Physicals:
To be cleared medically by the athletic training staff, all student-athletes must have a pre-participation physical exam done on the Cerritos College form (CERRITOS COLLEGE PRE-PARTICIPATION EXAM (.pdf) from a medical doctor (MD) prior to participation in any athletic practice or event.
There are two ways that the physicals may be obtained by the athlete:
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On Campus Option:
We will schedule pre-screening physicals to be done on campus with our team physician in the athletic training room. These days and times will be scheduled with your teams. Physicals at Cerritos College is $10 cost to the athletes. -
Off Campus Option:
Athletes may choose to take the blue physical form to their own physician. The form is available in the athletic training center or on the Cerritos athletics website under athletic training. There are also clinics that can do sports physicals on a walk-in basis. Fees will vary depending on clinic. This is fine as long as it is a licensed physician and not other allied health professionals (example: Physician Assistant, Chiropractor or Nurse Practitioner).
THE FORM NEEDS TO BE STAMPED BY THE DOCTORS OFFICE TO BE ACCEPTED.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PHYSICAL FORM:
1. All information on the front page of the physical form must be filled out. Do not leave anything blank (ex: allergies _none).
Insurance Company name and policy number are required. (if no insurance write none)
2. Write legibly and the athlete must SIGN the bottom of page one and date it.
3. Physicians fills out back of form and most importantly PRINTS NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE, DATE OF EXAM, CIRCLES MD OR DO AND STAMPS FORM.
ASSUMPTION OF RISK
All athletes are required to attend a team meeting at the start of each athletic year and sign the assumption of risk form on Sportsware after completion. This meeting will inform the athlete of the athletic training policies and procedures.
Cerritos College Concussion Management Plan
Concussion Awareness
The Cerritos College Athletic training Department supports the CCCAA in its commitment to the prevention, identification, evaluation and management of concussion. All intercollegiate student-athletes are required to sign an athlete concussion and injury statement (on Sportsware) accepting the responsibility for reporting any injury and/or illness they sustain, including signs and symptoms of concussion. Every individual participating as a coach for any of the 19 intercollegiate sports are also required to sign a coaches’ statement acknowledging their responsibility for the health and safety of student-athletes.
Baseline Testing
Baseline concussion testing establishes each individual athlete’s “normal”/pre-injury neurocognitive performance. This will provide the sports medicine team with more reliable measures for the determination of post-injury recovery and return to play decisions.
At a minimum, all athletes participating in football, wrestling, soccer, water polo, basketball, baseball, softball, diving, and pole vaulting will participate in preseason baseline concussion testing. Any or all of the following methods of obtaining baseline performance will be performed, as determined by the risk of each sport as well as with consideration given to each athlete’s individual medical history:
- Clinical Exam
- Self- Reported Symptoms
- Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC)
- Balance Error Scoring System (BESS)
- SCAT 5
Immediate Care
If a coach, athletic trainer or team physician suspects that an athlete has sustained a concussion or other head injury, the athlete must be removed from the contest or practice and be assessed immediately. Failure of a coach or athlete to withhold information from the medical team regarding a suspected concussion or other head injury will be subject to punitive consequences. Athletes with a suspected head injury will not return to activity the same day as that the injury occurred. Additionally, an athlete with a suspected concussion, as well as their roommate(s), parent(s), and/or other individual(s) agreeing to monitor their status until their follow-up appointment, will be provided with a home care instructions sheet. This includes “Do’s & Don’t”, follow-up instructions, and referral for further medical attention, if appropriate.
Management Plan
Most simple concussions resolve in 7 to 10 days. Initially, athletes will be advised to rest both physically and cognitively. It is the athlete’s responsibility to follow the treatment plan.
Athletes will be re-evaluated within 24-72 hours using sound clinical judgment and best practice techniques. This will provide a better understanding of the severity of injury.
Return to play criteria
Once an athlete is asymptomatic for a minimum of 24 hours, a 5 to 7 day recovery period may begin. During this time, the athlete will begin a supervised incremental increase in physical activity. If symptoms return at any point, the 5 to 7 day recovery period will be halted for no less than 24 hours. Upon complete symptom resolution athlete may resume their progression.
All athletes who sustain a concussion MUST be evaluated by a physician(s) before they are allowed to return to play.
Due to the cumulative nature of concussions, management plans will be individually tailored with consideration of each athlete’s medical history. FINAL AUTHORITY FOR RETURN-TO-PLAY LIES UNDER THE DISCRETION OF THE TEAM PHYSICIAN OR HIS OR HER PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED DESIGNEE(S).