Exploring the AT Expo
During the 76th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo June 24-27 in Orlando, convention attendees connected with more than 245 exhibitors in the exhibit hall of the Orange County Convention Center. The AT Expo was an opportunity for ATs to browse from the largest showcase of products and services for the athletic training profession. Watch the convention photo recap video below for a look at this year’s AT Expo, and visit the NATA PhotoZone on SmugMug for more NATA 2025 photo highlights.
The ATLAS Project Update: Athletic Training Locations And Services
Since the pilot-launch of the ATLAS project at the NATA symposium in St. Louis this year, the KSI team has been extremely busy working alongside the NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers' Committee (SSATC) to map all of the athletic training services provided at the secondary school level across the nation! “What we did was take all of the data from the Benchmark Study (funded by the NATA) and mapped every school based on their zip code using an online program call Zeemaps by Zee Source” said Rob Huggins, Vice President for Research at KSI.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Handout
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is caused by an electrical disturbance in the heart that disrupts pumping, and every year in the U.S. 2,000 patients under age 25 die because of it, according to the Center for Disease Control. To help you educate your student athletes, coaches, administration and parents on the dangers of SCA, NATA has created a sudden cardiac arrest handout (pdf) that was published in the February NATA News on p. 58.
AT Moms Facebook Group Members Share Work-Life Balance Advice
AT Spotlight: Jon Reidy
NATA Student Leadership Committee Chair Jon Reidy discovered his love of athletic training early on.
“I have a very typical story,” said Reidy, who played several sports growing up. “I went into the athletic training facility [after an injury] my freshman year and never left. I spent countless hours in there. My sophomore year, I decided that’s what I wanted to do.
Going Beyond the Stage: Learn More about the ATs in our February Cover Story
Scott Sailor Columns on USA Today and Huffington Post
Over the past six months, two high profile opportunities became available to NATA President Scott Sailor. He was given the chance to become a regular contributor to both USA Today High School Sports and the Huffington Post. Since last August, he has been writing for these sites and has produced a good library of columns on a range of different topics. Since you might not have seen all of these articles, we have compiled all of them here:
USA Today High School Sports:
Opportunities Continue to Grow for ATs in the Military
Musckuloskeletal (MSK) injuries are the single largest impediment to operational readiness in the military setting. Over 600,000 services members sustain a MSK each year, resulting in over 2.2 million medical encounters. 1-3 Along with the impact on readiness, MSK are the largest contributor to time loss and account for over $550 million in direct care patient costs per year.
Relative Value Unit for the Athletic Trainer
Sean Burfeind, MS, ATC, OTC and JJ Wetherington, MS, ATC, OTC, members of the NATA Committee on Practice Advancement Physician Practice Workgroup, have put together an informative document about Relative Value Units (RVUs) for athletic trainers working in the physician practice setting.
This resource defines RVUs, explains how they are used in physician practices and discusses how they are relevant to ATs. Download the PDF to read the full document.
December Legislative Update
Here is the December update from our Government Affairs department
Federal Legislation and Regulation
- H.R. 921: The Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, has 103 co-sponsors, and the Senate version, S. 689, has seven co-sponsors.
- H.R. 829: The SAFE PLAY Act, has 43 co-sponsors, and the Senate version, S. 436, has one co-sponsor.
- H.Res. 112: The Secondary School Student Athletes’ Bill of Rights, has 34 co-sponsors, and S. Res. 83 has one co-sponsor.
Building Relationships With Your Local EMS
by Denise Alosa, MS, ATC
One of the most important work relationships you can foster as a secondary school athletic trainer is that of your local EMS team. You do not want the first time you meet your EMS squad to be while you are standing over an injured athlete. Take the time to connect with them regularly, and it will make those interactions on the field go smoothly.