ThedaCare School-Based Licensed Athletic Trainers Offer More Than Many Realize
Let’s say Johnny sprains his ankle in football practice. If Johnny’s parents give Anna Linstedt, licensed athletic trainer with ThedaCare at Menasha High School, permission to evaluate and rehabilitate him right at school, he will likely save both money and time away from his sport. “We can evaluate an injury on site, start rehab, and often safely return him to the field, taped and ready to go, in three to five days depending on the severity of the injury,” she said. “And that’s not because we are rushing things, it’s because young athletes can turn around quickly, and our specialty is sports medicine for young people.”
Linstedt calls this an “interception,” an opportunity to work alongside parents, athletes and coaches to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place—often right in the high school training room. She works nearly full time on behalf of Menasha youth athletes in football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, wrestling and basketball. She is also available to the school’s golf, tennis, and cross-country athletes. “I work with a lot of families from lots of different backgrounds, and this is an incredible value being provided by their school. Families don’t have to pay out-of-pocket for my services,” Linstedt said.
LATs are licensed medical professionals in Wisconsin with biennial obligations for continuing education and competency testing. Today’s colleges and universities offer undergraduate majors in athletic training and graduates must sit for a certification exam before applying for a state license. A two-year master’s degree program is on the horizon.
LATs’ talents are in high demand in critical niches within the community. Anna is not alone in her efforts; ThedaCare has them placed in 17 high schools throughout the region from Shawano and Clintonville to New London and Berlin to the Fox Cities.
Linstedt spent her summer training and certifying 72 Fox Valley area high school head coaches in 6-hour CPR workshops to fulfill a new WIAA mandate. Eight years ago she spearheaded a training program for Gold Cross Ambulance paramedics and area first responders on responding to youth football injuries when the athlete is still in his pads and helmet. “Lots of people don’t think about that, but it’s a very specific situation that requires a new set of decision making skills,” she said, referring to splinting, stabilizing, and prepping athletes for transport, both with and without equipment. As ThedaCare LATs have collaborated with Gold Cross crews, health care for young athletes has only gotten better. “We trust each other enough to know that the first on the scene has done a good evaluation, and it doesn’t have to be repeated. We work respectfully side-by-side, as a team. We cooperate in the best interest of the kids.”
Linstedt and her medical director, Douglas Connor, MD, of ThedaCare Orthopedic Care, document all parent and athlete interactions and can record them in ThedaCare’s EPIC electronic medical record for reference by the student athletes’ ThedaCare primary care or specialist physicians. Standards of patient confidentiality are the same in the training room as a doctor’s exam room.
LATS Are Eyes and Ears
“We are the eyes on the field that can help keep kids safe,” said Anna Linstedt, a ThedaCare LAT at Menasha High School for nine years, and a certified athletic trainer for 15 years. Schools contract ThedaCare LATs to be present at both practices and home games throughout a sports season, and they help reinforce safety and fundamentals taught by coaches. “I can go up to a kid who’s just completed a tackle and ask him, ‘What’s the number on the jersey of the guy you just tackled? What color are his shoes?’ If he can only tell me the color of his shoes, then he’s using the wrong form. He needs to see what he hits.”
Linstedt and her colleagues know how to recognize a true heat emergency, a condition that could be fatal if not properly treated. Because Menasha has a concussion treatment protocol in place, Linstedt also works with academic officials to coordinate recovery for students who’ve suffered concussions.
“People ask me why I love working with high school athletes. I was a three-sport athlete in high school, and then I blew out my knee. My athletic trainer brought me back. I understand what these kids are feeling and striving for,” Linstedt said. Her long tenure at MHS means she’s worked with multiple siblings from many families over the years.
“I’m always around, so I know who’s trying what supplements or new sports drinks. I know what kids are getting into. I work to build up that trust so I can be a listening ear, share advice, or help kids reach out for extra help if they need it. That’s the reason I really love working with young people.”
