Sports Medicine

At Ocean County College, we prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of our student-athletes. We have a dedicated staff of sports medicine professionals who provide excellent care to our student-athletes.

1.  Athletic Trainer

The Athletic Trainer/Coordinator is located in the Health and Human Performance Center and is responsible for the evaluation, immediate care, treatment and rehabilitation of emergency, acute and chronic athletic injuries. The Athletic Training clinic is located in room G108 of the Health and Human Performance Center and offers a variety of modalities available to athletes, including electrical stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, sequential biocompression units, and cryotherapy, among others. The Athletic Trainer/Coordinator shall be present at all home athletic contests and will tend to the game time sports medicine needs of both the home and away teams. New injury evaluations and rehabilitation are by appointment only.

Peter J. DiStefano - MS, ATC/LAT

Athletic Trainer/Coordinator

OCCAthleticTrainer@ocean.edu

732-255-0400 x2192

2.  Team Physician 

Team physician services for Ocean County College Athletics are provided by a team of specialists from Seaview Orthopedics. Dr. Andrew Nelson provides medical direction to the OCC athletic trainers and is the lead team physician. He is board-certified in family medicine and is fellowship trained in sports medicine. For Dr. Nelson's complete bio, click here.

3.  Pre-Participation Physical Exams

All student-athletes MUST have a physical prior to participating in practices and/or games as stated in Article V, Section 9 of the NJCAA handbook. No exceptions will be allowed. Students are responsible for scheduling a physical at their medical home, however if the student is without a medical home or without health insurance, he/she may get a physical from the OCC team physician at the team physicians office. All physicals must be completed using the Ocean County College athletic physical form… no exceptions. Click here to access physical form.

NJCAA Handbook – ARTICLE V – Eligibility Rules

Section 9 – Physical Examination

All student-athletes participating in any one of the NJCAA certified sports must have passed a physical examination administered by a qualified health care professional licensed to administer physical examinations, prior to the first practice for each calendar year in which they compete.

 3.  Health Insurance / Consent to Treat / Release Health Information

Students must provide all health insurance information prior to trying out, including a copy (front & back) of their health insurance card. Students without health insurance must provide proof in writing and work with the Athletic Trainer to be covered by Ocean County College’s accidental insurance policy. Additionally, all student-athletes who are trying out for a sport at Ocean County College will be required to submit signed documents consenting to treatment of injuries and illnesses by the Athletic Trainer(s) and Team Physician(s), as well the sharing of confidential health records that pertain to the evaluation and treatment and management of injury and illness. Click here to access forms.