NATA Now

by Jessica Daniels, MS, AT
Durable Medical Equipment Coordinator
Mercy Health/Wellington Sports Medicine
COPA Physician Practice Workgroup

As a certified athletic trainer, one topic I have heard many debate involves where to turn when the demands of traditional AT settings are no longer feasible. The reasons vary from person to person, but it can sometimes lead to the profession losing high quality clinicians. This blog was written to have an honest conversation about our options.

The May NATA News highlighted the works and achievements of the seven NATA Hall of Fame 2016 inductees. While every one of them has taken a unique path to the top of the profession, they all share a common thread: a drive to improve the profession as well as the lives of those for whom they care. Learn more about the 2016 class below.

David H. Craig, ATC, LAT

How has the profession changed throughout your career?

UPDATE (May 5, 2025): To ensure members have access to the most up-to-date information possible, Timothy Neal, LLMSW, ATC, CCISM, updated this column. Read the full post, “Burnout Considerations in Athletes,” on NATA Now and in the May/June NATA News.

After all the votes were conuted, the winner of the NATM 2016 Poster Contest is Otsego High School Athletic Training (@Otse_GOAT)! They will be awarded a $100 Amazon gift card and a $50 credit to the NATAGear merchandise store. You can see the top ten entries at the NATA Now blog, and be sure to check back this Friday when we reveal the winners of our #NATM2016 Social Media Contest.

By Carlie Mankin and Jennifer Doherty-Restrepo, Phd, ATC, LAT

We need your help again this year to help choose the winner of the NATM Poster Contest. We narrowed the entries down to ten of our favorites and you can see them in the folowing poll. You can vote for two, so let us know which ones you think are the best. The poll will only be available until Sunday (April 10), so be sure to vote early and often. We will be announcing the winner in next Monday's issue of Range of Motion.

The NATA Board of Directors in January unanimously approved the request of the NATA Committee on Practice Advancement and the NATA Terminology Workgroup to gradually eliminate the term “physician extender” to describe athletic trainers working in the physician practice setting.

The term “physician extender” became popularized in the 1980s; however, athletic trainers have worked alongside physicians in the clinical setting since the 1970s.

We are past the midway point of National Athletic Training Month but there is still plenty of time to promote the profession and maybe even pick up a prize along the way. In addition to the NATA Social Media Contest, you can qualify for a prize by showing us a photo featuring the NATM poster that was included in the February NATA News. If you missed it, or need another copy, it is also downloadable.

The NATA Professional Education Committee is producing a video series to recognize and share innovative teaching and learning ideas by academic professionals in the field of athletic training through the distribution of pedagogical tips that can be used to enhance the teaching, learning and assessment environment. The videos will demonstrate strategies that align with one of the following categories: Increase Student Motivation; Promote Active Learning; Engage Students in Learning Course Related Content and Develop Learner Attitudes; Values; and Self-Awareness.

The Executive Committee for Education has started a series of webinars to answer questions members raised regarding the degree transition. Here is the second video:

Determining the Degree and Organizational Structure

Upon completion of Lesson 2, participants will have:

- An appreciation for the need to understand the process involved in proposing and getting approval for a new degree program

- An understanding of potential prerequisites and admissions criteria

- An understanding of potential curricular models