Level 1
Sports Trainer
 

Course Outline 

Sports Medicine Australia’s (SMA) Level 1 Sports Trainer course is designed to introduce participants to the basic knowledge and skills required by a Sports Trainer. These skills include the management of specific sporting injuries, sports taping and transporting an injured athlete. This course educates prospective Sports Trainers, teachers, coaches, administrators and parents on the basic principles of sports medicine. 

The successful completion of the Level 1 Sports Trainer course provides an opportunity for participants to become an SMA Accredited Sports Trainer.  This is the standard requirement to perform the duties of a Sports Trainer in most major Australian sporting codes. 

The course covers the following units: 

  • Sports Trainer in Action 
  • Basic Musculoskeletal Anatomy 
  • Preventing Sports Injuries 
  • Nutrition and Hydration in Sport 
  • Drugs in Sport 
  • Management of the Injured Athlete 
  • Common Medical Conditions 
  • Concussion 
  • Sports Taping (ankle, thumb and finger) 
  • Transporting the Injured Athlete 
  • Common Sporting Illness and Injuries 

Course Prerequisites 

Please note: evidence of the above prerequisites must be provided to SMA prior to attendance at a course. Students who do not provide sufficient evidence of the required prerequisites will have their enrolment deemed incomplete. Students who do not complete the enrolment process within 15 business days of the course start date, will be unenrolled. 


Become a Sports Trainer Associate

We encourage all working Sports Trainers to become a SMA Sports Trainer Associate or SMA Member. Both packages include our exclusive Sports Trainer insurance which provides cover for public liability, products liability, professional indemnity and personal accident cover, plus numerous other benefits that support you in your work – from community level right through to elite sport.

These packages are only available to accredited SMA sports trainers (either Level 1 Sports Trainer and/or Level 2 Sports Trainer). 

Take advantage of a 20% discount on your Sport Trainer Associate package ($120 instead of $150) when purchasing an already discounted “course plus membership bundle” at the point of registration to any of SMA’s Sports Trainer or Sports Trainer Reaccreditation Courses on offer. Once the bundle is purchased, membership discount will be applied to all future Sports Trainer or Sports Trainer Reaccreditation Course registrations. Find out more about the benefits of being a Sports Trainer Associate here

 

Certificates 

Upon successful completion of this course, students will receive a Sports Medicine Australia Level 1 Sports Trainer accreditation (valid for 3 years). 

 

Entry

To enrol, students must be a minimum of 16 years of age. Children under 16 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis upon application to the local SMA office (in the state where the course is to be held). This ensures the student has the necessary skills to undertake the training and assessment requirements. 

Delivery Mode/Duration

This course is delivered through a combination of pre-course online learning and 9 hours of training. All online learning must be successfully completed prior to attendance at the initial online classroom.

Failure to complete the online learning prior to attendance places a student at a significant disadvantage. By not completing all online learning students may struggle to complete both the final theory assessment and practical assessments to the level required for an outcome of competent. 

Any student who does not successfully complete the online learning prior to the training does so at their own risk. If a student has not completed the online learning and fails to achieve an outcome of satisfactory for two or more practical assessments or the final theory assessment, the student will be deemed not yet competent and will be required to attend an additional face to face training session. This will incur additional course fees. 

Students will receive their access to online learning 14 days prior to the course start date. Students who enrol less than 14 days prior to the course start date will receive access no later than close of business the following business day. 

Any student having difficulty completing the online learning is encouraged to contact SMA for additional support and resources. 

 

Assessment 

Students will be assessed as follows: 

  • Lecturer observation and practical scenario assessment 
  • Taping of the ankle, thumb and finger 
  • Written assessment 

Course Resources

Students are provided with the following course resources: 

  • Online learning modules 
  • Sports tape and associated materials 
  • Sports Medicine for Sports Trainers textbook 
  • Various stretchers 
  • First aid kit for scenarios 

Policies

Please read and be familiar with all our training policies.