Connecticut Seal

General Assembly

 

Raised Bill No. 1051

January Session, 2011

 

LCO No. 3814

 

*03814_______PH_*

Referred to Committee on Public Health

 

Introduced by:

 

(PH)

 

AN ACT CONCERNING THE PRACTICE OF ATHLETIC TRAINING.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 20-65f of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):

As used in this chapter:

(1) "Athletic training" means the application or provision, with the consent and under the direction of a health care provider, of (A) [principles, methods and procedures of evaluation, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of athletic injuries sustained by athletes] (i) risk management and injury prevention, (ii) clinical evaluation and assessment, (iii) treatment, and (iv) rehabilitation and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic injuries and medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations and disabilities, which are applied or provided within the limits of the education and training of an athletic trainer, (B) (i) appropriate preventative and supportive devices, temporary splinting, [and] bracing and casting, (ii) physical modalities of heat, cold, light, electric stimulation, massage, [water, electric stimulation, sound,] aquatic therapy, sound, therapeutic exercise, and [exercise equipment,] (iii) other modalities as prescribed by a health care provider, and (C) [the organization and administration of athletic training programs, and (D) education and counseling to athletes, coaches, medical personnel and athletic communities in the area of the prevention and care of athletic injuries] wellness care services that are developed and applied in the treatment of asymptomatic clients. For purposes of this [subdivision] section, "health care provider" means a person licensed to practice medicine or surgery under chapter 370, chiropractic under chapter 372, podiatry under chapter 375 or natureopathy under chapter 373;

(2) ["Athletic injury"] "Injury" means any [injury] clinical condition sustained [by an athlete as a result of such athlete's participation in exercises, sports, games or recreation] as a result of an individual's participation in activities requiring strength, agility, flexibility, range of motion, speed or stamina, or any comparable [injury] clinical condition that prevents such [athlete] individual from participating in [any] such activities, or a clinical condition for which athletic training services are an appropriate course of treatment as determined by a health care provider;

[(3) "Athlete" means any person who is a member of any professional, amateur, school or other sports team, or is a regular participant in sports or recreational activities, including, but not limited to, training and practice activities, that require strength, agility, flexibility, range of motion, speed or stamina. For purposes of this subdivision, "regular" means not less than three times per week;]

(3) "Wellness care" means services related to conditioning, strength training, fitness, workplace ergonomics or injury prevention;

[(4) "Standing orders" means written protocols, recommendations and guidelines for treatment and care, furnished and signed by a health care provider specified under subdivision (1) of this section, to be followed in the practice of athletic training that may include, but not be limited to, (A) appropriate treatments for specific athletic injuries, (B) athletic injuries or other conditions requiring immediate referral to a licensed health care provider, and (C) appropriate conditions for the immediate referral to a licensed health care provider of injured athletes of a specified age or age group;]

(4) "With the consent and under the direction of a health care provider" means the issuance of written standing orders that (A) provide protocols, recommendations or guidelines for the treatment and care of symptomatic individuals, (B) are furnished by a health care provider, and (C) are followed in the practice of athletic training while under the oversight, control and direction of a health care provider. Written standing orders may include, but shall not be limited to, appropriate treatments for specific injuries, injuries or other medical conditions requiring immediate referral to a health care provider and appropriate conditions necessitating the immediate referral to a health care provider of individuals of a certain specified age or age group. Written standing orders may include guidelines for treatment and management of traumatic brain injuries and concussions. Written standing orders shall be periodically reviewed by a health care provider and the athletic trainer and may be renewed on an annual basis. As used in this subdivision, "oversight, control and direction" includes, but is not limited to, (i) continuous availability of direct communication either in person or by radio, telephone or other mode of telecommunication between a health care provider and an athletic trainer, (ii) a health care provider's active and regular overview of the athletic trainer's activities to ensure that such provider's directions are being implemented and to support the athletic trainer in the performance of his or her services, (iii) a health care provider's personal review of the athletic trainer's services on a regular basis in order to ensure quality patient care, including, face-to-face meetings, verbal reports and a review of the athletic trainer's charts and records, (iv) delineation by a health care provider of a predetermined plan for emergency situations, and (v) designation of an alternate health care provider to provide oversight, control and direction to the athletic trainer in the absence of a supervising health care provider;

(5) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health.

Sec. 2. Section 20-65h of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):

(a) Each person who practices athletic training [under standing orders] with the consent and under the direction of a health care provider shall make a written or oral referral to a licensed health care provider of any [athlete] individual who has an athletic injury whose symptoms have not improved for a period of four days from the day of onset, or who has any physical or medical condition that would constitute a medical contraindication for athletic training or that may require evaluation or treatment beyond the scope of athletic training. [The injuries or conditions requiring a referral under this subsection shall include, but not be limited to, suspected medical emergencies or illnesses, physical or mental illness and significant tissue or neurological pathologies.]

(b) Each person who practices athletic training, but [not under standing orders] who does so without the consent and direction of a health care provider, may perform initial evaluation and temporary splinting and bracing of any [athlete] individual with an [athletic] injury and shall, without delay, make a written or oral referral of such [athlete] individual to a licensed health care provider. The limitations on the practice of athletic training set forth in this subsection shall not apply in the case of any [athlete] individual that is referred to such person by a licensed health care provider, provided such practice shall be limited to the scope of such referral.

Sec. 3. Section 20-65i of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):

A license to practice athletic training shall not be required of: (1) A practitioner who is licensed or certified by a state agency and is performing services within the scope of practice for which such person is licensed or certified; (2) a student [intern or trainee] pursuing a course of study in athletic training, provided the activities of such student [intern or trainee] are performed under the supervision of a person licensed to practice athletic training and the student [intern or trainee] is given the title of ["athletic trainer intern"] "athletic training student", or similar [designation] title as designated by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education or its successor organization; (3) a person employed or volunteering as a coach of amateur sports who provides first aid for athletic injuries to athletes being coached by such person; (4) a person who furnishes assistance in an emergency; or (5) a person who acts as an athletic trainer in this state for less than thirty days per calendar year and who is licensed as an athletic trainer by another state or is certified by the Board of Certification, Inc., or its successor organization.

Sec. 4. Section 20-65j of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):

(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, an applicant for a license to practice athletic training shall have: (1) A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, or from an institution of higher learning located outside of the United States that is legally chartered to grant postsecondary degrees in the country in which such institution is located; and (2) current certification as an athletic trainer by the Board of Certification, Inc., or its successor organization.

(b) An applicant for licensure to practice athletic training by endorsement shall present evidence satisfactory to the commissioner (1) of licensure or certification as an athletic trainer, or as a person entitled to perform similar services under a different designation, in another state having requirements for practicing in such capacity that are substantially similar to or higher than the requirements in force in this state, and (2) that there is no disciplinary action or unresolved complaint pending against such applicant.

[(c) Prior to April 30, 2007, the commissioner shall grant a license as an athletic trainer to any applicant who presents evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of (1) the continuous providing of services as an athletic trainer since October 1, 1979, or (2) certification as an athletic trainer by the Board of Certification, Inc., or its successor organization.]

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1

October 1, 2011

20-65f

Sec. 2

October 1, 2011

20-65h

Sec. 3

October 1, 2011

20-65i

Sec. 4

October 1, 2011

20-65j

Statement of Purpose:

To revise statutes concerning the practice of athletic training to reflect changes within the profession.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]