#SoCaltech: Nick Harvey

“As an assistant athletic trainer in the sports medicine department, I am a medical professional who provides health care services for our student-athletes. Our office works to assist with their orthopedic and other medical needs so that they are able to participate in athletics to their full potential while in school. We act as a medical resource, and our expertise includes risk reduction, injury prevention, assessments and evaluations, critical/emergency management, and rehabilitative services. We're often the first to witness an injury and can serve as a supportive health care partner throughout the entire recovery process.

“Until recently, California was the only state that did not recognize or regulate athletic training as a medical profession. As the governmental affairs chairperson for our state organization, the California Athletic Trainers’ Association, I helped pass a bill that starts to establish regulatory standards that mimic the rest of the nation.

“When you see a physician, for example, they are licensed by the state—this is what athletic trainers want as well. We want the oversight and standards of education put in place. It is a public protection issue, but it can really be a problem in youth athletics and high school sports. There was no guarantee that the athletic trainer on the sideline was qualified to handle injuries or possible emergency situations like concussions and heat illness. This new law starts to fix that.

“I have a great passion for athletic training and what I do, and I love being able to work with my patients through their injuries to see them reach their best potential in athletics and life. The student athletes here at Caltech are amazing, and I am thankful I can be a resource for them. I’m there when the injury happens, and I strive to do what I can to help them return to playing the sport that brings them joy or success in their Caltech career—whatever that means to them.”

Nick Harvey has served as an athletic trainer for Caltech since 2021. In April, he received the Special Recognition Award from the Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association for his successful efforts to lobby for regulatory standards for athletic trainers in California.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.