Sport Medicine????

OK, so this is a quick and hopefully easy question to answer!!!

So a friend of mine raised a question in my mind, she believes that CNA's can
work in sport medicine!

Is this true? Because if that is the case thats where i NEED to be!!!

Can someone please clear this up for me!!!

I have searched all over the internet without any success in locating my answer.

THANKS!!!!!
I'm not sure what type of work a CNA would do with sports medicine. I usually think of the support team that runs onto the field during a college football game, which is usually sports trainers, team physicians, emts and sometimes nurses. Can you give more details?

I'm pretty skeptical that the typical CNA skill set (feeding, toileting, grooming, cleaning, transferring, and positioning) has any value in the sports medicine arena.

I would think that "sports medicine" would include surgery, rehab - in and out patient, treatment of injuries and illnesses so as to not violate anti-drug policies,etc. It's getting to be a pretty big specialty. I do know there are entire specialty hospitals dedicated to the discipline so I would assume that there is a role for CNAs or MAs someplace.

I don't think there would be any oppertunity to work with pro teams at their location. But if you work on an orthopedic floor that specializes in sports medicine you will get to work with athletes.

Perhaps your friend meant Physical Therapy Assistant.....

actually those who work with teams in the care and prevention of sports injuries and rehab are certified athletic trainers or atc's certified by the national athletic trainer's association-nataboc which requires a four year degree in an accredited program and the passing of the nataboc or natational athletic trainer's association board of certification. if you want more information you can go to www.nata.org care, prevention and rehabilitation of sports injuries is as specialized of a field as nursing which requires education, training, clinical and field time to become proficient. the nataboc exam is no joke either it is a three part exam of oral practical, written and simulation in where right answers get you points, wrong answers lose you points and you can make the correct assessment and still not pass if you did not follow the proper steps and procedures. so no, technically a cna cannot work as a sports medicine specialist because most can’s do not have the proper training for care, evaluation, taping, bracing and much more for sports injuries. just like nursing, this is a specialized skill that has evolved greatly over the last decade and hasbecome highly specialized since i became a nata certified at over 20 years ago.