The final part of this series is directed to the trainers themselves. You yourselves are in the drivers seat to make this season the best one possible. Below are a few points to consider to assist in making season 2019 the most enjoyable, educational and successful season so far.
Know your scope of practice
I think this is the foundation rule of match day sports training. You are not employed by the club to assess and manage pathology on your own. You aren’t trained to that level and you need to make it clear that it’s not your role. Especially to those who get injured
Stepping out of your scope of practice really is the only way you can get yourself into trouble with the club, players or medico-legally.
Doing your Sports trainer Level 1 First Aid course enables you to ensure nothing 'life or limb threatening' is mismanaged, and provide some basic first aid & taping techniques. So when it comes to match day, your role is to be able to acutely manage injuries and also assist in advising players if it is unsafe to return to play.
If they choose to ignore you, ensure you have documented your advice, that's their choice.
Anything beyond this, you need to be careful with any advice or diagnoses you provide to the players. Some of the things I’ve heard players say coming into the clinic after the weekend, show me that this line isn’t always being toed(consciously or subconsciously).
‘the trainer told me they could feel my disc was bulging’ 😱 ‘
’The trainer told me I tore my hammy and to rest, so I rested for 3 months then tried to play on the weekend’ 😨
They sound ridiculous, but they are actual statements I've come across.
Not knowing things isn't the issue, pretending to know or providing misinformation is!
If you identify an injury, REFER ON! Especially to a practitioner you can learn from, that way you can be on the same page and help manage the situation.
One thing to keep in mind, is how powerful your stab at a diagnosis can be if not explained clearly and done so without patient education. These ‘diagnoses’ can end seasons or leave people too scared to return.
Things you say about someone's injury in the very acute time frame can't be unheard. So think before you speak!
I know you are trying to help, but make sure you are staying in your lane and within your training. The clinical knowledge you so desire will come in the future upon completion of your studies, and with further PD.If you want to improve your sideline care whilst staying in your lane, see the link to our Match Day Management Course, and watch out for upcoming dates!
Embrace & admit what you don’t know
As I said above, you aren’t trained and that’s okay. So don’t make it up.
Learn to be comfortable with not having the answers.
Especially if you are going into clinical practice, you’ll face that each day in the clinic, don't find yourself on 'mount stupid' due to 'illusionary superiority/competence' (Don't get it, watch this video about the Dunning-Kruger effect).
Be confident in explaining to the player or coach you don’t know the answer to their question, but you can help find the person who can answer that question. It’s going to leave you feeling more comfortable in your answer, and the players and coaches more confident in trusting your responses.
Shop around… You’re in higher demand than you think
So you get to uni and you see the first ‘SPORTS TRAINERS WANTED’ flyer. Exciting!
Before you decide to contact the club and accept, a few pointers:
Look at a few other flyers, there may be a better offer
Research the club, their location and the competition. You could be in for some serious road trips. More fun when it's not a nasty suprise.
Ask yourself, how much time can I commit to this? for what pay? BEFORE you contact them.
Post on the student page, or ask some friends if they know anyone who has worked for this club prior.
- Find out who the Physio or practice affiliated is, are they a new grad or a APA titled sports Physio? This results in a BIG DIFFERENCE in ‘learning opportunity’.
I’m basically saying, if you want to be a sports trainer, much like a private practice Physio when you graduate, there’s no shortage of jobs, so don’t rush.
You are in demand by the clubs, you get to be a little more picky. Consider practicing 'tough conversation skills' and ask for more than the pay they offer.
Practicing the dreaded money convo's is awkward and against our nature as health care professionals.
Those who do not ask, do not receive
Engage: Inclusion is a two way street
They don't care how much you know, unless they know how much you care - Martin Buchheit (PSG Head of High Performance)
Don’t be the cripplingly shy and standoffish trainer. Also, don’t be the over the top annoying trainer, but this is much rarer. If you are not used to being in a sports club environment, especially a local football club, it can be quite the culture shock.
It’s a little different, with different… ahem, social norms and customs. This is so much improved in the past 5 years, but it's still an interesting place... This can be intimidating, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find you groove engaging with the players and staff. It’s going to make it a much more enjoyable experience.
In my experience, players often don’t speak to trainers because they didn’t speak to them, and vica versa.
It’s like an awkward high school social. So if you feel brave enough, ‘make the first move.’ Introduce yourself, and learn some names and nicknames. Or ask if the captain could introduce you.
In my experience you’ll normally find at least one player who will be ‘the nice one’ and you can ask him to help get you involved.
Once the ice is broken, team work and friendship can flourish. This often makes a better working environment and can give you the ability to ask for their ‘body’ to practice something, or get a more honest opinion of how that taping technique felt. Learning… it's why you went down right?
Build relationships with the coach
The coach is the one you want on your side. They are often the one you will be liaising with most in terms of selection or if a player can return during a game. Like the players, they can get ‘passionate 😡' during a game, but don’t take it too personally. They just want to win. However, also you shouldn’t be fine with taking abuse for things out of your control.
The key to this is building a relationship during preseason and during the week.
Make an effort to say G’day and ask how they’re going. Small talk will do. Who wants to yell at someone they see as ‘the nice trainer, (insert name),’ compared to ‘THAT TRAINER!’
Be honest... Help fellow students/trainers have a great experience
Picture this:
So it's March 2020, and you've decided to move clubs or not be a sports trainer. The club is dipping their toe back into the 'March Recruiting Drive' and ask if you could post about the 'excellent learning experience' (you didn't receive) and 'fantastic pay' (what fantastic pay?) on all the socials. What are you gonna do?
Think before you act. Your name is attached to that advertising.
How does this reflect on you? Your future colleagues and fellow therapists are going to be the recipients. Their opinion of you is going to be more important going forward than the local football club's.
Help each other out by not lying, and help the club by providing constructive feedback about how they could've improved your experience. I doubt they meant to provide an average opportunity for you.
Let's improve this chapter in many students' experience together!
A little food for thought for those involved at clubland this year. At Enhance, we are passionate about community sport, and all it entails. We think it’s an excellent place to develop your skills as a young clinician, if given the right circumstances. Let’s all work together to create that supportive circumstance, and in turn we’ll be rewarded with a high level of health care and support at grassroots level!
For anyone interested in any of Enhance's services or want to be involved in the blog, do not hesitate to contact us! Best of luck to all teams, and their staff this season. We hope it is a safe, fun, educational and successful for all! Thanks for reading!