The Sport Management Team
As an AIM specialist, you are not alone in caring for injured athletes. You play an
important role in initial assessment and care, but you must only work within the
parameters of athletic injury management. Always refer to a qualified sport medicine team
member when the situation calls for it. Other members of the sport medicine team may
include coaches, EMTs, physicians, physiotherapists, athletic therapists, sport scientists,
sport nutritionists, sport psychologists, and sport dentists.
AIM Specialist
The AIM Specialist is responsible for ensuring safety is a priority at all times. The AIM
Specialist is proactive: providing information, looking after risk management accident and
injury prevention, controlling medical documents and supplies, providing athletic injury
management for emergencies, and communicating about return to play.
Coach
In relation to athletic injury care, the main
role of the coach is in prevention. With the
support of the coach, the AIM Specialist can
ensure that athletes are conditioned,
warmed up, wearing protective equipment,
properly hydrated, and ready to play.
EMT
The EMT or paramedic will relieve the AIM
specialist in caring for athletes who have
sustained medical emergencies or serious
injuries. The AIM Specialist can help the EMT
by monitoring the vital signs of the affected
athlete, maintaining the athlete's position, and providing information on how the incident
occurred.
Physician
A physician is the only qualified person who
can provide a medical diagnosis of an
athlete's illness or injury. In serious
situations, a physician should decide
treatment and rehabilitation, and will
ultimately give the athlete permission to
return to play.
There are some physicians with special
expertise in the area of sport medicine. These
physicians are members of the Canadian
Academy of Sport Medicine (CASM) and have
achieved a diploma in sport medicine.
Athletic Therapist
Certified athletic therapists often work with sport
and recreation teams on athletic injury care and
prevention. Athletic therapists can provide
exercises for rehabilitation and can prepare the
athletes to return to play. Athletic therapists are
certified under the Canadian Athletic Therapist
Association.
Physiotherapist
The physiotherapist plays an important role in
injury rehabilitation. After an injury has
occurred, the physiotherapist will make decisions
and guidelines regarding the rehabilitation of the
injury. The AIM specialist can help the
physiotherapist by encouraging an athlete to
perform their rehabilitation exercises.
Physiotherapists with special training and
experience working with athletes can be
members of Sport Physiotherapy Canada.
Sport Nutrition Specialist
Registered dieticians with special interest in sport medicine can assist the AIM specialist
by assessing the nutrition habits of athletes and working with them on specific dietary
concerns or needs (e.g. weight gain or loss, training diets).
Sport Scientists
Exercise physiologists can help athletes with specific physical assessment and training
guidelines. Sport psychologist can work with athletes on mental training and goal setting.