NATA Now

In honor of Black History Month in February, NATA Now is highlighting some of our Black leaders at the state, district and national levels as they share insight into their volunteer journeys.

After observing her high school coach’s son work as an athletic trainer and physical therapist, Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee member Natalie Trotter, MS, LAT, ATC, decided to become an athletic trainer herself.

As your source of lifelong learning, NATA EducATe provides users with an extensive educational library, a customizable experience, the ability to interact with peers and more.

New courses are consistently being added to the platform to ensure you have the knowledge needed to stay up to date in your practice – as well as earn CEUs. Here’s a look at the course released in December. Visit NATA EducATe for more information on this and other courses available at your fingertips.

The NATA Timely Topics Series has brought athletic training thought leaders and sports medicine practitioners together in an informative virtual forum since 2020. This member-focused resource has fostered discussion to help ATs grow their clinical practice and understanding of hot topics in health care. Each event gives attendees the chance to connect in real time to thought leaders who have anecdotal success within these areas of interest, as well as access to a library of related resources.

In 2024, the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee announced the creation of four national awards, in addition to its existing Bill Chisolm Professional Service Award for athletic trainers who are NATA members nominated in good standing and non-NATA members. Candidates aren’t required to be a member of an underrepresented ethnically diverse population.

Every day, NATA and the NATA Government Affairs Department are working on behalf of the athletic training profession. With staff members experienced in all aspects of the legislative process, the NATA Government Affairs Department is the sole department focused on advocacy for the profession. NATA’s goal is to ensure that all ATs can work to the fullest extent of their education and skill set. These bipartisan efforts consist of five key areas: state legislation, federal legislation, regulatory, reimbursement and NATAPAC.

The NATA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Council is made up of individuals with one goal – to develop and recommend efforts ensuring the implementation and integration of NATA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) commitments.

Since it was established in 2023, the DEIA Council has pursued this goal by supporting the strategic alignment of all of NATA’s DEIA-related committees and panels. This includes the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee, NATA LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee and NATA Accessibility Panel, the council’s newest addition.

Since 2005, the NATA Political Action Committee (NATAPAC) has been the voice of the athletic training profession, seeking better working conditions, fair access and the right to practice for all athletic trainers across America.

Over the past year, NATAPAC garnered more than $64,000 from 921 contributors between November 2023 and October 2024. View a complete list of the 2023-24 contributing members.

As your source of lifelong learning, NATA EducATe provides users with an extensive educational library, a customizable experience, the ability to interact with peers and more.

New courses are consistently being added to the platform to ensure you have the knowledge needed to stay up to date in your practice – as well as earn CEUs. Here’s a look at the courses released in November. Visit NATA EducATe for more information on these and other courses available at your fingertips.

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month in November, NATA Now is highlighting some of NATA’s Native/Indigenous American members and their impact on the athletic training profession.
 

Mentorship can have a lifelong effect on a person’s professional path, as seen in the story of Annaliese Andersen, CSCS, athletic training student at San Diego State University in California.