Athletic Trainer

• Updated physical exam  (within the last 13 months)

• Completed medical history screen and parent/guardian permission for medical treatment (Family ID)

• ImPACT baseline testing (every two years or following a new concussion)

• Concussion Education Certificate (NFHS or CDC Heads Up Courses are accepted)

Steps to Take If An Injury Occurs

• Contact both the Athletic Trainer (AT) and the School Nurses in the Health Office to inform them of the injury/event and any follow-up medical care received by the student-athlete

• Provide both the AT and the Health Office with any doctor's notes, restrictions, imaging, etc that would be relevant to our ability to care for your student-athlete

With over 800 student-athletes and one Athletic Trainer (AT) at WHS, it can be challenging to manage all injuries that occur without your support. The AT aims to communicate with parents/guardians and the Health Office within 1-2 days of any serious injury occurring. If you have not heard from the AT, it is likely that they are unaware of your child’s injury. Please feel free to contact the Walpole AT, Allyson Cromwell, at acromwell@walpole.k12.ma.us  or by phone at 508-660-7257 x5228, with any questions, concerns, or injury updates.

What is an Athletic Trainer (AT)? 

An AT is an allied healthcare professional who has a degree from an accredited college or university and has fulfilled the requirements for certification established by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification (BOC). In addition, they have passed the certification examination administered by the BOC and have met all requirements to maintain certification. Over 70% of ATs have a master’s degree although in 2017, this became a requirement. 

Based on the depth and rigor of their education and continued education requirements, a certified athletic trainer is the most qualified individual, other than a physician, to deal with orthopedic injuries on a daily basis.

What is the Role of an AT? 

ATs work under the direction of licensed physicians to prevent, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate acute and chronic injuries and medical conditions. The AT has an extensive background in human anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, and exercise physiology. Additionally, Athletic Trainers are qualified to provide nutritional and psychological counseling, and work with student-athletes’ school counselors and primary care providers to make referrals when needed. 

Direct Coverage

The AT holds treatment hours in their office after school each day until the start of the first home game(s), and travels with sports that have the home/away teams on opposing sidelines (i.e. football). In the event of conflicting home sporting events, the AT will be directly covering the sport with the highest risk of catastrophic injury and will be available via phone for all other practices and competitions taking place that day. Precedence is also given to higher level sports (i.e. Varsity vs. Freshman teams), as risk increases with improved skill level and speed of the game. If there are conflicting events that warrant additional medical coverage onsite, the Athletic Director and AT will make every effort to either assign a per diem Athletic Trainer or EMT to the event, or will meet with the coaches to go over the emergency protocol for that particular day.

Medical Kits

Med kits are distributed to coaches during the first week of each season and contain medical supplies to be used by student-athletes and the coaching staff. Supplies include: ice packs, band-aids, gauze, bug spray, sunscreen, mouth guards, athletic tape, pre-wrap, scissors, antibiotic/antihistamine ointments, alcohol pads, gloves, etc. Athletes who have asthma,  allergies, or diabetes should keep extra doses of their medication in their team’s med kit or place their belongings near the Head Coach so that it will be readily accessible if needed. 

What are the Advantages of Having a Certified AT at Walpole HS? 

Full-time secondary school ATs provide quality healthcare for student-athletes involved in both practices and competitions. ATs providing immediate care to acute injuries may have a significant impact on the reduction of new and recurring injuries. 

Providing these services at your school can tremendously reduce lost instructional time for the student-athlete. Decrease in absenteeism can also result in retention of state funding for public schools. It can also reduce time that parents need to miss from work in order to bring their child to medical appointments.

Many schools have compared the cost of treating their injured athletes at local clinics with treating them onsite under the supervision of an AT. They have found that their athletic trainers are providing the equivalent to thousands of dollars of athletic training services per year to their athletes. (Berry 1993, Almquist & Reynolds). 

In 1999, the American Medical Association (AMA) recommended that schools with athletics programs provide the services of an athletic trainer for their athletes. The courts have recognized the certified athletic trainer of the Board of Certification (BOC) as the professionally-educated athletic healthcare provider. Along with the team physician, the AT can establish policies and procedures for the secondary school athletic training program to protect not only the student-athlete, but are there to protect spectators, game, and school personnel.

Additional Medical Personnel associated with Walpole HS Athletics: 

• Walpole High School Nurses, Kim Byda and Heather White

• Walpole School District Nurse, Linda Anderson

• Walpole Team Physician, Dr. Kelly McInnis 

In addition to the Athletic Trainer, each of the individuals above work together to provide high-quality, collaborative care for your student-athlete. While we all work as a team, it is important that any updated medical information be relayed from the student-athlete's family to both the Athletic Trainer and School Nurses in the Health Office.

Concussion Education Requirements and Baseline Testing

In order for a student-athlete to participate in interscholastic sports, all student-athletes are required to complete baseline concussion testing every two years. Additionally, the parent/guardian and the student-athlete must complete the CDC Heads Up or NFHS online concussion course mandated by the Massachusetts concussion law. 

All ImPACT Testing will be done in person at WHS. Testing will be administered by the Athletic Trainer. Sign-Up Sheets are posted outside of the Athletic Trainer's Office. Rising freshmen will be assigned a time by their Coach to complete ImPACT Testing during preseason tryouts. 

**Note: You must complete either the CDC Heads Up or NFHS Concussion Course in order to try out for a WHS sport. Further instructions on these courses are below. >> Concussion Course Instructions

Walpole High School has established the following Concussion Protocol for all student-athletes in our interscholastic programs, which is in compliance to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 111, Section 222. All parents and student-athletes are expected to be familiar with its contents.

Any student-athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion (headache, dizziness, confusion, balance problems or loss of consciousness) shall be removed from play immediately and shall not return to play until cleared by both a Physician and the school’s Certified Athletic Trainer.

The student-athlete must adhere to the following Concussion Policy

1. The student-athlete shall not return to practice or competition during which the student has, or is suspected to have, suffered a concussion.

2. If a concussion is suspected, the student-athlete shall not resume participation in physical education or extracurricular athletic activity until they have been cleared by the school’s health care professional (this person must be a Medical Doctor, Certified Athletic Trainer or other appropriately trained or licensed healthcare professional), and the family’s health care professional.

3. This clearance must be in writing.

4. The clearance may not be on the same date on which the student was removed from play.

5. The Athletic Director/Trainer will collaborate with the school nurse and other staff to monitor each athlete's academic progress. If assignments are not completed in a timely manner, the athlete may be temporarily held out of participation until the work is made up. 

Away Contest Policy

1. If in the event that the away team does not have an appropriately trained healthcare professional on staff, any student who has sustained a possible concussion is “done for the day” and will not be cleared to re-enter play until seen by a healthcare professional.

2. The “Report of Head Injury” form must be filled out by the on-site coach and/or Certified Athletic Trainer if applicable.

3. Once the student-athlete has been cleared by the appropriate health care professional, they will follow the school’s 6 Stage Graded Return-To-Play Protocol.

Please note that if new signs and symptoms appear during any of these days, the player will be deemed ineligible and require new clearance for return to play.

6 Stage Graded Return-To-Play Protocol**

Stage 1: Low levels of physical activity- This includes 5-15 minutes of walking, light jogging, light stationary biking and light weightlifting (low weight-moderate repetitions, no bench press, and no squatting with weight) with the goal of slightly increasing the student-athlete’s heart rate. The student-athlete must be symptom-free with daily activities, including school, for at least 24 hours to begin Stage 1. 

Stage 2: Moderate levels of physical activity with added body/head movement- This includes moderate intensity jogging, brief running, moderate intensity stationary cycling, and moderate intensity weightlifting (with a reduced time/weight from the student-athlete’s typical routine).

Stage 3: Heavy non-contact physical activity- This includes sprinting/running, high intensity stationary cycling, completing a regular weightlifting routine, and non-contact sport-specific drills including agility drills with three planes of movement.

Stage 4: Sport-specific practice- The fourth stage will involve a full non-contact practice, including training drills (passing, shooting, catching drills, etc.) with the goal of elevated heart rate, coordination, and increased thinking.

*If the student-athlete completes stage 4 without return of symptoms, he/she will then take the ImPACT test. The student-athlete requires medical clearance from both the family health care professional and Certified Athletic Trainer to progress to stage 5.

Stage 5: Full-Contact Practice- The fifth stage consists of a full-contact practice, or going live (i.e. scrimmaging) in a controlled environment.

Stage 6: Return to competition- The student-athlete will fully return to sport/game play.

**If symptoms were to reappear during or following one of the stages above, the athlete would wait until they are once again 24+ hours symptom-free, then repeat the same step until they can do so without symptoms. Per discretion of the administration, a student-athlete may be withheld from return to play following a concussion if they are not meeting academic expectations.

Walpole High School’s Graded Return-To-Play Protocol is based on the most recent evidence and follows the consensus statement on concussion in sport that was developed after the 5th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Berlin in October 2016.