Ethics in

Athletic Training

Sports Medicine

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Bellwork

In an attempt to save time and money, the

JV girls’ basketball coach asks the athletic

trainer to tape the ankles of the 5 players

in the starting lineup, and lets the other

players buy their own braces instead of

getting taped.

If you were the athletic trainer, what

would you tell the coach? Please explain

your decision.9/18/2015 Property of CTE Joint Venture 2

Objectives

1. Define ethics and morals

2. Apply moral principles to specific

situations

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Terminology

Ethics

◦ the moral principles that determine a person’s

conduct

Morals

◦ beliefs based on a person’s ideas of what is

right and wrong

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Think-Pair-ShareWho determines a person’s

ethics?

PROPERTY OF PIMA COUNTY JTED, 2010

Identification

Highlight the four

principles of the NATA

Code of Ethics

PROPERTY OF PIMA COUNTY JTED, 2010

The NATA Code of Ethics

1. Members shall respect the rights,

welfare and dignity of all.

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The NATA Code of Ethics

2. Members shall comply with the laws and

regulations governing the practice of

athletic training.

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The NATA Code of Ethics

3. Members shall maintain and promote

high standards in their provision of

services.

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The NATA Code of Ethics

4. Members shall not engage in conduct

that could be construed as a conflict of

interest

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Bellwork Scenario

• In an attempt to save time and money, the JV girls’ basketball coach asks the athletic trainer to tape the ankles of the 5 players in the starting lineup, and to let the other players buy their own braces instead of getting taped.

• Which principle of the NATA Code of Ethics is represented in this scenario?

• Based on this principle, what should you do?

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Scenario #1• You are covering a wrestling meet at a neutral

site and learn that the wrestling coach has been taping one of his varsity wrestlers with a soft splint for about 4 weeks. The wrestler says he has a sprained hand but shows signs of a 5th metacarpal fracture and decreased hand function. The coach insists that the wrestler doesn’t go to the doctor because if his hand is fractured, he will miss the state tournament where he is seeded #1.

Scenario #2

• An athletic trainer overhears a conversation from a couple of freshmen football players while on the sideline during a game. One of the athletes is bragging to his teammates about a supplement that he has been taking and the side effects that he has felt. He asks them if they want to start taking it, too.

Scenario #3

• The quarterback of your high school football team is injured during the first half of the game. As you follow the team to the locker room at halftime, one of your school’s top booster club members stops you and asks about the quarterback’s status for the 2nd half.

Scenario #4

• A football coach instructs one of his players not to report a significant knee injury to the athletic trainer. He tells the athlete that he suffered a similar knee injury when he was in high school but was able to finish the season. He threatens that the athlete that he will take away his starting position if he says anything.

Scenario #5

• An athletic trainer from a University attends an after-hours social event in which alcohol is served. On the way home, the athletic trainer drives by an accident scene. The athletic trainer debates whether or not to stop and help, but decides that because he has been drinking, that might not be a good idea.

Scenario #6

• The school’s newly hired athletic trainer learns that the boys’ basketball teams practice every afternoon in the new gym right after school. The girls’ basketball teams can practice in the auxiliary gym after school or in the newer, larger gym after the boys’ teams are done. She decides to bring it up with the athletic director, and learns that “this is the way it has always been done.”

Scenario #7

• One of the boosters who regularly makes generous contributions to the school’s athletic programs asks the athletic trainer to refer the school’s injured athletes to his medical practice.

Scenario #8

• An athletic trainer overhears a conversation in the training room where one of the varsity wrestlers brags that he is going to seriously injure his opponent in the wrestling meet that evening. The two wrestlers have a past history of competing against each other and the rivalry has started to get out of hand.

Scenario #9

• An athletic trainer is doing research for her master’s thesis and looks up the license status of all the athletic trainers in the state. She notices that one of the local AT’s does not have a license on file. She wonders if she should bring it up with the AT in person, file an anonymous report with the state, or pretend she didn’t notice the problem.

Scenario #10

• While taping athletes in the training room, the athletic trainer hears about a party that happened the previous weekend. The athletic trainer knows that the athletes have signed a team honor code, and that underage drinking is a specific violation.

Scenario #11

• A wrestler suffered a concussion but has not yet been cleared for practice or competition. He approaches you to see if you will allow him to dress out for his last varsity match even though he won’t actually wrestle. The opposing team doesn’t have a wrestler in that weight class so if he dresses out he will win by forfeit.

Partner A turn to partner B.

Tell or teach your partner the

two most important things you

have learned so far about

ethics

Switch roles and repeat the

process.

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