Does SCS Physical Therapists make Athletic Trainers Irrelevant?

[RTRDPT]

Here's the e-mail conversation between Dr. Smith and I:


Since you are one of the few PTs that hold both the SCS and ATC credential, your incite to this topic holds great value.

How does your training for the SCS compare to that of the ATC training? Is one more intense than the other? Did you gain more knowledge in one training vs the other?

Who do you think is more qualified to provide sideline coverage?

Do you think the SCS credentialing makes the ATC irrelevant?

Your incite on this topic will help tremendously! Thank you.



There are numberous similiarities between the SCS and the ATC. The ATC curriculum is 4 years earning a Bachelor's Degree. The SCS is based on 500 hours in a sports setting working with athletes. The SCS is based on the PT with a Master's Degree in PT or a DPT. Either way, there are more hours spent in attaining the SCS than the ATC. The SCS is qualified to provided sideline coverage as the SCS must be either an ATC, EMT, or complete the Americn Red Cross /Emergency Medical Response course. In many instances in collegiate and professional sports, the SCS is preferred to the ATC

DDS

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[atstudent]

The SCS is based on 500 hours in a sports setting working with athletes. The SCS is based on the PT with a Master's Degree in PT or a DPT. Either way, there are more hours spent in attaining the SCS than the ATC.

I see.. my 2500 hours working with athletes is less than an SCS 500 hours? Interesting..

The SCS is qualified to provided sideline coverage as the SCS must be either an ATC, EMT, or complete the Americn Red Cross /Emergency Medical Response course. In many instances in collegiate and professional sports, the SCS is preferred to the ATC

DDS

Had a conversation with an umpire who also works in EMS. He was quite surprised when we got talking about football helmets, etc and talking about why the helmet stays on. His assumption (and it seems the EMT class) was that a football helmet was "just like a motorcycle helmet; it comes off." It made complete sense to him when I explained WHY helmet and shoulder pads either all stayed on or all came off.

 

[Azimuthal]

Had a conversation with an umpire who also works in EMS. He was quite surprised when we got talking about football helmets, etc and talking about why the helmet stays on. His assumption (and it seems the EMT class) was that a football helmet was "just like a motorcycle helmet; it comes off." It made complete sense to him when I explained WHY helmet and shoulder pads either all stayed on or all came off.

Hmmm...I don't know what type of training the umpire received as an EMT, but in my EMT training, the motorcycle helmet stays on unless it interfered with ABC's or anticipation of (moi). Many helmets do. Football helmets have more accessibility to airway management and additional helmet/pad combo precautions. I don't understand his surprise.

 

[ATwantingtobePT]

I get what Dr. Smith is saying with the PT SCS probably being more knowledgeable than a bachelors athletic trainer having more time in school with a bachelors and a masters or doctorate plus the EMT or Medical response course, but unless the PT SCS is an ATC he would not have the experience. In my athletic training education I covered 3 varsity football seasons practices and games, mens wrestling season, mens baseball season, womens basketball jv and varsity season, as well as a clinical at a cardiac rehab clinic and a physical therapy sports medicine clinic getting at LEAST 2,000 hours as an athletic training student. That is a lot more time than the 500 hours the SCS requires.