk to those who are close to us like our family and friends but
what do we do when we have a superior? We must be open and honest. Regardless if what we have to say is good or
bad, more of than not the truth overrides falsehoods.
Do you
ever remember your parent’s tell you “As long as you tell us the truth, you
won’t get in trouble”. I know what
you’re thinking. “Uh huh, sure”. Well in this case it’s the truth. As health care professionals in the career
of athletic training, communication is the key component to establishing a
successful and effective working relationship with your superior. If you think about it, what is the one thing
that we are asked as by the coach and athletic staff when we witness an
injury? “Is he /she okay”? or “how bad
is it”…” do you know when they will be back to full status”. When this happens, we get a little nervous
and become apprehensive on what to say.
It’s during this time when I remember that as long as I speak the truth,
I will not get into trouble. I’m sure we
can all agree that we if we are honest and up front with our coaches and
athletic staff about an injured athlete, we do them a service. Often at times we think we may hurt the
coaches feelings and make them upset by not telling them what they want to
hear. However, I defy anyone to tell me otherwise.
