National Athletic Training Month – Keeping America on the Job
Posted on 3/13/2017 by Select Medical Outpatient Division WorkStrategies Program
National Athletic Training Month is held every March in order to celebrate and spread awareness about all that athletic trainers do: provide vital health care services for life and sport. Athletic trainers play an integral role in the physical rehabilitative process on the playing field and keeping industrial athletes healthy and safe within the workforce. We count on our athletic trainers to be on the frontlines in prevention, treatment and ongoing management of care for our customers.
Our athletic trainers partner with high schools, colleges/universities and professional sports teams and work closely with team physicians and coaches to ensure athletes compete at their highest potential and avoid injury. Through our WorkStrategies® Program, athletic trainers partner with employers to help keep workers on the job. They provide preventative programs and services to ensure that a company’s workforce remains healthy and productive.
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s theme for 2017 is “Your protection is our priority.” Protecting our customers out in the workforce is most certainly a priority for us, and we’d like to shine a spotlight on some of our trusted WorkStrategies athletic trainers!
Heather Procopio, ATC, M.S., CEAS, WorkStrategies Coordinator
While working as an athletic trainer at various highs schools and universities, Heather Procopio scheduled her life around the practices and games of her athletes. While there were many memorable moments as she cheered, cried and helped athletes return to their passion, the common thread among all of her athletes was they eventually would hang up their cleats. That realization led Heather to transition from the athletic field to an industrial setting where she could help keep employees healthy by using some of the same skills she used with her athletes.
While pre-season conditioning is integral to athletes having a successful season on the athletic field, post-offer employment tests are key in determining whether an employee can meet the requirements needed for a job. Instead of offering advice on areas that her student-athletes needed to improve on, Heather provides vital information to an employer about perspective job candidates. These tests consist of a series of physical exercises that best represent whether an employee can complete required tasks, such as lifting, pushing and pulling substantial weight amounts, crawl under equipment and work at a certain pace without the risk for musculoskeletal injuries or cardiovascular accidents.
Victoria Vintevoghel, MHSA, A.T., WorkStrategies Site Supervisor
Victoria Vintevoghel’s dream job was to work with a Division 1 soccer program, but her goals started to change after completing her graduate assistant program. Her focus shifted to individuals who didn’t always have an athletic trainer readily accessible to them. Victoria realized the focus in the industrial setting was on injury prevention and encouraging early reporting of aches and pains. Much of her time is spent creating injury prevention programs, including mobility screens, improving strength deficits and analyzing proper biomechanics.
Working onsite in the airline industry allows Victoria the privilege of assisting baggage handlers who undoubtedly have one of the most physically demanding jobs. These men and women lift, carry and stack luggage that could weigh anywhere between 20 to 70 pounds. During some flights, these employees could be loading thousands of pounds of freight and mail in a span of 30 to 60 minutes. Since these individuals haven’t always had an athletic trainer as their advocate, Victoria has not only been able to educate them about the benefits of an industrial athletic trainer, but also make a significant change in how employees and employers view injuries that may occur on the job site.
Caroline Crowley, M.S., ATC, WorkStrategies Coordinator
Caroline Crowley’s career began on the sidelines, but she traded in her fanny pack for a pair of steel-toed boots and safety glasses. Working in a number of factories in Louisville, KY, Caroline’s day is never the same and each day brings new challenges. Louisville offers its residents a number of career options, from online distribution centers to companies that manufacture automobile parts. And as home of the bourbon industry, distilling and botting some of America’s favorite beverages generate many opportunities for injuries.
No matter what the job is, it’s Caroline’s responsibility to quantify their job demands, such as how much an employee can lift, push or pull and then develop injury-prevention strategies, like post-offer employment testing, stretch programs or educational seminars.
While they may not receive as much notoriety as traditional athletic trainers, our industrial athletes still improve the lives of their athletes on a daily basis. They help to keep employees safe at work so at the end of the day those employees can go home and do the things they enjoy with the people they love. That’s a reward that beats any trophy won on the athletic field!
Heather Procopio, ATC, M.S., CEAS, is a WorkStrategies Coordinator with NovaCare in Connecticut. Heather provides a variety of injury prevention services to numerous companies, including a medical parts manufacturer, an electric company and an airplane parts manufacturer.
Victoria Vintevoghel, MHSA, A.T., is a WorkStrategies Site Supervisor with Physio in Michigan. She is responsible for developing injury prevention and health and wellness programs onsite for a major airline.
Caroline Crowley, M.S., ATC, is a WorkStrategies Specialist and athletic trainer with KORT Physical Therapy in Louisville, KY. She provides a variety of injury prevention services to numerous.
WorkStrategies, NovaCare, KORT Physical Therapy and Physio are part of the Select Medical Outpatient Division family of brands.
Heather ProcopioVictoria VintevoghelCaroline Crowley