Nursing & Healthcare

Biography:

Tracy Rhinewalt has 10 years of experience as a practicing family nurse practitioner. She is currently practicing in Mississippi in an express care setting. For the past two years, she has worked closely with the High School Associations to standardize the PPE forms used for high school athletes of Mississippi. Her emphasis is to ensure that all student-athletes are undergoing the same PPE despite their geographical location. Her focus is on making a change for the safety of studentathletes.

Abstract:

With the overall participation in high school sports on a steady rise, there has been a direct correlation to the number of sports-related injuries. It is widely known that priority has been placed on preventing sports-related injuries and death by many organizations, districts, and schools on both a state and national level. There has been numerous efforts and changes made in order to improve the safety of our student-athletes. For this presentation, the emphasis was directed towards improving the way preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE) are conducted on student-athletes. More specifically, a call for a standardized PPE to be utilized on all high school athletes. The acceptance of a standardized PPE form would ensure that all student-athletes are undergoing a comprehensive and consistent screening across all states. This presentation will also review the recommendations regarding the most comprehensive PPE and pearls to consider when conducting a PPE