The Laramie County Community College sports medicine team is a group of medical providers assembled to assist in the care, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. This team consists of certified athletic trainers, family practice physicians, orthopedic surgeons, dentists and optometrists as well as referral physicians of different specialties. The athletic training staff operates under the direct supervision of these providers and routinely collaborates with them to make all decisions regarding athletic injuries and participation.

The mission of the Laramie County Community College Sports Medicine Department is to create a seamless healthcare network for all of the College’s intercollegiate student-athletes and provide our patients, the student-athletes, with access to high quality medical care. The Sports Medicine Staff will operate within the policies outlined in the Laramie County Community College Sports Medicine Policies and Procedures Manual, the National Junior College Athletic Association, the National Athletic Trainers' Association Code of Professional Practice and the licensure statutes of the state of Wyoming.  

Athletic trainers are highly qualified allied health care professionals who are educated and experienced in dealing with the health care problems of the physically active population. Athletic trainers are medical experts in preventing, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity. Athletic trainers can help you avoid unnecessary medical treatment and disruption of normal daily life. Skills vary from providing first aid for lacerations and abrasions, applying preventative taping and wrapping, using therapeutic modalities, custom building special injury equipment, rehabilitating injuries, and aiding in the conditioning and reintegration of the athlete into team practices following injury. In addition athletic trainers communicate with team physicians, coaching staffs, administrations and the athletes regarding an athlete's physical condition and their ability to compete safely. Working under the direction of a licensed physician, athletic trainers are an essential and integral part of any complete health care program.

Athletic trainers have been part of the American Medical Association's Health Professions Career and Education Directory for more than a decade. Additionally, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine - among others - are all strong clinical and academic supporters of athletic trainers.

 

Athletic training has been recognized as an allied health care profession by the American Medical Association (AMA) since 1990. There are over 26,000 ATs employed nationwide in a wide variety of settings. The National Athletic Trainers' Association, Inc. (NATA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the athletic training profession. Athletic trainers have, at minimum, a bachelor's degree in athletic training, health, physical education or exercise science. In addition ATs study human anatomy, human physiology, biomechanics, exercise physiology, athletic training, nutrition and psychology/counseling. To become certified as an athletic trainer, individuals must earn a degree from an accredited athletic training education program and must successfully complete a national certification exam administered by the Board of Certification.