PALS Recert Preps Healthcare Pros and First Responders to Care for Youth Sports Injuries

Sixty-nine percent of girls and 75 percent of boys play organized and team sports, according to a 2008 report released by the Women’s Sports Foundation. And as the weather begins to warm each summer, these children – and millions more – head outdoors for pick-up games, summer sports camps and other athletic activities with family and friends.

Unfortunately, summertime sports can sometimes lead to serious injury. For healthcare professionals and first responders who work with children, increased levels of activity in summertime months may mean it’s time to brush up on lifesaving skills with PALS recertification.

How Common Are Youth Sports Injuries?
Serious sports injuries among children are not uncommon occurrences. The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (H-CUP) reported the incidence of youth sports injuries requiring hospitalization in 25 states in a 2006 statistical brief, Sports Injuries in Children Requiring Hospital Emergency Care.

The brief reported that sports-related injuries accounted for 22 percent of injury-related emergency room visits among children aged 5 to 17 years. While the majority (98.7 percent) of children with sports-related injuries were treated and released, the remaining 1.3 percent of children were admitted to the hospital.

As healthcare professionals and first responders prepare to contend with youth sports injuries, it may be time to consider PALS recert, which teaches students how to coordinate a response team, assess pediatric conditions and manage respiratory conditions.

How Will PALS Recert Prep You to Care For the Top Injury-Causing Summer Sports?
Though any athletic activity can be potentially hazardous, some sports can lead to more injuries than others. Compiled by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, here are the summer recreational activities that cause the most injuries, ranked from most to least by the number of injuries:

Basketball
Bicycles
Baseball
Soccer
Softball
Trampolines
Inline Skating
Horseback Riding
Weightlifting
Volleyball
Swimming
Wrestling
Roller Skating
Gymnastics

Online PALS certification preps healthcare workers and first responders to deal with the emergency cardiopulmonary challenges that may occur in children who sustain injury while participating in these activities. Taking online PALS recert can improve the results of a responder's efforts to stabilize young patients.