NATA Now

NATA hosted Prepare to Play February 29 in partnership with the University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City Chiefs and area Girl Scouts. This community service event is designed to educate area youth and their parents on important health and safety topics, promote general wellness and highlight the valuable role that ATs play in work, life and sport.

In order to help during these unprecedented times, and appreciating that many students need resources to prepare for the upcoming BOC exam, NATA, in conjunction with our partners at the ACES Preparatory Workshops, is offering our mock exams for free (a $58 value) for NATA student members until May 1. To access the exam, program directors can submit their students’ names and NATA member numbers to ki@nata.org.

Editor's note: In honor of Women’s History Month this March, NATA would like to celebrate all women athletic trainers making a difference in the profession and their patients’ lives through a monthlong blog series.

When Tina Carrillo, MS, ATC, was hired by Friendship Collegiate Academy in 2011, she was not only the first athletic trainer caring for student athletes within the 16 Friendship Public Charter Schools, but the first athletic trainer ever hired within the D.C. public charter school system.

Editor's note: In honor of National Athletic Training Month, NATA is conducting a twice-weekly blog series throughout March that showcases how ATs use the five domains of athletic training to improve the health and well-being of their patients. This blog post highlights domain four, Therapeutic Intervention, and how members are embodying this year’s NATM theme, “ATs Impact Health Care Through Action.”

It’s an unprecedented time during the COVID-19 pandemic with states around the country shutting down in hopes of stopping the spread of the virus. People are advised throughout the U.S. to stay home, with many health care professionals stating, “I stay at work for you; you stay at home for us.”

Athletic trainers are eager to help in whatever capacity they can. Some ATs are on the frontline at testing locations, while others are working on the structure of how their cities can best handle the situation.

“Our daily routines are affected by the fluidly changing situation surrounding the coronavirus,” said David Middlemas, EdD, ATC, CCISM, chair of NATA ATs Care Commission in his NATA Now blog post “ATs Care Support During COVID-19.” “These changes directly impact both the athletic trainer’s personal and professional lives, often with minimal or no input into the planning. As a result, we are thrust into a period of uncertainty that has the potential to negatively impact one’s daily life.”

With so many cancellations due to COVID-19 that directly impact NATA members, we encourage members to consider using NATA’s extensive online learning platform for BOC-approved CEU content. Now is an excellent time to focus on advancing your clinical skills and clinical specialization with NATA’s online professional development offerings.

Wanting to provide members with the education they need in the format that best suits their lives and learning preferences, NATA offers a variety of online educational opportunities.

Editor's note: In honor of National Athletic Training Month, NATA is conducting a twice-weekly blog series throughout March that showcases how ATs use the five domains of athletic training to improve the health and well-being and their patients. This blog post highlights domain four, Therapeutic Intervention, and how members are embodying this year’s NATM theme, “ATs Impact Health Care Through Action.” 

It is an understatement to say that we are living in unprecedented times. ATs are facing tough challenges on a scale greater than many have experienced in their lifetime. As I speak with members throughout the country, I’m reminded of how incredibly resilient we are, how we are natural problem solvers and are willing to go above and beyond for the health and well-being of those in our care. The tireless response to this crisis by members across the globe makes me so very proud to be an athletic trainer.

By David A. Middlemas, EdD. ATC. CCISM

Chair, ATs Care Commission, National Athletic Trainers’ Association.