NATA Now

To promote individual health and well-being and advance population health, NATA and American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) have announced a commitment to greater collaboration in a joint statement released Dec. 19. The statement outlines how both organizations can work together to advance patient care and encourages members of the two organizations as well as stakeholders to do the same.  

Five Things Santa and His Elves Have to Do to Avoid Christmas Disaster 

Dear Santa, 

As you and the elves at the North Pole prepare for your busiest and biggest night of the year, we know that you and your team will face challenges including extreme weather, dangerous and slippery rooftops, hauling heavy packages and maneuvering down a wide variety of chimneys. These working conditions put you and the elves at risk for concussions, sprains, overuse and cold weather injuries, and much more. 

For this blog post, the NATA Student Leadership Committee talked with two graduate assistants about their experiences, how they came into their positions and some advice they have for students.

This year, more than 40 members are celebrating 50 years of NATA membership. Congratulations to them and all of our members celebrating milestones with the association this year. Our 50-year members of 2018 are:

Stephen Bartlett

Gregg Bautsch

Gerald Bell

Turner Blackburn

Jay Bradley

Arno Buntrock

Kenneth Carson

Aubry Fisk

Roy Fowler

Francis George

Roy Gilchrist

Dennis Hart

John Harvey

Peter Howard

David Jerabek

Gregory Kaumeyer

The Development section (on pages 33-37) of the December NATA News included details on many ways that NATA helped enhance the profession this year through programs, services and education designed to improve patient outcomes. Two major contributors to this effort were the  Athletic Training Education Journal and the Journal of Athletic Training. While some information about each was included in the magazine, there was even more to see and it is included below. 

By Kim Diggs

Athletic training students from across the country will make the trek to Irving, Texas, Jan. 25-26, 2019, to attend the iLEAD Athletic Training Student Leadership Conference, an opportunity to gain unique networking opportunities and valuable, hands-on experience while learning from industry experts.

By Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC, CSCS, Bryanna Garrett, LAT, ATC, Gianluca Del Rossi, PhD, ATC, and Anna Griffiths, MS, LAT, ATC

University of South Florida, Department of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, USF SMART Institute

Our thoughts are with the NATA members and their families who were affected by Hurricane Michael last month.

By Kim Diggs

After a two-year stint, the Back to Sports Grant Program has come to a close. Held in partnership with the National Football League and American Heart Association (AHA), the mini-grant program awarded 188 NATA members with a grant to be used to educate parents and guardians of secondary school student athletes.

The stipends and presentation materials that comprised the Back to Sports program were only granted to NATA members. The total amount of all of the grants awarded was $47,000.

Athletic trainers and health care providers develop special relationships with their patients. However, concern comes when an athletic trainer crosses that professional boundary with their charges. Many individuals assume this behavior is specific to recent graduates when, in actuality, this issue is one that can happen to any athletic trainer at any age or in any setting. There can be serious consequences for this act, especially if the patient is under the age of consent. Penalties include, but are not limited to, an athletic trainer being arrested or losing his/her job or license.