March is National Athletic Training Month.

Certified athletic trainers

Certified athletic trainers (ATCs) are unique health care providers who specialize in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses that occur to athletes and the physically active. As part of a complete health care team, the ATC works under the direction a licensed physician and in cooperation with other health care professionals.

Practice settings

Certified athletic trainers can be found almost anywhere people are physically active. Whether it be on the playing field or in an industrial work setting, ATCs are in place to help active people prevent injuries and stay healthy. Here are some of the places you will find them:

• Secondary Schools: ATCs work closely with athletes for multiple team sports, as well as cheerleading and other spirit groups. Many ATCs also teach classes at the high school level.
• Colleges and universities: ATCs work as part of the university's athletic department, campus recreation department or health center. ATCs as classroom and/or clinical instructors prepare students for careers in athletic training. ATCs are conducting research to expand the body of knowledge as it relates to injury prevention, management and rehabilitation.
• Professional sports: ATCs who work with professional teams specialize in only one sport (e.g., football, NASCAR, baseball, basketball, hockey or soccer).
• Sports medicine clinics and hospitals: ATCs in sports medicine clinics, rehabilitation centers and hospitals work with various health care professionals and a diverse population. Many clinics and hospitals also outsource athletic training services to secondary schools, colleges and universities, and professional teams.
• Physicians' offices: Many certified athletic trainers work in private physician practices, including orthopaedics, family practice, pediatrics and physiatry. Physicians in private practice hire athletic trainers because of their skills in triage, exercise routine, rehabilitation, patient education and sometimes office administration and research. ATCs—and other support health care providers—working in physician offices are frequently referred to as "physician extenders."
• Military branches: ATCs can be found in every branch of the U.S. military. They serve as part of the health care team for: injured and non-injured services people, on-and-off-base fitness and wellness centers, new-recruit readiness programs and pre-enlistment readiness programs. ATCs' expertise has proven extremely valuable in helping to accelerate the return to duty of injured service people.
• Occupational workplaces: ATCs provide value and a return on investment in industrial and commercial settings, which use both outreach clinics and full-time ATC employees to deliver services. Their assistance can result in lower liability, workers' compensation and general health care insurance costs for the employer.
• Performing arts: ATCs work with performing artists to ensure their flexibility, condition, injury prevention and rehabilitation. Examples include Radio City Rockettes, Blue Man Group and acrobats from Cirque du Soleil.
• Youth sports and recreation: ATCs work with youth and adults in organized sports leagues and recreational facilities. In this role, they educate coaches, participants and parents in sports safety and injury care.

Education requirements

ATCs must have, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree, usually in athletic training. ATCs also participate in extensive clinical affiliations with physicians offices, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics and athletic teams under appropriate supervision.

Accredited undergraduate education programs include formal instruction in a variety of areas, including: injury/illness prevention; first aid and emergency care; assessment of injury/illness; human anatomy and physiology; therapeutic modalities; and nutrition. More than 70 percent of certified athletic trainers hold an advanced degree.

Certification

Certified athletic trainers have fulfilled the entry-level requirements for certification established by the Board of Certification (www.bocatc.org). The certification examination consists of: a written part with multiple choice questions; a practical section that evaluates the skill components of the domains within athletic training; and a written simulation test, consisting of athletic training related situations designed to approximate real-life decision making. In addition to the exam, ATCs must maintain continuing education, and meet individual state regulatory or licensure requirements in most states. To determine if these added requirements apply, ATCs must check their state practice act.

National Athletic Trainers' Association

The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) , headquartered in Dallas, Texas, was founded in 1950. Today, the NATA membership spans the globe and includes 30,000 members.

The mission of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) is to enhance the quality of health care for athletes and those engaged in physical activity and to advance the profession of athletic training through education and research in prevention, evaluation, management and rehabilitation of injuries.

For more information, contact:
National Athletic Trainers' Association
www.nata.org
2952 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75247 USA
214-637-6282 voice
214-637-2206 fax

© Copyright, 2004. National Athletic Trainers' Association.