ATHLETIC TRAINING PROFESSSION

NATA CAREER INFORMATION

WHAT DOES A CERTIFED ATHLETIC TRAINER DO?
Look around you -- people these days are on the move. We’re learning more, trying more and doing more. Consequently, when the level of physical activity increases, the risk for injury rises as well. That’s where the certified athletic trainer comes in: whether it’s an athlete of any age, an industrial worker performing physical tasks or even an average citizen delving into recreational athletics, the certified athletic trainer can help. Certified athletic trainers (ATCs) are medical professionals that are experts in prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries that result from physical activity. Certified athletic trainers can help you avoid unnecessary medical treatment and disruption of normal daily life; if you’re injured, they can get you on the mend and keep you on the move.

Athletic training is recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession, and the AMA recommends certified athletic trainers in every high school to keep America’s youth safe and healthy. Specifically, the ATC specializes in six practice areas or domains:

• Prevention
• Clinical evaluation and diagnosis
• Immediate care
• Treatment, rehabilitation and reconditioning
• Organization and administration
• Professional responsibility

As part of a complete health care team, the certified athletic trainer works under the direction of a licensed physician and in cooperation with other health care professionals, athletic administrators, coaches and parents. The ATC gets to know each athlete individually and can treat injuries more effectively. A certified athletic trainer’s day may, for example, include these tasks:

• Prepare athletes for practice or competition, including taping, bandaging and bracing;
• Evaluate injuries to determine their management and possible referral;
• Develop conditioning programs;
• Implement treatment and rehabilitation programs.

These duties require extensive knowledge and strong decision-making skills obtained through the certified athletic trainer’s experience and education.

WHERE DOES A CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINER WORK?
Where are people active? That’s where you can find certified athletic trainers.

• SECONDARY SCHOOLS: Public and private secondary schools offer special job opportunities for ATCs. Parents and administrators are discovering the benefits an ATC can offer in preventing and caring for injuries. Many certified athletic trainers also teach classes at the high school level although some secondary schools are large enough to employ athletic trainers for sport coverage only.
• COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: Employment in this setting remains stable with little turnover. A majority of colleges and universities now require a master’s degree for employment. Certified athletic trainers’ jobs in colleges and universities generally fall into two categories:
  - Athletic department staff/ sports coverage only
  - Combination instructor/athletic trainer
• PROFESSIONAL SPORTS: In this setting, certified athletic trainers work only one sport, such as football, baseball, basketball, hockey or soccer. Although teams operate only a few months per year, ATCs work year-round conditioning and rehabilitating athletes. Fewer jobs are available in this practice setting due to the limited number of teams although the expansion of professional sports and teams in existing leagues has increased opportunities for ATCs.
• SPORTS MEDICINE CLINICS and HOSPITALS: These growing settings provide certified athletic trainers the opportunity to work with a number of different health care professionals and a diverse patient population. In addition to athletic injury rehabilitation, many clinics and hospitals provide athletic training services for local secondary schools.
• PHYSICIAN OFFICES: This setting is unique in that ATCs work in a environment as a liaison between the physician and patient. ATCs in this setting assist in initial patient evaluation and assessment as well as follow up questions when the physician has left the treatment room. Many times these ATCs are able to assist in home exercise programs involving therapeutic exercises and rehabilitation. ATCs may also assist in diagnostic procedure scheduling and research endeavors.
• FITNESS CENTERS: ATCs in this setting focus their education of strength and conditioning to develop and maintain quality fitness routines with patients. Their knowledge in prevention serves to educate patients in areas of proper biomechanics and techniques with a variety of fitness and wellness programs.
• INDUSTRY: This newer athletic training setting is geared towards decreasing medical costs from musculoskeletal injuries suffered on the job site. ATCs in this setting work under the direction of a “plant/factory doctor” and provide ergonomic instruction, injury treatment and rehabilitation

Other possible athletic training employment opportunities include corporate health programs, health and fitness clubs, clinical and industrial health care programs and athletic training education programs.

WHAT DOES A CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINER NEED?
Students who want to become certified athletic trainers must earn a bachelors degree from an accredited athletic training education program or meet other requirements set by the Board of Certification (BOC). A growing numbers of universities, including Indiana Wesleyan have gained accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

Accredited entry-level education programs include formal instruction in a variety of areas, such as:

• Prevention of injuries and illness
• Assessment and evaluation of injury/illness
• Emergency care
• Therapeutic modalities
• Therapeutic exercise
• Athletic training program administration
• Human anatomy and physiology
• Exercise physiology
• Kinesiology/Biomechanics
• Nutrition and Health
• Psychology
• Pharmacology
• Pathology
• Health care administration
• Fitness and Wellness
• Strength and Conditioning

Classroom learning is enhanced through clinical education experiences. Under the supervision of a certified athletic trainer, students further develop their knowledge and skills in a wide range of settings, including scholastic sports, interscholastic sports, sports medicine clinics and other venues where ATCs work.

Many students earn their certification after completing the entry-level program. They can continue their studies, however, at an NATA approved graduate education program.

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFIATIONS TO BECOME A CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINER?
Certifying athletic trainers ensures high standards of professional practice. Certification by the Board of Certification (BOC) is the entry-level credential and is required by most employers. To be eligible to sit for the certification exam, students are advised to earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited entry-level athletic training education program. After interested candidates have met the curriculum requirements, they must then pass a computer based exam.

Those who pass the exam are certified, and their certification is retained as long as they meet the continuing education requirements set by the BOC. Continuing education requirements include:

• Completion and reporting of a predetermined number of continuing education units
• Adherence to the BOC Standards of Professional Practice

Continuing education requirements are meant to insure that ATCs stay current in the advancements in athletic training. The purposes of the requirements are the ATCs continue to:

• Obtain current professional development information
• Explore new knowledge in specific content areas
• Master new athletic training-related skills and techniques
• Expand approaches to effective athletic training
• Further develop professional judgment
• Conduct professional practice in an ethical and appropriate manner

STATE LICENSURE & REGULATION
In addition to certification, athletic trainers must meet individual state licensing and registration requirements in a growing numbers of states. To determine if these added requirements apply, certified athletic trainers must check with the states in which they practice.

WHAT FINANCIAL AID IS AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATION?
Students who are interested in an athletic training career can explore financial assistance through Indiana Wesleyan's financial aid office for information about many possible sources of aid:

• Scholarships
• Federal and Basic educational opportunity grants
• College work/study programs
• National defense student loans

In addition, the NATA offers scholarships for its members through the NATA Research & Education Foundation. The foundation had three scholarship categories:

• Undergraduate for college students in their junior year
• Curriculum for college students in the junior year of a curriculum program
• Postgraduate for college students in the final year of undergraduate education or graduates of an undergraduate program

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINERS’ ASSOCIATION?
NATA is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing, encouraging and improving the athletic training profession. Through its commitment to improving athletes’ health and well-being, NATA promotes excellence in athletic health care through public awareness and education.

When athletic trainers join NATA, they gain a variety of services:

• ANNUAL MEETING & TRADE SHOW: The largest athletic training trades show in the United States, this four-day event includes educational workshops and clinical sessions featuring nationally recognized sports medicine experts.
• NATA PUBLICATIONS: The monthly NATA News highlights national, regional and local news and includes articles on the latest issues affecting certified athletic trainers and other sports medicine professionals. The quarterly Journal of Athletic Training contains in-depth clinical and scientific research articles by experts in sports medicine as well as regular sports medicine columns.
• GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: NATA’s government relations department monitors all levels of government for new legislation and initiatives that affect athletic training. The department also provides information on specific legislation and regulation to help NATA members understand how the legislative process affects them.
• JOB REFERRAL SERVICES: NATA offers the most comprehensive athletic trainers’ job referral service in the United States. Accessible by phone or computer, this service lists job openings in all athletic training settings and locations.
• PUBLIC RELATIONS: NATA has an extensive public awareness and educational program to keep health care professionals and others up-to-date on the latest athletic training advances through press releases, brochures, videos, a speaker’s bureau and an international public relations campaign.

For more information:
NATA
Attn: Membership
2952 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75247
Phone: (214) 637-6282
Fax: (214) 637-2206

www.nata.org
webdude@nata.org
Derived from the Career Information in Athletic Training Pamphlet produced by the NATA