Trainer Program Getting an Upgrade this Year

The Dalhousie Athletic Trainer Program getting an upgrade this year 

Already a robust program based out of the Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic, the Dalhousie Athletic Trainer Program (DATP) provides ‘on field’ first aid and preventative care at practices and competitions for the Dalhousie Tigers varsity and contact sport club teams. The program provides education in prevention and management of athletic injuries and exposure to the field of sports therapy. It’s a very popular opportunity for undergraduate students within Dalhousie’s School of Health and Human Performance to gain valuable hands-on experience to further their education and move on to careers in health care. Each year, the program receives an average of 80-90 applicants to fill 45 athletic trainer positions. 

This season, each team will have their own AED (automated external defibrillators) and athletic trainers will receive education and training on their use thanks to the Jordan Boyd Foundation. 

The Foundation was established in 2014 to honour the memory of Jordan Boyd, a Bedford, Nova Scotia native who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at the age of 16 during his first practice with the Acadia-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Their focus is to make an impact on heart health within the community and beyond through fundraising and investing in life-saving research, immediate impact projects and education. 

One of those immediate impact projects is making AEDs readily available in public places. 

“Advocacy for AEDs has always been a part of our core mandate,” says Jordan’s father and foundation founder, Stephen Boyd. “From day one we have advocated for AEDs in public places as well as having as many people as possible trained in their use as well as knowing how to do CPR - which goes hand in hand. In the event of a sudden cardiac arrest - defibrillation within minutes increases survival chances exponentially. We have been collaborating with EHS Nova Scotia and their AED registry program since 2018 and have placed a number of AEDs in public places in Nova Scotia - ranging from the Halifax waterfront to Open Hearth Park in Sydney, to the Town of Berwick and many places in between.” 

Discussions around implementing the initiative at Dalhousie first began about a year ago when men’s hockey head trainer Tony Eden connected Boyd with Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic manager Rhonda Reardon.  

A retired paramedic, Eden has been working with high-performance hockey programs for 45 years and has been with Dalhousie’s men’s hockey team for the last 10. He has long been an advocate for AEDs as a key part of the chain of survival. 

There are four links within the chain of survival – early access to 911, early CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced life support (ambulances).  

“Our trainers have had access to three of the four links for a number of years,” says Eden. “Now with the addition of the AEDs, the chain is complete and we are able prepared to provide the best possible outcome in the case of a sudden cardiac arrest.” 

Physiotherapist Kyle Crosby is leading the initiative which is rolling out this fall. 

“Each trainer team now has their own AED that they will transport to and from all practices and games,” says Crosby. “The trainers are educated on their importance, effectiveness and safety during our in-person education sessions focused on emergency situations.” 

Crosby can’t say enough about what it means for trainers to have AEDs at their disposal. 

“From a health and safety perspective, it provides a substantial increase in the quality of care the trainers can provide in an emergency scenario,” he says. “Our teams now have an increased safety measure to help limit potential cardiac situations that could arise whether they are training at Dal or travelling. To have a trainer team with the knowledge and equipment to manage potential emergent situations provides a bigger safety net for our athletes.” 

Makenna Mann, a two-year member of the DATP is very excited about the AED initiative. 

“This initiative represents a significant step towards enhancing the safety and well-being of our student-athletes,” says Mann who is the women’s soccer team’s head trainer this year. “As a trainer, I believe that it is crucial for us to be well-prepared to respond to emergencies and the AED training is a valuable addition to our skillset. The training we receive on AED usage is not just a skill, but a lifeline. It boosts our confidence in responding to critical situations and equips us to make a real difference when it matters most.” 

In addition to being better equipped to help current-student athletes, the training and experience the trainers receive thanks to the AED initiative will help set them apart in their future careers. 

“The impact of this training extends beyond our current roles,” adds Mann. “It provides us with valuable skills that can open up new opportunities and career pathways. Knowing that we can provide essential care in emergencies is a skill set that is highly valuable both personally and professionally.” 

Looking ahead to the future, Boyd hopes the initiative with the DATP will be another step forward in raising awareness of AEDs and the importance of having them in any place where the public gathers in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. 

“Sport is a particular avenue of focus for our Foundation, as Jordan was a high-performance athlete who succumbed to a sudden cardiac arrest while attending a QMJHL training camp,” laments Boyd. “An AED was not readily available. Although a sudden cardiac arrest in young people is still rare, it happens more frequently than many realize. Young high-performance athletes, 15-25 years of age, are particularly at risk due to the grueling training regimen they practice. Specifically, in the case of our initiative with Dal, we firstly hope to protect Dal athletes but also hope this initiative and example by Dal may lead to a movement across U SPORTS schools and spur the modest investment required to have AEDs available at all varsity sports events, including on team buses, to protect all varsity athletes and the general public who would be watching these events. Although concussion protocols are well established in sport now, that was not the case not all that long ago. We see this initiative in a similar vein - to continue to raise the bar in athlete safety.” 

For more information or to support the Jordan Boyd Foundation, please visit jordanboyd.ca.