The Stories of ACO's Athletic Trainers

National Athletic Training Month has elapsed, and throughout the month our team at ACO was focused on recognizing them, the frontline workers who continually assist in keeping our community safe – our athletic trainers. Over the previous month, athletic trainers all throughout the nation were recognized for their endless commitment to helping people not only prevent injury, but staying healthy and active. As healthcare professionals, athletic trainers are highly educated and dedicated to their job at hand. Athletic trainers are found all around us, for high schools to colleges, to corporations and the military, just to name a few industries. ACO would like to acknowledge our athletic trainers for their essential role in providing quality health care for our patients every day, reinforcing our mission to help our patients move and live better.

• Stefanie Hogan
• Brandon King
• Rachel Korczynski
• Brooke Owens
• Brad Persinger
• Jared Plummer
• Chris Young
• Liz Young

Jared Plummer

While our athletic trainers are tirelessly working in the field, we were fortunate to have a few of our team members respond to a short interview, inquiring as to their experiences as an athletic trainer both within the company, and in relation to their experiences as a whole. Our first interview came from Jared Plummer, a sales representative that graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2006 with an MA in health studies:

How has your background in athletic training influenced your transition into the world of durable medical equipment?

Athletic Training taught me how to work within a team, and the importance of each member of the team to achieve a goal. It taught me how to communicate properly with everyone involved in the care of patients (MD, the Medical assistant, and the patient).

Can you share one of your significant patient success stories?  

I have been fortunate to work with multiple patients that have lost 100-200 lbs by wearing an unloader brace to take pain away, so that they can exercise.

What part of your athletic training program do you still utilize daily when helping patients move and live better?

There isn’t a single portion of the Athletic Training program that I don’t use today. Whether it be anatomy/physiology, organization/administration, evaluation, and helping counsel patients regarding their injury and interventions… we use all of the skills taught in the AT program.

Jared has been with the ACO team for over ten years and has continually proven to be an invaluable asset to the team. With his experiences both as an athletic trainer and as a sales representative with ACO, we know Jared will continue to thrive.

Brandon King

Our next interview came shortly after the first, with Brandon King responding with regards to his experiences as an athletic trainer. Brandon King graduated from The Citadel in 2008 with an MS in kinesiology and exercise science, and when asked about his experiences as an athletic trainer, this is what he had to say:

How has your background in athletic training influenced your transition into the world of durable medical equipment?

As an athletic trainer our mission wasn't much different than ACO's.  We helped people get better!!  The patient or athlete always came first, and you were willing to do whatever it took to get them back on the field or doing the activities they love and enjoy. 

Can you share one of your significant patient success stories?

One of the colleges I currently cover as a TM, I also worked at as an ATC for almost 10 years.  I can remember one of my first years with ACO . They needed a brace for one of their stud linebackers.  DJO was able to overnight it and I remember fitting it on the sidelines Saturday before the game.  That kid finished the game with 15+ tackles.

What part of your athletic training program do you still utilize daily when helping patients move and live better?

My anatomical, biomechanical, and bracing knowledge as an ATC set me up for success in the role I am today.  It's second nature to know what brace will work best for certain patients depending on their level of activity.  I utilized DJO products as an ATC and was well prepared to handle those situations when I came on board with ACO.

Brandon King began his tenure with ACO as a field service representative in 2017, before growing into a territory manager in October of 2022. In his time with ACO, Brandon has demonstrated time and time again his determination to reinforce the mission pursued by ACO: Helping our patients move and live better every day.

Stefanie Hogan

Our last interview came from the internal team, with Stefanie Hogan responding to the questions. Stefanie graduated from Syracuse University in 2006 with an MS in exercise science, and had much to say regarding our inquiry:

How has your background in athletic training influenced your transition into the world of durable medical equipment?

My background in athletic training made my transition to the DME world much more seamless.  Yes there were still things I needed to learn(and still learn to this day) but the basics like anatomy, physiology, form and function were much easier to get up to speed on.

Can you share one of your significant patient success stories?

Probably one of my more impactful patient success stories was years ago when I was fitting a TENS unit(when they were still billable thru insurance) on a military veteran who was a recent amputee.  He had been using crutches for so long as he adjusted to his new prosthesis that his low back and neck/shoulders were causing him immense abouts of discomfort to where he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in months.  You could tell the pain and frustration had just been building and building.  He allowed me to refit his crutches which immediately put him in a much more favorable posture then we got the TENS unit on and into a pattern and level to his liking.  I turned away from him to do a portion of the paperwork and when I turned back to get him to sign it, he had fallen asleep in the chair.  I felt so bad waking him that I let him sleep for about 15 min before I turned off the unit which was resting on his lap and he woke up.  He was almost in tears as he realized he was going to be able to go home and get some much-needed rest which had eluded him for all those months because he was finally comfortable.

What part of your athletic training program do you still utilize daily when helping patients move and live better?

Early in my career I was able to bring in a lot of my clinical training into my DME career…anatomy, physiology and patient/athlete interactions.  As my career has progressed, I now bring in more of the administrative learnings into what I do every day as well as some of my more creative thinking solutions.  Through it all however, I maintain my desire to be ever learning as no matter what aspect of the medical field you are in, it is ever evolving field where you have to maintain current knowledge whether it be insurance, products or ways to get things done.

In recent years I use much more of the administrative skills being more operationally based.  I make decisions, implement changes and update processes but hold on to how will this affect the patients we serve…will it allow us to help more people.

Stefanie has worked across the board, as an athletic trainer for Syracuse University, a wellness coach at Wellness Coaches USA, a certified athletic trainer at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and more before landing here at ACO. In present day Stefanie works as our Vice President of Operations within the company, and uses her endless experience to reinforce our company mission every day.

National Athletic Training Month is held every March in order to spread awareness about the important work of athletic trainers. The National Athletic Training Association hosted several engagement opportunities throughout the month, and continues to do so annually. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and for celebrating National Athletic Training Month with us!