When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020, Broadway went dark and theaters across the country closed, forcing performers and dance companies to figure out how to navigate the unknown circumstances ahead of them.

The March NATA News features an article about women in leadership and how to address barriers and challenges to becoming a leader. In honor of Women’s History Month this March, NATA would like to keep this conversation going through a monthlong blog series highlighting our female leaders.

Hiring athletic trainers to care for local public safety departments is gaining momentum in cities across the U.S. Because of the support and funding necessary to incorporate athletic training services into government budgets, finding their place in smaller communities to provide care might be intimidating to ATs. 

The athletic training profession equips ATs with a diverse set of skills that allows them to work throughout health care. While some athletic trainers work directly with patients and athletes in the clinical setting, others can be found in hospital administration and occupational health.

Leah Friedland, MS, ATC, is the program leader for Workforce Health and Safety at Northwestern Medicine Hospital.

As health care professionals, athletic trainers should be part of the conversation when preparing for employees to return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Safety Committee, housed within the Council on Practice Advancement (COPA), recently released the Temperature Flow Chart resource for ATs to share with their organization’s planning teams or administration when preparing to return to work.