scholarly journals Examining Academic Support After Concussion for the Adolescent Student-Athlete: Perspectives of the Athletic Trainer

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tricia Kasamatsu ◽  
Michelle Cleary ◽  
Jason Bennett ◽  
Keith Howard ◽  
Tamara Valovich McLeod

 Student-athletes may require cognitive rest and academic support after concussion. Athletic trainers (ATs) in secondary schools are uniquely positioned to provide medical care and to collaborate with school professionals while managing concussions. However, little is known regarding return-to-learn policies and their implementation in secondary schools.Context:  To examine ATs' perspectives on return to learn, cognitive rest, and communication with school professionals after concussion.Objective:  Cross-sectional study.Design:  Web-based survey.Setting:  A total of 1124 secondary school ATs completed the survey (28.5% response rate). The majority of participants were employed full time (752/1114 [67.5%]) in public schools (911/1117 [81.6%]).Patients or Other Participants:  School and AT employment characteristics, demographics, number of concussions evaluated annually, and perceptions of school professionals' familiarity with ATs' responsibilities were independent variables.Main Outcome Measure(s):  Of the ATs, 44% reported having an existing return-to-learn policy. The strongest predictor of a return-to-learn policy was frequent communication with teachers after concussion (odds ratio = 1.5; 95% confidence interval = 1.2, 1.7). Most ATs recommended complete cognitive rest (eg, no reading, television; 492/1087 [45.3%]) or limited cognitive activity based upon symptoms (391/1087 [36.0%]). Common academic accommodations were postponed due dates (789/954 [82.7%]), rest breaks (765/954 [80.2%]), and partial attendance (740/954 [77.6%]). Athletic trainers self-reported as primary monitors of health (764/1037 [73.7%]) and academic progression (359/1011 [35.5%]). The strongest predictor of ATs' communication with school professionals was their perception of school professionals' understanding of ATs' roles.Results:  Overall, ATs followed best practices for cognitive rest and return to learn after concussion. Although ATs are central to the management of student-athletes' physical health after concussion, school professionals may be better suited to monitor academic progress. Increased communication between the AT and school professionals is recommended to monitor recovery and facilitate academic support for symptomatic student-athletes.Conclusions:

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richelle M. Williams ◽  
Cailee E. Welch ◽  
John T. Parsons ◽  
Tamara C. Valovich McLeod

Context: Sport-related concussion can affect athletes' sport participation and academic success. With the recent emphasis on cognitive rest, student-athletes may benefit from academic accommodations (AA) in the classroom; however, athletic trainers' (ATs') perceived familiarity with, and use of, AA is unknown. Objective: To assess secondary school ATs' perceived familiarity with, attitudes and beliefs about, and incorporation of AA for student-athletes after sport-related concussion. A secondary purpose was to determine whether employment status altered familiarity and use of AA. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Online survey. Patients or Other Participants: Of 3286 possible respondents, 851 secondary school ATs accessed the survey (response rate = 25.9%; 308 men [36.2%], 376 women [44.2%], 167 respondents [19.6%] with sex information missing; age = 37.3 ± 10.1 years). Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants were solicited via e-mail to complete the Beliefs, Attitudes and Knowledge Following Pediatric Athlete Concussion among Athletic Trainers employed in the secondary school setting (BAKPAC-AT) survey. The BAKPAC-AT assessed ATs' perceived familiarity, perceptions, and roles regarding 504 plans, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and returning student-athletes to the classroom. Independent variables were employment status (full time versus part time), employment model (direct versus outreach), years certified, and years of experience in the secondary school setting. The dependent variables were participants' responses to the AA questions. Spearman rank-correlation coefficients were used to assess relationships and Mann-Whitney U and χ2 tests (P < .05) were used to identify differences. Results: Respondents reported that approximately 41% of the student-athletes whose sport-related concussions they managed received AA. Respondents employed directly by the school were more familiar with 504 plans (P < .001) and IEPs (P < .001) and had a greater belief that ATs should have a role in AA. Both the number of years certified and the years of experience at the secondary school were significantly correlated with perceived familiarity regarding 504 plans and IEPs. Conclusions: The ATs employed directly by secondary schools and those with more experience as secondary school ATs were more familiar with AA. Understanding AA is important for all ATs because cognitive rest and “return to learn” are becoming more widely recommended in concussion management.


2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Bowman ◽  
Stephanie Mazerolle Singe ◽  
Alicia M. Pike Lacy ◽  
Johna K. Register-Mihalik

Context Conflict between athletic trainers (ATs) and other stakeholders can occur because of competing interests over medical decisions regarding concussion. However, we are unaware of any studies specifically exploring these situations across various collegiate athletic affiliations. Objective To investigate the challenges faced by ATs when treating concussed student-athletes. Design Qualitative study. Setting Online questionnaire. Patients or Other Participants A total of 434 ATs (267 women, 166 men, 1 missing data; age = 27.73 ± 3.24 years, experience = 5.17 ± 2.67 years) completed the questionnaire (response rate = 14.47%). Our participants represented multiple employment settings within intercollegiate athletics. Data Collection and Analysis We sent an online questionnaire to 3000 ATs working in the collegiate and university setting across the United States. A survey expert verified face, content, and construct validity of the questionnaire in 2 rounds of review, and 3 ATs completed a content-validity tool before we finalized the survey. We analyzed the qualitative data using a general inductive approach and ensured trustworthiness through multiple-analyst triangulation and peer review. Results When we examined the responses from our participants regarding their work with student-athletes who had sustained concussions, we found 2 major themes, each with subthemes. First, educational efforts appeared to be only modestly effective because of a lack of honesty, noncompliant actions, and coach interference. Second, return to learn was challenging because of a lack of communication among stakeholders, athletes being anxious about needing accommodations, and difficulty convincing faculty to provide reasonable accommodations. Conclusions Based on our findings, we recommend continued efforts to improve the culture surrounding concussion in collegiate athletes. Athletic trainers should include key stakeholders such as coaches, student-athletes, parents, faculty, and other educational administrators in their educational efforts to improve the policies and culture surrounding concussion treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 2-8
Author(s):  
Gail Frost ◽  
Maureen Connolly

Concussion is a functional brain injury that can produce physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep-related symptoms. Return to learn protocols designed to help students recovering from concussion recommend a gradual, symptom-governed, increase in cognitive activity before a return to full-time school attendance and participation. Return to learn in a post-secondary setting often means that instructors are tasked with accommodating for these students, some of whom are back in the classroom even though they are still experiencing symptoms. This paper presents a progressive, ramping approach to increasing cognitive load by using literal, interpretive and applied adaptations to already existing course requirements, with the goal of minimizing the risk of provoking or worsening post-concussion symptoms.   Les commotions cérébrales sont des lésions fonctionnelles au cerveau qui peuvent provoquer des symptômes physiques, cognitifs et émotionnels ainsi que des troubles du sommeil. Selon le protocole de reprise des études conçu pour aider les étudiants qui se remettent d’une commotion, on recommande une augmentation graduelle de l’activité cognitive, en fonction des symptômes, avant d’effectuer un retour aux études à temps plein. Dans les établissements postsecondaires, on demande souvent aux instructeurs de mettre en place des mesures d’adaptation pour ces étudiants qui, dans certains cas, éprouvent encore des symptômes lorsqu’ils retournent en classe. Cet article présente une approche progressive visant à augmenter petit à petit la charge cognitive au moyen d’aménagements – d’ordre littéral, interprétatif et appliqué – apportés aux exigences de cours existantes, de manière à minimiser le risque de déclencher ou d’aggraver le syndrome post-commotion cérébrale.


2021 ◽  
pp. 216747952110019
Author(s):  
Rikishi T. Rey ◽  
Zac D. Johnson

To properly manage college student-athlete dissent, stakeholders (e.g., coaches, teammates, administration, athletic trainers, etc.) must first recognize the situations that cause athletes to dissent. Although athletic dissent is not a new concept, to date, it has only been examined at the high school level. To fill this gap, this study begins to explore this issue at the college level by examining the triggering agents that cause college student-athletes to communicate dissent. Participants ( N = 72) from 11 different sports were asked to complete multiple narratives in response to open ended questions after reflecting on a time where they communicated dissent. Results of a thematic analysis indicate that there are eight triggering agents of dissent, demonstrating distinct differences between high school and college student-athlete dissent due to various contextual factors. These findings highlight the needs and desires of college student-athletes which can help coaches, administration, and other stakeholders to promote positive college student-athlete experiences.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110263
Author(s):  
Ashley A. Lowe ◽  
Joe K. Gerald ◽  
Conrad Clemens ◽  
Cherie Gaither ◽  
Lynn B. Gerald

Schools often provide medication management to children at school, yet, most U.S. schools lack a full-time, licensed nurse. Schools rely heavily on unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to perform such tasks. This systematic review examined medication management among K-12 school nurses. Keyword searches in three databases were performed. We included studies that examined: (a) K-12 charter, private/parochial, or public schools, (b) UAPs and licensed nurses, (c) policies and practices for medication management, or (d) nurse delegation laws. Three concepts were synthesized: (a) level of training, (b) nurse delegation, and (c) emergency medications. One-hundred twelve articles were screened. Of these, 37.5% (42/112) were comprehensively reviewed. Eighty-one percent discussed level of training, 69% nurse delegation, and 57% emergency medications. Succinct and consistent policies within and across the United States aimed at increasing access to emergency medications in schools remain necessary.


Author(s):  
Brian Edwards ◽  
Andrew W. Froehle ◽  
Siobhan E. Fagan

ABSTRACT Context: Recently the athletic training community has paid increased attention to college student-athlete mental health, treatment-seeking, and impacts on athletic and academic performance. Ongoing efforts to better-educate and equip athletic trainers to help student-athletes in this regard should result in improved mental health-related outcomes. Objective: Examine changes in student-athlete mental health over the past decade compared to non-athlete students. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: United States colleges and universities. Patients or Other Participants: Varsity athletes (n=54,479) and non-athlete students (n=448,301) who completed the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) between 2011 and 2019. Main Outcome Measures: Survey responses (self-report) to questions in five mental health-related domains: symptoms, diagnoses, treatment-seeking, institutional information distribution, and academic impacts. Results: Student-athletes consistently reported significantly lower symptom and diagnose rates than non-athletes, except for attempted suicide, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Diagnoses increased over time in both groups, but remained lower in athletes. Treatment-seeking and openness to future treatment increased over time in both groups, but remained lower in athletes. Student-athletes received more information on stress reduction, substance abuse, eating disorders, and handling distress/violence than non-athletes. Both groups received information more frequently over time. Athletes reported lower academic impacts, especially for depression and anxiety, but impacts grew over time in both groups. Impacts of injuries and extracurricular activities on academic performance were higher in athletes than in non-athletes. Conclusions: Athletes reported overall lower levels of symptoms, diagnoses, and academic impacts than non-athletes. While non-athlete rates climbed over the past decade, athletes' rates broadly remained flat or climbed less rapidly. Increasingly positive attitudes toward treatment are encouraging, but the deficit relative to non-athletes remains. Ongoing efforts of athletic trainers to educate athletes and guide them to mental health resources are needed in order to continue (or, better yet, accelerate) the observed positive trends in information dissemination and treatment-seeking.


2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter R. Giacobbi

Abstract To assess the prevalence of occupational burnout, engagement, and somatic health complaints and the associations among these constructs experienced by certified athletic trainers (ATs). A secondary objective was to examine differences between men and women, those with more versus less postcertification experience, and ATs who worked in different occupational settings.Objective: Survey-based, stratified, proportionate random sample of full-time ATs.Design: Data were collected online from ATs employed full time in the college or university, secondary school or youth, and industrial or clinical settings.Setting: Of 3998 invited ATs, 934 replied, for a response rate of 24%. The mean age of the participants was 33.84 ± 8.29 years, and each AT worked with an average of 90 clients.Patients or Other Participants: The dependent variables were perceived stress, occupational burnout, engagement, and somatic health complaints.Main Outcome Measure(s): Although 17.2% of participants were in the most advanced stages of burnout, low levels of burnout and high degrees of occupational engagement were observed. Women ATs and those working in the college or university settings scored higher for burnout, whereas men and those in the clinical or industrial settings scored higher for engagement. Women also reported significantly more somatic health complaints than men did.Results: The overall prevalence of burnout in ATs was relatively small, but sex and occupational-setting differences were observed and deserve greater scrutiny.Conclusions:


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (10) ◽  
pp. 990-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea L. Williamson ◽  
Grant E. Norte ◽  
Donna K. Broshek ◽  
Joseph M. Hart ◽  
Jacob E. Resch

Context Recent recommendations have emphasized return-to-learn (RTL) protocols to aid athletes in recovery from sport-related concussion (SRC) but have been based primarily on anecdotal evidence. Objective To investigate the RTL practices of certified athletic trainers (ATs) after an SRC. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Online survey. Patients or Other Participants A total of 1083 individuals (27%) from a random sample of 4000 ATs in the National Athletic Trainers' Association membership database completed an electronic survey. Participants consisted of 729 self-identified secondary school ATs (SSATs; 67.3%; experience = 14.0 ± 9.7 years) and 354 self-identified collegiate ATs (CATs; 32.7%; experience = 13.4 ± 9.7 years). Main Outcome Measure(s) We used χ2 analyses to assess respondent differences related to current knowledge, current practices, and available resources. Independent t tests were used to compare SSATs and CATs on years of certification and annual number of SRCs evaluated. Results Of our total respondents, 41.2% (n = 446) correctly indicated the absence of evidence-based RTL guidelines. Whereas most (73.9%, n = 800) respondents had an established RTL policy, only 38.1% (n = 413) used such guidelines in their clinical practice. Most (97.1%, n = 708) SSATs and 82.2% (n = 291) of CATs had access to (a) mental health professional(s); however, minorities of SSATs (21.4%, n = 156) and CATs (37.0%, n = 131) never accessed these resources to care for concussed student-athletes. Conclusions Our results suggested that, despite the absence of empirical evidence, most surveyed ATs incorporated some form of RTL protocol in their SRC management policy. The varying AT knowledge, clinical practices, and resources highlighted by our results should be considered when creating or refining an RTL protocol.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (32) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Cláudia da Mota Darós Parente

The article systematizes the main concepts, arguments and characteristics of multipleshift schooling in the international context and in Brazil, through bibliographic and documentalresearch. The presentation of the specificities of the multiple-shift schooling in different countries provided elements for the analysis of the Brazilian case. The article highlights the emergence of multiple-shift schooling in the early twentieth century, its widespread nationwide, the emergence of experiences of extended school day, the naturalization of the multiple-shift schooling in the country, the diversity of shifts, school day and schedules and the recent goal of full-time education. Expanding the provision of full-time education does not necessarily mean eliminating multiple-shift schooling. There are still numerous challenges for public schools (half-day or fullday). Analysis of school day and full-time education associated with multiple-shift schooling may bring new perspectives to the formulation and implementation of educational policies.


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