Athletic Trainer

ABOUT PROPEL SPORTS & ORTHOBIOLOGICS

Propel Sports & Orthobiologics is a new, physician-owned practice opening in Bethesda, Maryland, built around the non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal injury. Our physicians are fellowship-trained interventional sports medicine specialists and national instructors in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound. We treat athletes, active adults, and patients who want to avoid surgery — using ultrasound-guided procedures, regenerative and orthobiologic therapies, image-guided injections, shockwave, and structured rehabilitation. We are opening the doors in November 2026. That means the person in this role does not inherit a clinic — they help build one. Everything from the patient flow, to the procedure trays, to how a new medical assistant is trained, is being written now, and you will write much of it.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

This is a hybrid leadership and clinical position for a Certified Athletic Trainer who wants to run a practice, not just work in one. You are the operational backbone of the clinic — hiring and managing the medical assistants and support staff, owning the schedule, the systems, the vendors, and the compliance program — and you are also licensed clinical staff, working alongside the physicians on clinic days: taking histories, performing musculoskeletal evaluations, fitting braces and splints, assisting with ultrasound-guided injections and orthobiologic procedures, and carrying patients through their post-procedure rehabilitation protocol. If you are an ATC who has outgrown a pure clinical role, or a practice manager with an athletic training background who misses patient care, this role was designed for you.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Practice Leadership & Operations (approx. 60% of time)

• Launch & build-out. Own the clinic launch checklist through opening day — space readiness, vendor setup (medical supplies, biomedical waste, IT, phone system, DME, imaging), equipment procurement, and the punch list that gets us from empty suite to first patient.
• Daily clinic flow. Run the floor. Keep provider schedules on time, manage room turnover and procedure setup, and be the first point of contact for any workflow issue, patient concern, or staff question.
• Staff recruitment & leadership. Hire, onboard, train, schedule, and supervise medical assistants, front-desk / patient coordinators, and support staff. Provide real-time coaching so protocols are followed consistently. Build a collaborative, patient-first culture from the first hire forward.
• Systems & technology. Lead configuration and day-to-day administration of the Athena EMR (via Privia), practice management tools, the patient communication platform, remote therapeutic monitoring, and the cash-pay / HSA-FSA workflow for regenerative services.
• Compliance & risk. Establish and enforce HIPAA, OSHA, and CLIA-applicable standards. Write and maintain the SOP library covering patient privacy, infection control, sterile procedure setup, biologics handling and chain of custody, controlled inventory, and workplace safety.
• Patient experience & reputation. Own check-in through check-out. Resolve escalated patient concerns quickly and personally. Run the review-generation and patient-feedback loop that protects the practice's reputation in a competitive Bethesda market.
• Inventory & vendor management. Maintain par levels on medical, procedural, DME, and office supplies. Negotiate and manage supplier contracts to hold overhead inside budget.
• Reporting. Track and report the operating metrics that matter — visit volume, schedule utilization, no-show and cancellation rate, procedure conversion, collections, patient satisfaction — and bring problems to the physicians with a proposed fix.

B. Clinical - Certified Athletic Trainer (approx. 40% of time) All clinical duties are performed under the direction and supervision of the supervising physician, within the scope of practice defined by the Maryland Board of Physicians / Maryland athletic training licensure and the BOC clinical competencies.

• Room and prepare patients; take a focused history and perform an initial musculoskeletal evaluation and physical examination, then present findings to the physician clearly and concisely.
• Assist with in-office procedures: ultrasound-guided injections, orthobiologic and regenerative procedures (PRP and related), aspirations, and shockwave treatment under physician order — including sterile setup, patient positioning, sample handling, and procedural assistance.
• Perform phlebotomy and specimen processing for orthobiologic preparation, per protocol.
• Perform therapeutic procedures: wound and dressing care, splint and brace fitting and application, DME dispensing and fitting, crutch and gait training, and therapeutic exercise instruction.
• Deliver post-procedure care and patient education — activity restrictions, rehabilitation timeline, home exercise program, and return-to-sport progression — and confirm the patient understands the plan before they leave.
• Coordinate diagnostic imaging (X-ray, MRI, ultrasound) under physician order and track results back into the chart; read and understand radiology reports well enough to flag what needs the physician's attention.
• Ensure chart preparedness and clinical documentation quality for every visit; assist with follow-up, continuity of care, and referral coordination.
• Serve as the clinical link between patient and physician between visits — triaging clinical calls and messages within scope.
• Coordinate care with local high school, club, and collegiate athletic trainers, team physicians, and physical therapy partners.

C. Program Development

• Help design and launch the practice's clinical programs — post-procedure rehabilitation protocols, return-to-play pathways, injury-prevention and performance programs, and patient education materials.
• Support outreach to referring physicians, athletic trainers, coaches, physical therapists, and community and sports organizations.
• Contribute clinical accuracy and credibility to patient-facing content, event programming, and community education.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Certification & licensure: BOC-certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) in good standing, with a Maryland athletic training license in hand or eligible and obtained prior to start. Current CPR/BLS certification.
• Education: Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in athletic training or a health-related field strongly preferred.
• Clinical experience: Minimum 3 years as a certified athletic trainer, including experience in a physician clinic or outpatient orthopedic / sports medicine setting.
• Leadership experience: Demonstrated supervisory, lead, or management experience — formally managing staff, or serving as clinic lead / preceptor with real responsibility for training and workflow.
• Operational literacy: Working knowledge of medical office workflow, provider scheduling, EHR systems, front-end revenue cycle, and HIPAA and OSHA requirements.
• Judgment & temperament: Exceptional problem-solving and organization, high emotional intelligence, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to change direction quickly in a startup environment without losing the thread.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior experience opening a new clinic, or working inside a healthcare startup or de novo practice.
• Hands-on experience assisting with ultrasound-guided injections, orthobiologic / regenerative procedures, phlebotomy, or aspirations.
• Familiarity with Athena or comparable EHR and practice management platforms.
• Understanding of ICD-10 / CPT coding as it applies to musculoskeletal and procedural billing.
• Experience with cash-pay or concierge service lines, DME programs, or in-office X-ray.
• Completion of an athletic training residency or fellowship.
• Additional credential — RMA/CMA, EMT, or comparable.

WHO SUCCEEDS IN THIS ROLE

• A builder. You would rather write the SOP than be handed one.
• Comfortable switching gears — from a payer credentialing call to a sterile procedure tray in the same ten minutes.
• Direct and unflappable. Escalated patients, an angry referring office, a no-show vendor — handled without drama.
• Detail-obsessed about documentation, compliance, and inventory, because in a small practice nobody is behind you catching it.
• Genuinely enjoys athletes and active patients, and can hold their trust across a long recovery.
• Dependable, with reliable transportation, and willing to flex hours around opening week and occasional community or team events. Propel Sports & Orthobiologics