By Sean Doyle, LAT, ATC
While it may not be a traditional way of thinking, athletic training – and most healthcare professions – are part of the customer service industry. While you won’t be relying on tips based on your performance for your livelihood, the services you provide on a daily basis contribute to how you and your profession are perceived. I worked for 15 years at a private golf club, both in the restaurant and in golf operations, where customer service was the entire job. There was a customer service training card that was used and reviewed daily to ensure every person who came through the club had the best experience possible. After so many years of these principles being taught to me, they became a natural approach to almost every interaction I have on a daily basis as an athletic trainer (AT).
As more years passed in my athletic training career, and I had not worked at the golf club in several years, I realized fewer of those behaviors were happening naturally – it was a skill, just like any other, that had to be trained and practiced. I began to frame what I did daily the same way it was at the golf club and apply it to my practice as an AT.
Always remember that your patient is the customer and treating them as such can enhance their visit. The first principle is perhaps the simplest: smile – you are on stage. While always having a warm smile makes sense in a setting like a golf club, in healthcare it may need to be more nuanced. If your patient is in extreme pain, smiling as if it is the best day of your life may not provide the comfort they need. However, the concept still applies – being a positive, professional, calming presence for those who come to see you can truly improve their perception of visiting an AT. Depending on your setting, if you have a consistent patient base, learning and remembering names is an easy step toward making patients feel truly cared for as individuals. Think about your own life: going to a place on a fairly regular basis, and an employee greets you warmly by name every time you visit. Those interactions are not only remembered but are often talked about among friends, family, and teammates.
The second principle I focus on is one that most ATs -and most healthcare providers – struggle with regularly: work efficiently. A minute feels longer to a patient than it does to us. My experience is in the secondary school setting, and most ATs from that setting would agree that there isn’t enough time to get everything done. With that said, making a conscious effort to ensure every person who comes to you feels, above all else, that they are not being ignored or forgotten is key. Good communication, combined with a positive attitude when a patient must wait due to a backup of treatments, helps them feel welcomed and willing to return. Small, frequent check-ins while patients work through exercises, use a modality, or wait to be evaluated let them know they are not forgotten.
Many of the customer service principles highlighted earlier – being attentive, maintaining professionalism, communicating clearly, and working efficiently – translate directly from traditional service industries into athletic training. By consciously integrating these practices, ATs can enhance patient experiences, build trust, and foster stronger relationships with athletes, coaches, and parents. Recognizing athletic training as a service-oriented profession encourages ATs to focus not only on clinical skills but also on how those skills are delivered, ultimately contributing to more positive outcomes and a stronger reputation for the profession as a whole.
Contact JAG PT to learn more about our athletic training services.
