Team Lead Clinical Athletic Trainer

Advocate Health Care; Aurora (IL); On-site; USD 54,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Advocate Health Care is seeking an experienced Athletic Trainer Senior to lead day-to-day operations within the athletic training department. You will mentor staff, manage staffing, and help implement clinical guidelines and education initiatives.

The role involves direct patient care, injury assessment, and collaboration with physicians to determine the need for tests or services. A CAATE degree and BOC certification are required.

Qualifications

• Five years of athletic training experience, including two as Clinical Athletic Trainer Senior or equivalent.
• Current athletic training certification by the BOC and state licensure.
• Basic life support (BLS) with CPR and AED within 30 days of hire.

Responsibilities

• Lead training and orient staff; assist with HR responsibilities.
• Assign, monitor, and review work; maintain staffing and provide guidance on complex issues.
• Mentor staff and develop clinical guidelines and education activities.
• Perform injury assessments and triage; communicate with patients and medical team.
• Prepare plans of care and document patient records; ensure age-specific care.

Skills

Leadership

Staff training

Communication

Conflict resolution

Problem solving

Casting & DME application

Education

Bachelor's degree in athletic training

Tools

DME devices

Job description

• Five years athletic training experience, including two of those years as Clinical Athletic Trainer Senior or other applicable experience

Experience Required

• Five years athletic training experience, including two of those years as Clinical Athletic Trainer Senior or other applicable experience

Major Responsibilities

• Acts as a resource and demonstrates leadership in day-to-day work activities. Duties includes training/orienting departmental support staff. Assists with human resource responsibilities, which may include interviewing and selection of new employees, staff development, providing performance feedback, resolution of employee concerns, and employee morale. Advises and updates staff on procedural changes.
• Assigns, monitors, and reviews progress and accuracy of work, monitors productivity, maintains appropriate staffing levels, directs efforts, and provides guidance on more complex issues.
• Demonstrates problem-solving, decision‑making, decision sharing and conflict resolution to support team outcomes.
• Acts as a clinical and department resource. Mentors and facilitates clinical problem solving with other staff. Assists in developing training and/or clinical guidelines and assists in the development and implementation of staff orientation, competency and education activities. Promotes and develops rehabilitation programs, leads programs or referral development projects, and participates in community education or sponsored events. Serve as durable medical equipment (DME) resource for fittings, ordering and process education for clinic team. Support staff development by assisting in training, competency assessments, and clinical guideline creation.
• Performs injury assessments and refers patient for necessary care. Communicates with patients to triage, answer questions and to instruct in self‑care, prevention, and treatment. Communicates with Physician and medical team to help determine need for special tests or services.
• Establishes a plan of care and implements individual treatment based on evaluation results, health goals and by utilizing appropriate techniques. Communicates plan of care to all involved in patient's care. Monitors and evaluates outcomes and appropriately adjusts the individualized treatment plan based on the patient's response to treatment. Recognizes potential issues and the need to advocate for patient by working with the physician and/or key professionals.
• Identifies factors affecting patient's physical and psychosocial comfort and attends to these needs. Able to work with diverse patient population.
• Plans for and completes patient after visit summary including providing written home exercise programs, patient/family teaching, referral for community services, and ordering equipment.
• Completes all required documentation following department policy, including patient assessment, patient progress notes, after visit summaries as appropriate, to record patient care.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age‑specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age‑specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards.
• Prepare and assist the physician with injection procedures done in the office. Provides proper post‑operative wound care and education, removal of sutures and dressing changes to post-surgical patients as directed by the attending physician. Develops and implements patient management plans, assists in provision of continuity of care from offices visits through surgery if necessary as well as therapy needs. Perform cast and/or durable medical equipment (DME) application and removal.

Licensure, Registration, And/or Certification Required

• Current athletic training certification by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC). Currently licensed for Athletic Trainer license issued by the state in which the teammate practices. Ability to complete American Heart Association Healthcare Provider (BLS), which includes CPR and AED training within 30 days of hire.

Education Required

• Bachelor's degree in athletic training from a Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) program.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required

• Ability to proctor casting, splinting and DME application to staff.
• Excellent communication skills. Relay information appropriately.
• Ability to understand and communicate medical terminology. Explain all processes to patients in plain language and utilize teach back to ensure understanding.
• Initiate problem solving and conflict resolution skills to foster effective work relationships with peers.

Physical Requirements And Working Conditions

• Must be able to:
• lift up to 50 lbs. from floor to waist.
• Lift up to 10 lbs. from waist to overhead.
• Lift and carry up to 40 lbs. at waist height a reasonable distance.
• Ability to work under stressful situations
• Frequent periods of extended standing and sitting
• Ability and flexibility to manage multiple tasks simultaneously; well organized
• Must be able to:
• Push/pull with 30 lbs. of force.
• Perform a sliding transfer of 150 lbs. with a second person present.
• Exposed to normal office environment.
• Must have ability to work flexible schedule and in an environment that varies from office to outside temperatures/varying outdoor environments.
• Position requires travel so will be exposed to weather and road conditions.
• Must have functional use of senses to allow effective communication.
• Ability to perform fine manipulation for dressing.
• Must frequently walk, assist and lift patient(s) as needed.
• Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job.
• Exposed to electrical and chemical hazards as well as blood and bodily fluids and is thus required to wear protective apparel as necessary.

Preferred Job Requirements

• Master’s degree preferred.

This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.