












































EDITORIAL 

 

1 
Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 3 – Issue 1 – April 2020 
  

Athletic Trainers’ Value in Physician Practice   
Forrest Q Pecha, MS, LAT, ATC 
St. Luke’s Sports Medicine, Boise, ID  
 
Moderator: Lindsey E Eberman, PhD, LAT, ATC 
 
 
Key Phrases 
Physician practice setting, athletic training residencies, 
quality improvement   
 
Correspondence 
Forest Pecha, St. Luke’s Plaza-Central Plaza, 720 Park 
Blvd. Suite 115, Boise, ID 83789 
Email: fpecha@slhs.org  
 
 
Full Citation 
Pecha FQ. Athletic trainers’ value in the physician 
practice. Clin Pract Athl Train. 2020;3(1): 1-3. 
https://doi.org/10.31622/2020/0003.1.  
 
 
EDITORIAL 

We are excited to announce a new partnership 
with the Athletic Trainers in the Physician Practice 
Society (ATPPS). The Clinical Practice in Athletic 
Training journal will partner in a double-blind 
peer review process of submitted abstracts and 
serve as the official host of ATPPS Conference 
Proceedings. The mission of ATPPS is to serve as 
the leading advocate for athletic trainers in 
physician practice, providing education and 
resources to improve patient care and 
experience.  As you know, the vision of Clinical 
Practice in Athletic Training is to provide an 
outlet for the practicing athletic trainer to share 
their story, successes and failures, in terms of 
patient services and practice advancement.  This 
partnership will allow athletic trainers in the 
physician practice to share their story through our 
journal. 

In this issue, we will show case the 2020 ATPPS 
Conference abstracts and an editorial from the 
ATPPS President, Forrest Pecha. We asked 
Forrest to help our readers understand athletic 
trainers in physician practice through a few 
questions developed by the Senior Editorial 
Staff.  

 

Eberman: What is the range of responsibilities 
you see an athletic trainer in physician practice 
doing in their day-to-day work?  

Pecha: This is a great question. Athletic trainers 
are working at every level within the physician 
practice setting (PPS) and hospitals, from entry-
level patient access/triage to C-Suite decision-
making. Athletic trainers’ knowledge and 
background in musculoskeletal disorders and 
general medicine provide the foundation to be 
successful as clinicians in the PPS and beyond. 
Athletic trainers are found in many specialty 
areas within healthcare: Orthopedic and Sports 
Medicine, Pediatrics, Trauma, Emergency 
Departments, Primary Care and Family 
Medicine, Neurology, Concussion clinics to name 
a few. 

Some states may have restrictions on athletic 
trainer practice and not just in PPS. But typically 
you might find an athletic trainer in a physician 
practice engaged in any number of roles with 
varied responsibilities, including, but not limited 
to patient triage (limiting unnecessary patient 
visits), rooming patients, taking patient vitals, 
taking patient histories, completing physical 
exams, ordering appropriate radiographs based 
upon exam, interpretation of radiographs, chart 
reviews of past medical history, intake of the 
patient presentation, order entry, scribing, 
patient education, instructing and providing home 
exercise programs, discharging patients, 
charting/documenting (per institution and CMS 
guidelines), along with any clinical administrative 
responsibilities. Athletic trainers are also found 
assisting in surgical cases and clinical procedures, 
support or giving injections, and diagnostic 
ultrasound. Many of these skills typically fall 

mailto:fpecha@slhs.org
https://doi.org/10.31622/2020/0003.1


Athletic Trainers’ Value in Physician Practice   

 

 
2 
 

Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 3 – Issue 1 – April 2020 
 

within the parameters of an athletic trainer’s 
educational preparation and within state 
practice acts, with a few exceptions. 

Eberman: What are essential skills and 
experiences a hiring manager might be looking 
for from an athletic trainer in physician practice? 
How does someone acquire and improve upon 
these skills if they are unable to complete a 
residency?  

Pecha: As I mentioned, athletic trainers have the 
foundational knowledge in musculoskeletal 
pathologies and general medical conditions. 
When reviewing and interviewing candidates, 
hiring managers will often look for professional 
traits such as experience in the setting and roles 
and responsibilities performed during those 
times. Equally important is the candidate’s 
personal traits such as willingness to learn and 
grow within the position, quest for knowledge, 
commitment to patient care and provider care 
model, drive and ambition. I have said many 
times during presentations, “Athletic trainers are 
highly qualified healthcare professionals in non-
emergent settings. Athletic trainers are prepared 
to handle the most challenging situations if they 
occur. In the PPS athletic trainers also need to 
think forward and anticipate how the day will 
flow and address the challenges before they 
happen; to be proactive rather than reactive.”   

Athletic training residencies are defined by the 
program specialty area. Some of the residencies 
within the specialty area of orthopedics are 
housed within the PPS, which allows for 
understanding the roles and responsibilities 
through socialization to the setting. For an 
athletic trainer who has not completed one of the 
residencies housed within the PPS, there are 
opportunities to learn from those who are 
working and successful currently working in the 
setting.  A lot of how an athletic trainer will be 
able to practice, will be determined by the 
hospital/institution or provider they are working 
with. Learning about potential work site in 

preparation for interviewing or through the 
interview process can help to understand what 
the role of an athletic trainer is within the facility. 
It can also keep an athletic trainer from being 
surprised by what they can and cannot do in 
their position upon hiring. 

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association 
Committee on Practice Advancement (COPA) 
provides resources for the emerging settings 
including physician practice (Website: 
https://www.nata.org/professional-
interests/emerging-settings/physician-practice)  
and similarly the ATPPS (Website: 
https://atpps.org/) also provides resources for 
those interested in PPS.  In addition, social media 
groups may help to socialize to physician 
practice through communication and community 
with other providers within the setting. Athletic 
Trainers considering working in this setting should 
be cautious when looking for training 
opportunities and assure that that the training is 
coming from credible content driven by athletic 
trainers or physicians. We recommend you 
review our position on the Orthopedic Physician 
Extender Certification (OPE-C), as this is an 
example of an educational opportunity that may 
be redundant to an athletic trainer’s professional 
preparation (Website: https://atpps.org/atpps-
statement-opec/).   

Eberman: What are some common metrics in 
physician practice that help demonstrate value to 
the organization?  

Pecha: Athletic trainers have been shown to 
demonstrate their value within the PPS across 
many metrics and across the varying healthcare 
delivery models seen in this setting. Much of the 
work being done focuses on metrics highlighted 
within the Triple and Quadruple Aims for 
healthcare reform. From the current literature in 
the PPS, common metrics include: patient access 
or throughput (the ability to see more patients 
with in the same amount of time), documentation 
strategies to reduce physician burnout, physician 

https://www.nata.org/professional-interests/emerging-settings/physician-practice
https://www.nata.org/professional-interests/emerging-settings/physician-practice
https://atpps.org/
https://atpps.org/atpps-statement-opec/
https://atpps.org/atpps-statement-opec/


Athletic Trainers’ Value in Physician Practice   

 

 
3 
 

Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 3 – Issue 1 – April 2020 
 

satisfaction with hiring athletic trainers, patient 
satisfaction when athletic trainers are part of the 
patient care team, and the reduction of 
unnecessary referrals, visits, and ancillary testing. 
More information and published articles can be 
found at https://atpps.org/publications-
research-and-documents/.   

Eberman: How does an athletic in physician 
practice increase revenue and return on 
investment? In your opinion, what is the value of 
an athletic trainer in physician practice? 

Pecha: Another great question… and hard 
question to answer definitively. Return on 
investment and the value of athletic trainer is 
highly dependent on what the goals of the 
provider or institution are. Athletic trainers have 
been able to demonstrate their value in 
numerous ways (as indicated from the 
publications described above). These may not 
always translate specifically to what the 
institution’s needs are. I suggest always starting 
with asking the question, “What are the needs of 
the institution/provider?” This will help the 
organization identify how the athletic trainer will 
be able to demonstrate value. This will change 
depending on the health care delivery model. If 
the institution/provider is working in a fee-for-
service model, improving patient throughput is a 
great and easy was to demonstrate value and 
return on investment. The Financial Impact of an 
Athletic Trainer Working as a Physician Extender 
in the Orthopedic Practice was a landmark 
article describing the impact of athletic trainers 
in PPS (Website: 
https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.64/wzr
.9ab.myftpupload.com/wp-
content/uploads/2018/07/The-Financial-
Impact-of-an-Athletic-Trainer-Working-as-a-
Physician-Extender-in-Orthopedic-Practice.pdf). 
In value-based care or accountable care 
delivery models, access, patient and physician 
satisfaction are important indicators.  

Eberman: A majority of attendees at the 2020 
ATPPS Conference were Young Professionals. 
What advice do you have for those young 
professionals interested in physician practice? 

Pecha: I would suggest:  

1. Reach out to those who have paved this 
professional path for advice and suggestions on 
how they achieved success. Don’t try to reinvent 
the wheel.  

2. Identify the best training opportunities you 
can, to prepare yourself for the position. This 
may be through the form of residency training 
and/or continuing education opportunities. 
Again, be aware of the quality of the 
educational opportunity and know where the 
education is coming from.  

3. Continue to have open conversations, with the 
physician/team you are working with on how to 
improve your skills and support in providing 
patient care.  

And 4. Continue to challenge yourself and the 
ability to work to the top of your scope of 
practice.   

Eberman: What are career advancement 
opportunities within a physician practice setting? 

Pecha: There are many opportunities to advance 
within the PPS or hospital setting. We are seeing 
more and more athletic trainers advancing into 
clinical leadership, managerial, director 
positions, up to C-Suite roles (CEO, COO, CFO). 
The ATPPS has members serving in all these roles 
and for athletic trainers who have aspirations to 
rise to these positions, we will do our best to 
provide connections. Members of the ATPPS can 
connect with other members and make requests 
through this contact form (Website: 
https://atpps.org/contact/). 

 

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https://atpps.org/contact/



