The NCAA requires all new (incoming and transfer) student-athletes to submit specific documentation of their sickle-cell trait (SCT) status to the Athletics department. There are several ways that you can obtain documentation of your status:
- Talk to your pediatrician to see if they have records of your SCT lab results.
- Inquire with your birth hospital to see if they have records of your SCT lab results.
- Arrange to have a simple blood test with your doctor for a SCT screen/test to get the lab results of your status.
- Order a SCT test directly through Quest Diagnostics without the need to see a doctor. Cost is $66.
- All newborns in California have been screened for SCT. If you were born in California, you can obtain your status documentation from the state of California Newborn Screening Program. Note that it may take up to 30 days to get these results delivered to you.
- If you were born in a state other than California, you can inquire with the newborn screening program in that state to see if they can provide documentation for you. If they can, be sure to find out how long it will take to get your results.
Important Note: The documentation you submit should be a lab test result for a
hemoglobin solubility test. This kind of test will show that you have either a "normal" hemoglobin pattern (e.g. HgA or HgF) or an "abnormal" hemoglobin pattern (e.g. HgS). Additionally, a "normal" test result may indicate that your test result is "negative," meaning that it is negative for any abnormal hemoglobin patterns. Please check your documentation to make sure it has the correct information on it. We cannot accept routine blood test results that only show hemoglobin
levels (as opposed to the hemoglobin
pattern that the NCAA is requiring). And we cannot accept notes from your doctor simply stating what your status is. It needs to be an official lab result. You can find
samples of acceptable documentation here.
NCAA Sickle-Cell Trait Fact Sheet for Student-Athletes
NCAA Sickle-Cell Trait Fact Sheet for Coaches
