Water, ice, and med-kits are just the surface of what Jorden Neilson’s job includes.  NPHS’s only Athletic Trainer, Neilson has worked at the school for nine years. 

Neilson’s work day begins at 1 p.m. when she starts preparing for the students looking for assistance before their sports practices or games. She begins her preparation by filling up water jugs and placing them outside of her office, labeling them in the process, and adding the respective medical kit alongside.

The start of the busyness begins at 2:48, the end of the academic school day and the start of the athletic school day. A line outside the door of her office has most athletes asking to get their limbs taped and others with questions about the pain they were feeling from post and current injuries.

This is when she begins enacting the “return to play” policy, which is required by the state of New Jersey. This policy is used to bring athletes back into sports after an injury that keeps them off the field.  Neilson conducts a series of workouts and agility drills to make sure the injured athlete is healed enough to resume their athletic activities. The protocol usually lasts about 4 days, with football needing an added day before contact is allowed in practices.   

Following Neilson’s “return to play protocol” she has some free time to organize and talk to coaches about their athletes’ recovery status. Neilson also gives the coaches information on how to ease them back into practices and games.  

During Neilson’s free time, she observes the athletic games that are most likely prone to injury, or she works in her office so coaches and athletes can find her easily. 

Neilson is in the unique position of having to be responsible not just for Pioneer athletes, but for opposing team players as well.  Most freshman or JV teams travel without an Athletic Trainer, so Neilson has to be able  to evaluate and treat any athlete and get them playing or recovering as fast as possible.

In order to achieve this, Neilson is constantly trying to improve the recovery of athletes and students.  Some of her current projects include forming a yoga program or even a sports medicine class.