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Texas Athletic Trainers Gear Up for New School Year

Article reposted from 12News
Author: Leah Durain

Athletic trainers have an important job. They work with athletes in injury prevention, emergency response and rehabilitation. Local trainers at the high school and collegiate level are gearing up for the upcoming school year.

One item on the agenda is taking a continuing education class. A session in Beaumont is offering local trainers a chance to complete their coursework close to home… while fellowshipping with neighboring athletic staff members.

It took place at Christus Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth Hospital Wednesday with speakers from Acadian Ambulance Services, Beaumont Bone and Joint Institute, Lamar University and Christus Health. One portion of the day focused on working with medical personnel in the case of a severe injury.

“We’re tyring to help work the relations between EMTs and the athletic trainers since we work so closely together during football season,” said Shawn Clinger with Christus Sports Medicine Southeast Texas. “It helps us build relationships with doctors and … EMT.”

The class gets the trainers into gear, preparing them for whatever the school year holds. David Kovner is a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Lamar University. He works with the football team and sees a lot happen out on the field.

“Anything from finger dislocation to laceration, like a cut on someones leg,” said Kovner. “Head-to-head collisions are always not fun to watch as an athletic trainer because you never want to have to spineboard someone.”

A few seats over, Port Neches Groves athletic trainer Ricardo Serna says it’s much of the same at the high school level.

“It’s a lot of minor stuff really that we see. The major stuff, we hope we don’t see,” said Serna. “Most of the time it’s a lot of muscle injuries, a lot of ligament injuries, things like that but that’s why we come here… learn how to deal with those things and try to get the kids back on the field as quickly as we can.”

The trainers were also able to take a CPR recertification course.