NATA Now

By Jennifer McHenry, MS, LAT, ATC, with additional reporting from Emma Nye DAT, LAT, ATC

I have been an athletic trainer in the high school setting for more than 20 years. I hope my athletes remember me after they graduate as someone they could trust and turn to when they had a problem, whether it was athletic related or not.

March is an exciting month for athletic trainers. In addition to being National Athletic Training Month, March is also Women’s History Month. This Women’s History Month, we’d like to celebrate all #ATwomen making a difference in the profession and their patients’ lives, and highlight four women in particular who have owned their impact – the four women currently serving on the NATA Board of Directors.

By Kim Diggs

Every day presents an opportunity for NATA to highlight the impact athletic trainers have on work, life and sport. From meeting with legislators about the critical role you play in health care to educating the media and public about #ATimpact, athletic training, and the dedicated health care professionals we serve, are always on our minds.

In January 2019, the NATA Board of Directors approved the addition of an at-large member to the Professional Education Committee. The new member should be a recognized leader as a practicing clinician and preceptor; and will have the primary objective of overseeing past, current, and future efforts to offer resources to the membership aimed at optimizing the clinical education process.

Candidates interested in the position should meet or exceed the following requirements:

-Current certified membership in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association

By Kim Diggs

Every year, the NFL hosts the National Invitational Combine in Indianapolis. This gathering is comprised of more than 300 NFL hopefuls preparing for the NFL Draft in April and a medical staff of athletic trainers assessing the physical condition of each athlete. Alongside the ATs administering exams are orthopedists, radiologists, cardiologists and internal medicine physicians.

By Kimberly Hansen ATC, LAT, CES

San Antonio firefighter Tim Worley knew something was wrong as soon as he heard the pop.

The 16-year San Antonio Fire Department veteran was playing with his dog when he stumbled backwards, twisting his leg and causing a loud pop from his knee.

“He actually came in and told me he thought he tore his [anterior cruciate ligament]. I did an assessment and said I agreed,” said SAFD athletic trainer Deena Kilpatrick, MS, LAT, ATC.

In the cover story of the March NATA News, “Caring for Those Who Care for Others,” athletic trainer and Metis Tactical founder Hunt Whitten, ATC, LAT, EMT, discusses his work in the public safety setting, specifically with firefighters in the Houston area. While Whitten has impacted the health and well-being of firefighters with the Spring, Ponderosa and Cypress Creek Fire Departments, no one has been impacted more than firefighter Jason Randall.

Adjusting your skills from the field or court to the warehouse isn’t always one-size-fits-all. To make an industrial injury prevention plan more attainable, NATA has created an infographic that appears in the March NATA News. This infographic handout makes it easier to examine and care for this unique patient population.