As the NIRSA Concussion Advisory Council reflects on its first two years of work, we are especially proud of the resources that we have been able to provide to NIRSA members. But we also have a desire to understand what else can be done to better inform and equip NIRSA members to respond positively to the duty of care we bear for participants as it relates to head injuries. However, this next step can’t be done well without your help.
Concussion protocol case studies
Council members have authored more than half a dozen articles—specifically focused on club and intramural sports—sharing information about how head injury education, recognition, and response are facilitated on their respective campuses.
- Concussion protocols at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Campus Recreation
- Concussion protocols at Oklahoma State University’s Department of Wellness
- Concussion protocols at Elon University
- Concussion protocols at the University of California Davis’ Campus Recreation
- Concussion protocols at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Concussion protocols at University of Maryland’s Recreation and Wellness
These entries also include lessons learned and tips for program managers who might be looking to initiate or improve their own structures and implementation protocols.
Additional resources
Additionally, the NIRSA Concussion Advisory Council has developed materials focusing on the pros and cons of concussion assessment tools, exploring how partnerships are key to successful management protocols, and outlining how baseline education related to return to play protocols are relevant to recreation professionals, regardless of specialty area or departmental roles and responsibilities. All these resources and more are available on the concussion news page of the NIRSA website.
Next steps
So, what is next for the NIRSA Concussion Advisory Council? Head injuries can occur in all areas of recreation. While there has been substantial progress on club and intramural sports fronts, those advancements do not reduce or eliminate the responsibility that all recreation professionals have to our participants. A slip and fall at the edge of a pool or in the yoga studio; a dropped free weight during an overhead lift; an accidental elbow during an open recreation basketball game; these and countless other scenarios are all very real potentialities that our profession faces.
This volunteer advisory council hopes to provide resources that can enhance safety in all areas of our profession’s programming and facilities. So, please take just a few minutes this week to help us understand how we can best support you.
If you attended a round table session at the 2019 NIRSA Annual Conference, you probably heard that a short survey about this topic would be made available to members.
We want to hear from all our campus recreation colleagues, especially from professionals outside of the club and intramural sports areas. The survey is intended to gauge areas of comfort and areas of discomfort among campus recreation professionals and assist the advisory council in understanding what types of tools and resources will best serve those functional areas of campus recreation that currently feel underserved.
If you have additional questions or feedback for the NIRSA Concussion Advisory Council, please reach out to us.
Lexi Chaput currently the Senior Assistant Director of Sport Programs and Development at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; she serves as a member of the NIRSA History & Legacy Committee and Co-Chair of NIRSA's 75th Anniversary Celebration Committee. She can be reached at lexic@umich.edu.
