I recently came across this article posted not too long ago on the USA Today website. The author posted this article around the same time as the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) annual professional conference was held in Las Vegas, NV. This article does a great job at describing both the internal and external struggles faced by the certified athletic trainer. Struggles that involve not only the health and well-being of patient populations, but those faced through skewed public perception of what athletic training actually is. The oft-used saying in athletic training education is that "we are certified athletic trainers who are qualified, licensed healthcare professionals who are responsible for a wide array of medical, administrative, preventative, educational, rehabilitative, and now even some psychological duties and interventions. We are not 'trainers'. 'Trainer' implies someone who works with horses, or someone who passed an online course to receive a certification in personal training. Someone who maybe works with your pet to ensure they are obedient." Athletic trainers are not 'trainers'. Please, do not get me wrong, the individuals listed above are all highly qualified to be performing their respective jobs and all have valuable roles in society. Most people utilize the services provided by these individuals. However, athletic trainers have a specific skill set that has been honed through many years of didactic and clinical education and applies to certain patient populations in the human healthcare arena. Skills that are governed by higher bodies, such as the local and federal government, and professional organizations such as the NATA.
The issue surrounding the confusion of what athletic trainers actually do seems to be directly correlated with the name of the profession. It is a name that has long been attached to the profession since its infancy, and has long been a source of frustration for those who practice it. There has been much debate as of late regarding a potential name change, where professional committees have been formed, market research has been done, and feedback from professionals in the field has been received. Ultimately, it does not appear a name change for the profession of athletic training is imminent. As a future certified athletic trainer, someone who will carry on the struggle of promoting the profession and clarifying public perception of its nature, do I agree with not changing the name? As it happens, I do agree with keeping the name "Certified Athletic Trainer". This is due in part to the history and tradition of the field. As previously mentioned, the heart and soul of this profession is deeply connected to the name it was given so many years ago. But also, as put by NATA president Jim Thornton, "...'athletic trainer' isn't a very good description of what we do. To tell
you the truth, our scope is so wide and so broad ... there isn't a name
out there really that does a very good job of it at all."
Ultimately, I think it is crucial for athletic trainers and anyone familiar with the profession to continue promoting the profession and clarifying skewed public perceptions of what we do by any and all means possible. Certified athletic trainers play a vital role in the sports medicine team. As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, and as quoted in this article, "...[athletic trainers] have been thrust into more specialized duties in front lines of sports medicine." There it is again: "front lines of sports medicine".
Jim - I agree with you - so much has been being said regarding the pros and cons of the name of our profession. I, like you, also feel that a name change will not be happening any time soon. If you would have asked me this last year, I would have said yes, as much was being debated within the profession regarding the need to change the name of the profession. It seems that through that debate, however, that there is more support for remaining where we are with the name of the profession.
ReplyDeleteJim- I come across this problem all too often. When I tell people what I am studying in school, they usually think I am going to be a coach or a gym teacher. I also agree that the name should not be changed anytime soon, but I think that we as students (and eventually certified athletic trainers) need to continue to promote the profession so people are aware of what we actually do.
ReplyDeleteJim - I totally agree with your thoughts on this matter. The name of our profession does not do us any justice. We are taught so much as athletic trainers, and the fact that many people have no idea what it is that we do is a huge part of why our opinion is undervalued by many people. Whenever I tell someone what I'm going to school for, I'm already anticipating them asking what that is, or what gym I work at. (though we're already used to that from our Kinesiology background...) I don't think the name will be changed anytime soon, but hopefully athletic training will continue to expand at the high school level and we will get more recognition.
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