Gauze wrapped in black tape for a quick way to wrap a bloody mess. I have several of these guys ready in my kit (especially for football and wrestling) so when a kid comes up to me with a cut on their; leg, arm, forehead, I can quickly bandage them up and get them back on the field/court/mat/rink.
Templates for everything saved in “notes” or “word” (Coaches emails, event details for other ATC coverage, crutch/brace/ace rentals etc) Its awesome to go right into my saved documents and have all the info I could ever want instead of browsing the internet for it.
Yoga Mat for padding tricks. Padding is expensive and yoga mats can be cheap, I have used an old one for all sorts of tricks; covering hard casts, donut pads, horse shoe pads, and many more! My yoga mat has gone a long way too.
Different size sunglasses to avoid weird tan lines during 2 a days. I try to switch the width of my sunglasses every other day so I don’t get one huge one, I do the same with the length of my shorts and T-shirts.
Graston Tools are expensive, I don’t have them, but I have used the edges of things I do have, like my taping scissors, and reflex hammer. The kids have a love hate relationship with the Graston, because it hurts so good!
Myth I heard: Tea Bags (dry) to soak and clot bloody lips, haven’t tried it my self yet, but I did buy dollar store tea bags to test out.
Concussion organization. It is so wonderful to have everything you could want (and more) ready when the dreaded concussion comes up. I have the injury eval form, and a handy packet of info to go to the athlete so when mom/dad has any questions they have more than enough info.
Baby wipes, so great for bloody messes and are cheaper than “skin wipes” sold from Muller or Cramer.
Grab a student interested in a career in AT for you student to mentor you. I taught my “athletic training student”, or “AT STUD” as she likes to call her self how to tape and it has been wonderful to have an extra pair of hands to help me during the busy after school/before practice rush.
Trash bags for rainy days. Seriously, pack several! Soggy athletic kit and athletic trainer=NO GOOD!
Ice clips for your boots for when you work hockey. Its no use to anyone if you fall and hurt your self on your way out to an injured athlete. These are AMAZING and only ~10 at Target.
Get the Janitors phone numbers, they will clean up puke for you, and let you in your room when you lock yourself out.
Have business cards made up of the closest hospitals for out of town parents. Include the schools address. This was one of my better ideas if I do say so myself. There is probably nothing worse than having an injured kid needing a hospital and talking to an ATC that doesn’t know the nearest hospital. (I would even email the info to anyone covering events for you so they have it also) This way you hand them the card and they can take care of the rest. Smart phones are truly an amazing thing for that.
Have athlete sit down if “reducing” a dislocation, some get faint after, (learned this the hard way with a basketball player that was too grossed out by his finger not “being right”)
Use tape ends to make very own medicine ball. This guy probably weighs ~15lbs, and I have had kids use it for ab workouts.
Boring walls? Have “art class” students bring in projects. I love the art work, it brightens up my boring ivory colored walls.
Don’t leave students in your room unsupervised, they will try to trick you into getting out of practice! (Student Athlete in all of Allis braces)
Get to know other ATCs in the area, you might make a good friend. (Simley Trainer and Alli at NATA in Vegas)
Bring cards for your slow and lazy days. Sure you could get your notes done, but sometimes you just need a lazy day.
Being an Athletic Trainer is a lot of work, so if you can think of any tricks to make your life easier please share you ideas! It’s important for an Athletic Trainer to stay open minded.
Email me your questions or feedback. I’d love to hear what you have to say at amahmood@osipt.com
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