ATC case studies
ATC · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Athletic Trainer Certification Examination - often called the ATC exam or the BOC exam - is the credentialing examination administered by the Board of Certification, Inc. (BOC) for individuals pursuing the Athletic Trainer, Certified credential. The ATC case studies are 5 cases and about 4,385 words.
1Preseason Heat, Sickle Cell Trait, and the Coach's Timed Test
August preseason football, day 3 of a required five-day heat-acclimatization period. Your 14-year-old freshman running back has documented sickle cell trait; he is hydrated and asymptomatic.
853 words, about 4 min2Acute Hemarthrosis in a 16-Year-Old With a Guarded Knee Exam
A 16-year-old female soccer player decelerates to cut while marking a forward; her knee buckles without contact and she feels a 'pop.' She cannot continue. When you evaluate her 40 minutes later, a visible effusion is already present, knee flexion is limited to 80 degrees, and she bears weight only with a marked limp.
870 words, about 4 min3Collapse at the Finish Line With a Normal-ish Rectal Temperature
A 26-year-old male runner collapses about 200 m past the finish line of a half marathon. Ambient temperature is 16 C (61 F) with 85% humidity.
833 words, about 4 min4Return to Sprinting: Hamstring Strain, Ten Days Out
A 19-year-old sprinter suffered a grade II hamstring strain (mid-belly, biceps femoris) 21 days ago during an acceleration drill. She is now pain-free with jogging, has full active knee extension, and hamstring strength is 82% of the uninvolved side on handheld dynamometry; eccentric testing at 60 degrees per second is pain-free but she fatigues after 6 repetitions.
904 words, about 5 min5The Concussion Waiver and the Semifinal
Nine days after a concussion in a district playoff soccer match, a 16-year-old is symptom-free at rest and with light schoolwork, and his computerized neurocognitive comparison is back to baseline. He has not completed a graded exertion progression.
925 words, about 5 min