Founded in 1950, NATA represents 30,000 members of the athletic training profession, allowing them to accomplish more than they could individually and to enhance the quality of health care they provide.
Provided by the NATA
Founded in 1950, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) represents and supports 30,000 members of the athletic training profession and is committed to enhancing the quality of health care provided by its members.
“By joining forces as a group, NATA members can accomplish more for the athletic training profession than they can individually,” says Marjorie Albohm, MS, ATC, President of NATA. “The majority of athletic trainers choose to be members of NATA – to support their profession, and to receive a broad array of membership benefits.”
Athletic trainers can be found almost anywhere people are physically active, including high schools and middle schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, military, law enforcement, public safety, physician offices, hospitals and clinics, corporate and industrial settings, and the performing arts, among others.
Physically active locales
Many athletic trainers work in the high school and middle school settings via direct employment with schools and districts and on an outreach basis from clinics and hospitals. More than 21 percent of NATA members provide service to secondary schools and approximately 17 percent work for a university or junior college, providing medical coverage for athletics teams. In 1998 the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy recommending that certified athletic trainers be available to all schools with athletics programs.
Athletic trainers in the secondary school and collegiate settings provide injury prevention and conditioning programs and injury evaluation. They prepare athletes for practice and competition, implement treatment and rehabilitation programs for injured athletes and provide first response to acute injuries and medical emergencies that take place during competition.
“With the proliferation of school sports participation today, the need for on-site care to ensure the prevention and treatment of injury should it occur is crucial,” Albohm said. “Yet only 42 percent of high schools have access to an athletic trainer.”
Athletic trainers also provide their expertise of musculoskeletal injury prevention, rehabilitation and treatment to the professional sports world, trusted by the world’s best athletes for years. Approximately 800 NATA members work for professional teams and leagues, including the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, NHL, PGA, professional tennis, auto racing and even the rodeo.
Physician-approved
Athletic trainers are regularly employed in hospitals, clinics, the offices of orthopedists and in family, pediatric, physiatry and sports medicine practices. Athletic trainers, working as physician extenders, improve physician productivity and patient outcomes and satisfaction. ATs also help move patients faster through the appointment and treatment process. By treating more patients in the same period of time, physicians are able to increase billings, patient throughput and revenue generation.
Military and law enforcement
Athletic trainers’ education and unique skill set provide valuable service to a number of emerging settings, including the military and public safety. In the Armed Forces, athletic trainers work on and off base in fitness and wellness centers, new recruit readiness programs, pre-enlistment readiness programs, initial entry training (IET) and advanced initial training (AIT). They work as part of a health care team and generally are part of the civilian workforce. Similarly, athletic trainers in recent years have applied their skills to the treatment and education of law enforcement personnel. NATA members are currently working for the Marines, Navy SEALS, U.S. Coast Guard training, the U.S. Army, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department.
Industrial settings
Industrial employees are sometimes referred to as “industrial athletes.” They benefit from working with athletic trainers, because the physical nature of their jobs makes them susceptible to many kinds of injuries. Athletic trainers working in industrial settings are skilled in implementing injury-prevention programs, ergonomic assessment, functional capacity exams, work-readiness conditioning, health and wellness programming, on-site physical rehabilitation, case management, and return-to-work programs – all of which are helping large, brand-name corporations save time and money by increasing productivity and reducing workers’ compensation claims, sick time, and overall duration of injuries and illnesses.
Performing arts
Athletic trainers have been working with performing artists for more than 25 years. World-renowned entertainment venues and performing arts groups, such as Cirque du Soleil, Disney World and Disneyland, Radio City Rockettes, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Cincinnati Ballet and Blue Man Group use their athletic training programs to keep their performers in peak condition.
Performing arts athletic trainers offer specialized injury prevention and rehabilitative care to dancers, musicians and vocalists. “Studies show that the on-site medical care that the athletic trainer can provide performers reduces both the frequency and severity of injuries, as well as reducing operating and production costs,” Albohm said.
For more information about NATA, please visit www.nata.org.