profile: ATHLETIC TRAINING PROGRAM What is a typical day like for you? Well, that depends on the season. Fall is usually fairly mellow here on campus because PHS does not have a football team, winter is pretty much busy and very long days due to basketball and soccer, and spring is more relaxed regarding coverage and injuries, however, the paperwork and planning for next year begins early spring for physicals, incoming students, etc. I also try to perform a post school year evaluation to figure out what I can do to streamline injury processes and procedures, clearance paperwork and how to plan accordingly so that I can continue to remain on top of my duties and provide excellent care for our student athletes.
With more attention being brought to athletic-related injuries such as concussions, how important is proper training? That is a great question! It is absolutely critical for any organization who provides students with the opportunity to participate in athletics to provide skilled, knowledgeable, and competent medical personnel to care for those student athletes. ATs are one of the few Allied Health Care Professionals that are specifically trained in how to recognize, diagnose and treat concussions. In fact, it is a significant part of our training and, unfortunately, due to the nature and frequency of head injuries in sports, one that we continually have to remain vigilant and abreast of new research and treatment methods.
Sonnie DaCosta Athletic Trainer (AT)
What inspired you to become an athletic trainer? When I "found" athletic training I had been working as a project manager in IT for several years. I was laid off due to a company merger and decided to go back to school and finish my AA degree. I attended Moorpark College and decided to take the Prevention of Athletic Injuries course that was being taught by their head athletic trainer at the time, Vance Manakas. Part of the class included lab work/observation hours with Vance and Cherisse Meichtry who was the other AT at Moorpark College. I volunteered as a student athletic trainer that spring and again in the fall for football season. After that, I was hooked!
In order to create an environment of athlete compliance and support, it is also critical for ATs to have a collaborative and communicative sports medicine team that includes, but is not limited to, general practitioners, orthopaedists, and neurologists (who specialize in traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs). My main goal going into the 2016-2017 school year was to begin building that collaborative sports medicine team, and I am happy to say that process is well underway. This past winter, we began our partnership with Dr. Michael Marvi and his team at the Howard and Hyce Hill Neuroscience Center at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center which is conveniently located right next door to PHS.
Were you an athlete in high school and/or college? I was an athlete up until my freshman year of high school. I played volleyball, basketball and softball during my freshman year, however, due to continual pain and complications from a previous knee injury, I decided not to continue for the remainder of my time in high school. We didn't have an athletic trainer at the time and there was no one to do rehab with me and get me back on the field. The fact that I was not able to play softball made a huge difference for me as a student. I did not put as much effort into my school work and I was unhappy a lot of the time because I really JUST wanted to be on the field. I think that's one of the main reasons why I feel so passionate about being an AT now. I know the physical and psychological effects that injuries can have on student athletes and I don't want anyone to have to lose their drive or passion for something they love.
Pioneer Connections
Dr. Marvi and his team have offered to do baseline ImPACT concussion testing for all of our student athletes. A baseline test is an important part of the prevention and treatment of head injuries because it gives us as medical providers a "snapshot" of what an athlete is like on a "normal" day. If a head injury should occur, we can use that baseline test as another tool in our toolbox of many to help diagnose and determine the best course of treatment for that athlete.
14
