The practice of athletic trainers and granting rule-making authority

"Athletic injury" means an injury or illness that is sustained by an athlete as a result of, or that impedes or prevents an athlete from, participating in exercise, sports, games, or recreation. Additionally, current law permits a licensed athletic trainer to treat or rehabilitate an employee of the athletic trainer's primary employer with an injury that is identical to an athletic injury and that has resulted from an occupational activity, if directed and supervised by a physician or chiropractor.

Currently, an evaluation and treatment protocol must require a licensed athletic trainer to notify the consulting physician as soon as possible if a person being treated by the athletic trainer sustains new injuries. Also under current law, if a licensed athletic trainer or the trainer's consulting physician determines that a patient's medical condition is beyond the scope of the athletic trainer's practice, the athletic trainer must refer the patient to a licensed physician, physical therapist, podiatrist, chiropractor, or dentist who can provide appropriate treatment to the patient (referral requirement).

This bill deletes the current provisions authorizing the board to grant temporary licenses. The bill alters the definition of "athletic training" by replacing "athletic injury" with "injury or illness sustained while participating in physical activity" in the four activities that currently constitute athletic training. Under the bill, "physical activity" means vigorous participation in exercise, sports, games, recreation, wellness, fitness, or employment activities. The bill also creates two additional activities that constitute athletic training: 1) rehabilitating and physically reconditioning injuries or illnesses that impede or prevent an individual from participating in physical activity, if the individual recently participated in, and intends to return to participation in, physical activity, and 2) establishing or administering risk management, conditioning, and injury prevention programs.

The bill specifies that a licensed athletic trainer may provide athletic training to an individual without a referral, except that a licensee may not provide certain rehabilitation and reconditioning services in an outpatient rehabilitation setting unless the licensee has obtained a written referral for the individual from one of several types of health care practitioners specified in the bill.

The bill deletes the requirement that an evaluation and treatment protocol mandate notification of the consulting physician of new injuries, but does not affect the referral requirement. Under the bill, a licensed athletic trainer may treat or rehabilitate an employee with an injury or illness, if directed and supervised by a physician or chiropractor.