Emergency Cardiac Care Helps ATs Maintain Life-Saving Skills

While much of an Athletic Trainer’s (AT’s) day-to-day work is centered around risk reduction, preparation and care, the knowledge base and skill set required to achieve and maintain the ATC keeps them ready for life-saving scenarios that may arise in any setting during their career.

Being as prepared as possible for any emergency scenario is critical. ATs must always understand their role in such scenarios and be prepared through consistent maintenance of their emergency cardiac care (ECC) certification. A critical part of an AT’s preparation is their understanding of the process and need to maintain continuous ECC certification with no lapses between expiration dates as they maintain their ATC credential in the athletic training profession. A lapse in ECC certification is one of the most common, and the most dangerous mistakes an AT can make in their role as a first responder during medical emergencies.

The ECC requirements that help ATs to maintain one of their life-saving skills is often one of the most common errors made while reporting during ongoing certification maintenance. Following is an outline of ECC requirements and common mistakes to help ATs avoid these errors throughout their career.

ECC Requirements

ATs are prompted to enter their current ECC information and upload documentation (card or certificate) to their BOC profile if they do not have a current card on file.

ATs must be able to:

• Demonstrate ongoing certification in the competencies outlined in the BOC’s ECC guidelines.
• Maintain documentation for current and expired courses for up to two years after the reporting period.

ECC must include all of the following:

• Adult CPR
• Pediatric CPR
• Second rescuer CPR
• AED
• Airway obstruction
• Barrier devices (e.g., pocket mask, bag valve mask)
• Demonstrated skills (Online ECC courses are acceptable if skills are demonstrated and tested in person by a qualified instructor. The in-person test can include video technology.)

Acceptable ECC providers are those adhering to the most current “International Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care.” Common courses that meet ECC requirements can be found on the BOC website. Full details of this requirement are located in the “Certification Maintenance Requirements” document.