An Editorial on an Editorial?

from Tiffany McGuffin...

In this month’s NATA News, there is an editorial that is once again discussing salary and one woman’s opinion on how to increase the athletic trainers’ overall worth (“Athletic Training Salaries and the Sate of Employment,” page 8).  I think her solution to the problem is spot-on, not only for the promotion of the profession’s salary cap, but for the promotion of the profession itself.  She addresses the need for athletic trainers at the collegiate level to be a part of the health centers, instead of the athletic departments.  Her model at the University of Boston has increased salaries by what I assume is due to being competitive with the other health professionals in the building.  When an athletic trainer is being compared, quite literally, side by side with other therapists and physician assistants, I can only assume that an athletic trainer’s specific skill set is highlighted and valued. When an athletic trainer is well-versed in the medical field and can converse daily with other medical professionals, it forces others to view athletic trainers as equals.  Then we can demand equal pay.

But the problem is, I don’t think most athletic trainers partake in this type of dialogue with other medical professionals that would help prove our educational background and true worth.  I see it often, athletic trainers, especially at the high school level, becomes subservient to orthopedics and therapists, allowing the conversation regarding a joint patient to be one-sided.  As we strive to increase our salaries, I think these conversations need to increase with our colleagues from other disciplines.  We still need to prove ourselves and continue to work on maintaining our health care image. As Adam (the District 2 YPC Rep) says on the next page, “our efforts are working, we just need a little more time.”

Although more ideal at the collegiate level, I believe this could work in high schools as well.  Our district has a head of nursing and separate in-services with the nursing staffs.  Might partnering with the school nurses serve a similar purpose?  I certainly think we can bring something to the table when discussing district health concerns. There is also a district safety manager and that a partnership might make more sense than our association with the general athletic department. Aligning ourselves with the other medical staffs in the district would help define the profession with others and build the reputation we are seeking.  When we achieve this recognition, our pay scale must follow suit.

I type this in the car, southbound 35, making the trek from Dallas to Corpus Christi, riding shotgun with a dog in my lap.  Justin is driving, also with a dog in his lap, and we have a happy, sleeping 7 week old in the back seat.  Pit stops are quite the circus! I hope all of you have a great Christmas and joyous holiday season.  See you all in 2011.

Just one of those days...

Have you ever had one of THOSE days? I had one of those weekends... Lost a game, a few too many injuries for my liking (or my coaches), long days of travel and uncomfortable hotel beds, tried to hang Christmas lights which were burnt out, and started a fireplace fire that filled our house with smoke. I woke up this morning dreading the day, the paperwork, staff meetings, coaches' meetings, rehabs and all of the other joys a Monday brings. Then one of my athletes came in to see our team physician. I asked if it was ok for me to come in with her and she simply said "of course you're coming with me, you're always there for me". That simple statement changed my day and reminded me of why we do this crazy job and the heart of what are days are meant to be.
So many days we dwell on the negatives, the to-do lists and the why me's. We sit around feeling sorry for ourselves and throw our own pity party just to help us through the day. I wondered this morning if there was ever a day when my negativity brought someone else down, or if a smile through my frown would have made a difference. Has our world brought us down with terrible news stories and the every day complaining or "venting" session that we can't see the sunshine through the clouds or the rainbow through the rain?
My athlete unknowingly reminded me today that we are all so blessed with jobs that pay the bills, schools that support athletics and a profession that fights for each of us daily. I am not always a Mary Sunshine, but I do know that on the days when I fight the urge to be a Debbie Downer and allow myself to smile at someone, hold a door for a slow walker or let that pesky car in front of me, I tend to have a better outlook on everything I do. I may even, dare I say it, be better at my job. I may take better care of my athletes physically, mentally and emotionally because I'm not weighed down by my own sorrows. I may spend an extra minute hearing about their day or not rush through a treatment because I'm tired. I may be the person they need to lift them up or push them along. I may be the athletic trainer they need me to be.
Yes, it's late tonight, I'm still at work and I have Christmas lights to hang, smoke smell to clear out and a pile of paperwork that will have to wait until tomorrow, but I also have so many great things in my life that overshadow those tidbits of frustration. Maybe tomorrow will be "one of those days", but maybe, just maybe, I can decide that it means it will be a good day and those around me will thank me for it.
Happy sunshine, rainbows and wins to all :)

Let's Talk Money

Over the weekend I had a chance to catch up on the last several months of reading the NATA News. A bus trip from Nac to Lubbock has to have a positive side, right? A hot topic was low salaries so I’ll take this opportunity to chime in on the subject.

Let me start out by saying I feel like there are very, very few athletic trainers who get paid what they are worth. I won’t even touch on the topic of the long hours we work or the immense value of what we do. Let’s just talk money.

In the August issue of NATA News Peggy Houlgum (If you don’t have her rehab book get it, fantastic) addresses the issue of AT’s continually filling low paying jobs and internships, despite knowing they are worth more. She states that AT’s commonly accept these positions as a “way to get in the door.” I completely agree that the low salaries offered for assistant positions or internships are ridiculous and there is no excuse for it. When a university gives coaches salaries in the millions I find it impossible to believe they don’t have the money for respectable salaries for their entire athletic training staff. The money is there but the management knows they don’t have to pay it because they can get quality help for peanuts just because they are a big name school.

Definitely a case of having one’s priorities out of whack. However, I do feel that there is a constructive place for interns in the collegiate setting. If an intern is used by the definition of the word and is truly receiving guidance and direction from other staff AT’s it can be a great experience for the intern.

Let’s face it -- not everyone is ready to be out on their own just because they have a degree and passed a test. An intern position can also be a way for the college’s athletic department to get a foot hold on acquiring funding for another fulltime staff member. Once a position is added it’s easy for everyone to see the value and it’s much easier to ask for a little more salary each year then an entirely new position.

With that being said the head AT must be willing to continue to push for the intern position to become a fulltime assistant with a respectable salary. Ms. Houlgum also argues AT’s should refuse to take jobs with low salaries. Easier said than done. Less than five years ago I took a low-paying, entry-level position because I was fresh out of grad school and flat broke. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. My head AT got me a small raise after my first year and then graciously helped me move on to a better paying job after two years.

It was at that low-paying job that I learned just how rewarding our job is and how much I really enjoy our profession. The intrinsic rewards of our profession easily overcome the low salaries. We just have to be our own number one advocates and not to be afraid to ask for a salary increase or move on to another job if the current employer refuses to pay us what we are worth.

Arkansas Athletic Trainers Association - Young Professionals - Christmas Service Project

On Behalf of the AATA Young Professionals Committee, I would like to take this time to invite you to participate in our Christmas Service Project. Guess What?! You can participate in person OR from the comfort of your own home!!! How you may ask?!?!? Well, it is simple! Keep reading and I will provide you with all the details!!!!


What is our Christmas Service Project?
Donating toys to the Arkansas Childrens Hospital Toy Drive -- all toys will be donated in the name of AATA!

How to Participate?
Send either money or a toy to the following address no later than DECEMBER 10th:

Erin Harmon
11314 Ethan Allen
Little Rock, AR 72211


How will this work??
All donations are accepted. If you would like to purchase a toy and mail it to us, great. For those who may not know what to buy, or only want to donate a couple of dollars, we will collect all money and then go out and purchase toys.


When is the Toy Drive?
December 17th (Time to be announced)


I am attaching a flier with more detailed information. Please, take the time to look this over!! We, as an organization, want the community to support US, so LET'S support the community!!


Thanks for your time! If you have any questions, please, do NOT hesitate to contact me!

Thanks,

Alison L Moore MS, LAT, ATC
Delegate At-Large, AATA Executive Board
YPC Member
alisonleighmoore@gmail.com (personal email)
amoore@uca.edu (work email)
(501) 472 - 5400 (cell)

New Post - Same topic

A while ago I talked about being visible, and creating relationships with your administrators. I am going to reiterate this again. This week, we were charged with helping complete the FitnessGram. WOOOHOOO!!! For those of you that don't know about the FitnessGram, I will brief you. Dr. Cooper of the Cooper Institute felt it necessary to lobby for fitness testing of all students in the public schools in Texas. So the Texas congress again mandated another "Test", more work, more expense, and didn't give any additional funding to complete it. (jumping on a quick soap box) Just FYI, this is just one way your tax dollars, and children's education are being wasted. So much time and money are being wasted on worthless requirements(i.e.Steriod Testing, how about just Drug Testing) its a wonder schools accomplish anything meaningful anymore. If you want you can contact me directly and I have no problem expanding on this subject(Stepping down now).

Back to the topic at hand. When we(FRHS Athletic Trainers) are given a task like FitnessGram, we do it to the best of our abilities and with a smile on our face. Our principals know that they can count on us. We send a representative to every faculty meeting. We stand outside the doors between classes to be visible. We have recently been asked to do a lunch duty that takes all of 15 minutes, every other class day. So yes, I put a smile on my face and check kids into lunch detention for 15 minutes of my day, every 6 class days. When TAKS testing comes around, we deliver lunches, dictionaries, and baby sit kids in the cafeteria. Those days we typically don't have anything to do before 10:00. Pretty sweet gig I think!!!

My point is this. Yes, these are things that are "not my job". But if you look in your job description, "other duties as assigned" typically shows up somewhere. Yesterday a co-worker asked if our principal was always on our case like she was his. We told him no. He just couldn't figure out why this principal was always getting on to him about something. This person didn't go to any faculty meetings for years, shows up late to in service, complains about his 3 class load, and gripes about getting assigned an easy duty like FitnessGram(which got him out of the classroom for a few days). So when TAKS testing comes around, you know where he is? He is in a room where he has to sit quietly and do nothing but stare at kids and not talk to anyone, no computer, no IPhone, for hours on end. You know why? Because if he did what we did during TAKS, he would be bugging us and the administrators about how much time of his was being wasted. So they give him the "crap job" so they don't have to be around that kind of negativity. They give us the sweet gig.

Long story short(if you made it this far), if your higher ups give you a task to do that, "is not your job", do it to the best of your ability and with a smile on your face. Let them know you are a team player. Do not run and hide, or walk the other direction when they come your way. Walk up to them and greet them. When they ask "how are you today?" I always say "Wonderful! Busy, but we are doing great. Yeah, we have treatments, 2 classes, 5 events tonight, and track is starting up. So we're busy but making the best of it. Is there something I can do for you?" Most of the time the response is, "No, but have you seen ___, I need him to do ____ and I cant ever find him." We come out smelling like a rose!!!! Our adminstrators love us, and will stand up for us no matter what.

Susan G Komen 3 day for the cure

This past weekend I had the pleasure of joining the sports medicine crew at the Susan G Komen 3 day for the cure. This was my third year to volunteer but this year was so different for several reasons. First, a very good friend was walking this year for the women in his life. It was amazing to see him walk all 3 days and finish the last day to so many hugs from family and friends. Second, it was the first year I worked the last day and was able to see the closing ceremonies. It took my breath away! You would not believe the thousands of thank yous we received! Thirdly, this was the third year to work this event with my wonderful husband Troy. We have a dear family member who is currently battling breast cancer and we have vowed to work the 3 day every year in support. Here are some of the pictures from the weekend:

The survivor celebration !!

YP Kelley Henderson hard at work!

SWATA President David Traylor walking for a cure!!

Casting Your Vote

'Tis the season for football, cooler weather (some place), giving thanks and ELECTIONS. 

There are Senate and House of Representative seats open in both Texas and Arkansas, which can greatly affect our ATEAM legislation as well as Texas Governor and other critical races, causes and propositions.  Exercise your civic duty and cast your vote.

IN OTHER VOTING NEWS...
The NFL has once again opened the ballot for the Hall of Fame to the fans.  One of our own is once again a nominee.  Otho Davis is currently ranked 58th, For more information on one of the greats read this post from last year when he made it to the TOP 10!

It would be awesome for our profession to reach the pinnacle of recognition in the National Football League.  Take a minute and vote. and spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, text, smoke signal, whatever method you would like and help Otho, an athletic trainer, get into the Hall of Fame!

Treating the whole person

It's easy, as a young professional athletic trainer, to get caught up in the daily grind. Our days are full of early morning treatments followed by paperwork and other administrative duties, after which, we spend time rehabbing with our more significantly injured athletes. During the afternoon, we "triage" during athletic periods and put in some time educating our athletic training student aides. Then, we spend several hours attending after school practices, finally finishing up with post-practice treatments. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how busy we get. We all have our own stories of work "craziness" that, while different, are also so similar.

Personally, I love the craziness (or as I like to describe it, the controlled chaos). But sometimes, I find myself forgetting about the person I am treating. In the busy-ness of the day, I treat injuries but miss the fact that the owner of the injury I am treating is a person who is dealing with much more than just this injury.

A fact that I was brutally reminded of this morning.

This morning, my daily grind was interrupted. Rather than work on paperwork or continue rehab with a couple of athletes, I attended a funeral. It was the funeral of a mother of two of my athletes, a woman I barely knew other than to put a name with a face. Attending this funeral was not for my benefit, but to show support for two boys who were now parentless (They had lost their father when they were very young). As I stood at this funeral among a number of my other athletes who had also taken the time to show support, I was struck by two thoughts. One- I should pray for these two boys and two- what else is going on in the lives of all these other kids?

There are many reasons why I became an athletic trainer. But, one of the biggest reasons I was drawn to this profession is because we have the opportunity to develop relationships with our patients/athletes. In my opinion, if we are strictly treating an injury, we are only doing part of our job. As an athletic trainer, we are in a unique position to invest in the life of our patient. We are both privileged to celebrate their successes and responsible to help guide them through their failures. We are available to meet needs, great or small, and to bestow wisdom where we can.

Tomorrow, I'm sure I will, once again, get busy. But, hopefully, just once, I will remember that I am treating more than just an injury. I'm treating a whole person.

Changes

I think more changes happen in your life in the first ten years out of college than any other time period for the rest of your life. Maybe that is why we have a committee that solely addresses our needs and that helps us navigate this period of great change. In the last seven years, I became actively involved in my career and evolved as a professional, dated a few guys here and there and had so much fun being young and carefree, getting to know myself. I traveled all over the world and made great friends. I met a great man, married him, bought a house, got two dogs and now this…

I am about nine months pregnant. I have about four weeks to go and my little boy is going to obviously change my whole life. That change I am thrilled about. What I am most concerned about, however, is the effect that he will have on my professionalism. I am completely unnerved by how I am going to maintain my loyalty to my athletes, maintain my high professional standards, and still be a great athletic trainer while balancing motherhood. I don’t know what to expect from motherhood or how that will fit into my career.

I don’t know one female high school athletic trainer with a small child, let alone an infant. I have no model or confidant in this process. I don’t know how 18 hour days will work with a new baby and I super am concerned about that amount of work I will be dumping on my husband by working my long hours. My job is the only part of becoming a mother that makes me nervous.

The YP years are full of change and full of firsts. No matter what the situation, we are nervous and anxious, and mostly uncertain. But just like my first job or my first day at a new place of employment, I will take on this on and do the best I can, making it up as I go along. If you see a big preggo on the sidelines in the next couple of weeks, give me a shout out; I’ll need the smiles and the support :)

Finding the Humor in Things

The last two months have been extremely interesting for me as an athletic trainer. This is my first year as a professional athletic trainer and I am working in the always eventful high school setting. Everyone I know has always told me that the first year is the toughest, and that you will see the craziest stuff during that year. Well, so far no one is lying. When I am working by myself it is usually eventful and never lacks a dull moment, however when the other athletic trainer is working you can hear the crickets chirp. The running joke is that if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen when I’m there…which has its pro’s and con’s. The one thing I have definitely learned is that you have to find the humor in things or you will never catch a breath.

Yes, parent phone calls can be dreadful and weekend warrior injuries can beat you down before its even 8 am on Monday morning but it is part of our job, and we have to carry out these tasks along with many others. There have been many interesting injury evaluations since the beginning of August with my personal favorite being the mysterious referred pain. The athlete comes into the athletic training room stating that he was hit in the jaw last night in the game. He then states that his jaw isn’t hurting because the pain is in his ribs… is it possible to have referred pain in the ribs from a jaw injury? I think that’s a stretch, personally, but it is funny. I also like the notes from parents excusing their son or daughter from sports when they are sore from playing fall ball all weekend or ran into a light pole in the dark. My personal favorite parent note is when an athlete was excused from athletics due to a blister on his/her foot, which I definitely found humor in. If you have ever worked on the medical crew for the 3Day or Avon breast cancer walks then you have most likely seen blisters the size of Texas, and these individuals continue the walk. Which makes perfect sense on how a blister the size of a peanut would be a reason to not participate in athletics....

My main point is to at least find something to laugh at every day. There are so many things that can upset you and cause you to have a bad day but finding the humor in things will make those hard days a little easier. When you feel like your having a bad day just think of this true little story (which happened last Friday)… An athlete comes in to get an ice bag from the ice machine following practice. She comes out and says I have a question… So do you guys have like a lot of freezers here? I was wondering because that’s a lot of ice and they are all perfectly square and cubed… So do ya’ll like use ice trays and freeze them every day and then dump all the ice in the ice machine thing? Because that’s a lot of ice in there!

I later informed her that the ice machine makes ice on its own and we don’t use mini ice trays.

The Athletic Trainer vs. Club Sports

Here is my ethics issue that I would like to get some feedback on from the rest of the group...club sports. This seems to be more of an issue in secondary school settings where high school athletes are strongly encouraged to participate in club sports outside of their school. What do you do as an overworked, exhausted, often under-staffed athletic training program when day after day you are flooded with club sports injuries?

The major problem comes with kids who play a sport that is currently in season and also participate in a club sport. Let's take football players who participate in select soccer on the weekends for example. One of them comes in on Monday morning with a sprained ankle from their club game on Saturday or Sunday. This injury didn't actually happen during a school sponsored event, but if you send them away and tell them to go see a doctor and take care of it on their own, you are definitely going to hear it from that athlete's high school football coach for not getting the kid back out to practice with treatment and rehabilitation.

On the other hand, if you treat said athlete and the several other club sports injuries that will follow during the season, how do you avoid exhausting school district supplies on those kids? You are even donating school district employee time to that athlete with an outside injury.

Ethically, I have a hard time turning away any injury that walks through our athletic training room door; however, I have definitely been frustrated beyond wits end about the large amount of club sports injuries we have had to treat over the years. Does anyone else run into this problem? How do you handle these kids? As a knowledgeable professional, can you turn away an injured kid?

Marketing ourselves as athletic trainers

Just do it Is it in you

Are you ready for some football?

The headache medicine

We know these companies, their logos and their catch phrases better than we know how to promote ourselves and our profession.

We often associate marketing with the business world, but if we stop and think about the efforts of SWATA, NATA and even our own place of employment, marketing is necessary to promote relationships and build up our image. How many times have you had to explain what an athletic trainer is and does?

My good friend once told me the key to marketing yourself is to develop an elevator speech. What can you tell someone about yourself and your profession in the time it takes to ride up a few floors? By condensing your thoughts and finding the highlights to point out, you can ensure that you are marketing yourself and your profession to the utmost. Log onto http://www.nata.org/ and look through some of their public relations publications for some ideas.

Also, a true grassroots effort is essential for a culture change within a school, clinic, outreach or other place of employment. Educating athletes, coaches, supervisors, principles and clients who come in and out of our daily lives is the best way to reach the people we impact the most. Casual comments about schooling, certification and continuing education let those people know that we are a true allied health profession. Talking about the various facets and domains which we deal with on a daily, weekly or yearly basis lets people know what a diverse profession it is. Praising the ability of an athletic trainer to work with everyone from a high school athlete to a professional dancer to an astronaut supports the ever evolving adaptations of athletic training and the emerging possibilities of placement for us.

You don’t need a marketing or PR degree to have an impact on the perception of your profession. Your daily walk, talk and demeanor tell the world everything. Practice your elevator speech on someone this week, tell someone what it took for you to get where you are today… who knows where it might lead you or another athletic trainer tomorrow.

To Much Action

Concussions

For most athletic trainers Friday night is spent on the sidelines with a close eye on as much of the actual play as possible. We try to see the play, but if you’re like me you spend more time zeroing in on kids that have gone down awkwardly or been on the wrong end of a violent collision. I cover a 3A high school that is fortunate enough to have a local GP physician that loves football and is on the sideline for every game. Dr. Miller is glad to assist in anyway possible during the game but the responsibility of getting the job done is mine. Occasionally I act as the athletic trainer for both teams, so it can get really interesting. Most of my time is spent covering wounds or evaluating the bumps and bruises suffered during play and missing all of the action. I’m sure that I’m preaching to the choir but it gets pretty busy. It is impossible for one athletic trainer to see everything that happens! During the game I was covering Friday night a very small running back from the other team chose to hit the wrong hole and took a nasty (perfectly legal) hit. He popped up and appeared disorientated as he staggered the wrong direction and then back toward his huddle. Looking across the field at their athletic trainer and their team doctor it was obvious that all the other players had completely blocked them from seeing the damaging result of the hit. As I was hobbling (this new high dollar Achilles isn’t getting the job done yet) toward the sideline judge to get play stopped one of the kid’s teammates got the attention of the white hat and play was stopped. The young man was sent to the sideline and was evaluated by the athletic trainer and team doctor. I saw teammates recognizing a hurt teammate and making sure he got help. The young man returned to the game later. (Stay with me I’m working my way to a point.)
Did anyone see the Philadelphia Green Bay game Sunday? Did you see the Stewart Bradely concussion? He collided with a teammate’s leg, barely made it to his feet long enough to stumble, then quickly falls back to the ground. He was helped to the sideline and before long back in the game. The Philadelphia Eagles have a lot more medical staff on the sidelines then most of us could even imagine having during a game and even they can’t see everything that happens. It is hard for me to believe that no one on their sideline saw what happened on the field. But he was evaluated quickly and returned to the game. Even if no medical staff saw him struggling surely another player or coach saw it. Why didn’t anyone step up and tell the medical staff what they saw? In the medical staff’s defense they were slammed by major injuries over a very short period of time before Bradely went down and could all easily been busy during the event. Further more the Philadelphia medical staff is very well respected among the league and known for being quite conservative with concussions. After halftime Bradely was not allowed to return.
Now finally I can make my points.
1) Athletic trainers may be a little superhuman but we can’t see everything all the time. We need game officials, coaches, and players to be our eyes when ours are unable to be two places at once. If we properly educate those around us of the obvious signs of a concussion then they can send an athlete to us if we are unable to see the injury happen. 2) It takes time to do a quality concussion evaluation. Not necessarily a lot of time because of the many tests that can be performed but the duration of time for the evaluation. Athletic trainers are well trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion. We also know that symptoms may not be experienced immediately and often develop or worsen over time. It is easy to get caught in “get it done mode” and do a very good evaluation before symptoms have had time to set in. So slow down and see if symptoms develop over time.

Being VISIBLE

I want to talk about something that I feel our staff does really well. We are always VISIBLE at our school. We try to make an appearance every day in the front office. We always let it be known that "when we are available, we are willing to help out in any way we can." This can be the single best thing you can ever do in your job.

I know some of you may think I am crazy. You may ask, why would you ask to do more when you are already completely busy, and loaded down? The answer is simple. If you don't offer your assistance, the powers that be will most certainly require it at the most inopportune time. When they ask for volunteers, be the first to sign up. That way you get to choose what your task is. And when they assign you this task, do it to the best of your ability and with enthusiasm. I promise, they will remember this. When everyone else is complaining that "this is not my job", and have that pissed off look on their face, that will be remembered also.

My next tip for you is to find one member of your administration(ours is an assistant principal), that you can really hammer this with. We always tell them, "you know, we are pretty busy, but we will find a way to make it work." Doing this over the years has grown a huge appreciation for what we do. Now when they need something, they don't tell us what they need, they ask us if we are available. The quote from last year was,"Guys I'm so sorry. I know its last minute, and you have so many other things to do, but could you direct kids into the gym so we can...(not sure what the rest was)." What i do remember was me standing in the hall and pointing at the gym. Other negative attitude teachers were getting beat down by 2000 kids confined to a small area. My point with one is if you find a person in that kind of position, this will make them want to fight for you. They will do return the favor, and do everything they can to get you the sweet gig on a day full of beatings.

Being VISIBLE can only help you. It will allow people to see you, know that you are always around and working hard. They will see that, and will want to help you in return.

CARRYING ON THE FIRE....

Hello all! Hope everyone is doing well and keeping somewhat cool during this crazy heat wave. Now, I know it is hot in Texas, but let me tell you it's pretty bad in Arkansas too..while driving yesterday I saw a truck (carrying what I believe to be was trash) BURST into FLAMES right on the interstate! I'm going to blame that one on the heat!

How many of you like to carry on the FIRE of excitement, ideas, leadership, and involvement? Well, I definitely know that myself and several people here in the state of Arkansas are excited to light a fire within our state association by getting many young professionals involved. Over the past several months a group of YP's have been gathering information, data, and statistics....and what was all of this about you may ask??? Well, it was about getting young professionals involved! We love what we have seen the NATA and SWATA YPC's accomplish, and we want to jump on board! Just as in anything....you have to start locally before you can expect a vast EXPLOSION of involvement to the larger levels! Did you know there are SIX states (Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, & South Dakota) that have YPC's?!?! Well, (drum roll please)....Arkansas in number SEVEN! About 70% of our state association membership is 35 and younger! Wow, how exciting for us! This means we have people all over the place that could possibly be the future leaders of our profession! Following in-step with NATA and SWATA YPC's are goals are to:

1) develop a mentorship program

2) assist with aspects of the state meeting

3) participate in community service projects

4) inform the membership about any and all information (from NATA, SWATA, and AATA)

5) promote involvement!

...to name a few!

It is only with the great leadership of the NATA and SWATA YPC's that we have this opportunity!

We have a blog....

http://aataypc.blogspot.com/

..and a facebook page...

AATA YPC

..So, please, feel free to join and keep up with what is going on in the state of Arkansas!

It is with the previous leadership that paved the way that we have such a great opportunity to make a stamp within our state and district!

KEEP ON KEEPN' UP WITH THE SWATA YPC BLOG PAGE AS WELL...I GUARANTEE WE WILL BE CARRYING ON THE FIRE!!

Until next time......

News Story about Athletic Trainers

Great news story in Austin about athletic trainers. Check it out if you have a minute.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Athletic-trainers-101367744.html

School is about to start again and you may feel a little like this cat looks! Absolutely ready to pull your hair out!! You haven't been sleeping as much, your hours are crazy, and you are contemplating moving into the athletic training room permanently. I wanted to take a minute to remind everyone why we are here doing what we do. It is not because of a pay check because we all know that we do not get paid enough to do what we do. We are here because the kids need us to be here. At the beginning of the month The Dallas Morning News had a four day series on concussions in sports. If you have not read it please take the time to do so. To summarize the series points out that the athletic trainers judgment should not be ignored. When an athletic trainer says an athlete should sit out then that decision should be respected and upheld. Another point that was made was that if you cannot afford to employ an athletic trainer then you cannot afford football. I couldn't agree more with both! The athletes need us as athletic trainers to step up and protect them when others may not. Our job is so much more than dealing with the paperwork, going to meetings, and teaching classes. Our main goal and purpose is to protect and help student athletes. So, as you dread going back to school just remember that the kids need athletic trainers!!

In your spare (ha!) time...

One fun way to build awareness about athletic training is to use our unique skill set and volunteer for the various weekend warrior events (fun runs, marathons, triathlons, charity walks, etc.)



Community service is something that I enjoy and I have had the pleasure to combine it with my love of athletic training and give back. I cannot express to you the satisfaction that comes from someone stopping at your pit and requesting the service of an ATHLETIC TRAINER over that of an MD! So gratifying.


We will attempt to keep you aware of events in your area, and please feel free to share your own events and experiences.

I have participated in both the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, and Avon Walk as medical crew.  You can read a recap of previous experiences on the 3-day here and here. Check the events in your area, even if the registration has closed, please call the volunteer coordinator, they ALWAYS need qualified medical help.


Also, check out the marathon and triathlon schedules for events in your area. Qualified, quality medical volunteers are hard to come by and so valuable.


I know we all work long hours and value our off time, but I assure you that volunteering for one of these events will be worth your while. It is a rewarding way to promote athletic training!

Help Me, Help You!

It's a great scene.  I know that I channel Jerry Maguire all the time.  I also channel Colonel Jessup from A Few Good Men, but that's for another post.

"It's an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing seige..."  Isn't it though?  Athletic training has come a long way in its 60+ year history.  It has grown exponentially, and is gaining ground as an allied health profession.  Still, there is a ways to go.

Each of us as athletic trainers represents us all, and our professional organizations do a great deal to advocate on our behalf.  In addition to volunteering for committees and initiatives, there are so many ways to contribute to the future of athletic training.

For example, the NATA Foundation, the only 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the profession of athletic training through research and education. Established in 1991, the NATA Foundation advances its mission by awarding undergraduate and graduate scholarships and by funding grants that support research in health care.  Consider making a (tax-deductible) donation, develop research and apply for a grant or nominate someone for a scholarship.  Keeping our techniques and skills on the cutting edge will help in elevating athletic trainers.

Another organization that often goes unrecognized is the NATAPAC.  Established in 2005, this federal group is working on behalf of all certified athletic trainers and the people they treat.  This political action committee seeks better working conditions, fair access, and the right to practice for all athletic trainers across America.  Again, there are several ways to get involved: contribute, contact your Senator or Representative regarding current legislation, attend Hill Day.

Consider this...If one day a month you brought your lunch or skipped the Starbucks and donated that $5-7 to one of these worthy causes, you could make a significant impact.  If all 30,000 of us did that, think of the influence we could have.

All this to say that there are so many ways to keep athletic training relevant, and advance.  Find an area that appeals to you and step up.  It's exciting, interesting and you will be amazed at how much we can accomplish if we help each other help athletic training.

What Matters More?

Recently, there was an article on CNN Money that listed the "College Degrees That Don't Pay."  Surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly), athletic training was listed, along with social workers, chef and even teachers. 

While I question the data used in the article, it certainly raises an eyebrow. 

One other thing that really stands out to me is that for each "low-paying" career listed most all of those asked had a high level of job satisfaction.

"...I get paid in smiles. I know I'm not making as much money as a lot of my friends, but I love going to work every Monday and know that I'm changing lives every day..."

"...nothing could compensate me for spending eight to 10 hours a day at [a job I hate] when I knew something I really loved to do was still out there waiting for me."

"I may never drive a BMW or live in a 5,000 square foot house, but I get to go to a job that I love and that, to me, is priceless."

"I absolutely love what I'm doing now and couldn't imagine myself in another career for any amount of money."

Work is what we spend most of our life doing.  Isn't it important to be doing something that you enjoy?  Something that fulfills you?

Additionally, despite the supposed low salary athletic training is consistently listed among the fastest growing professions.  Government economists expect job growth for athletic trainers to be much faster than the average for all careers through 2018. In fact, it’s expected to be the tenth-fastest-growing career they studied.

Top 10 Fastest Growing Allied Health Professions 

20 Fastest Growing Professions for Women

As the number of jobs increase, we can continue to raise awareness and respect in the medical community as well as with the general public and the rest will begin to fall in line.

On behalf of the SWATA Young Professionals Committee, I would like to formally invite you to the 2010 Tailgate Party sponsored by North Texas Orthopedics. We will be in the parking lot of the convention center immediately following the the State Forums on Thursday, July 22, 2010. Hot dogs, hamburgers and have soft drinks will be served while supplies last. BYOB is allowed!!!!

For your entertainment, we will be looking for contestants to play our "Minute to Win it" games and win great prizes. If that doesn't get you pumped up for this event, I have posted a link below that shows the game that David Traylor is scheduled to play. He will be shaking his money maker while playing "Junk in the Trunk", in an attempt to win one of our wonderful prizes. There SHOULD be an athletic trainer available in case he gets hurt.

http://www.nbc.com/minute-to-win-it/how-to/junk-in-the-trunk/


So please come grab a bite to eat, stay for the entertainment and socialize with your fellow professionals on your way to the Welcome reception at the ballpark.

See you there!!!!

SWATA Symposium Update

The YPC is working on finalizing our part of programing for the annual meeting. The Student Roundtable Discussions, scheduled for Friday afternoon at 4:30, has garnered a great response. There will be ten small-group discussions, each with a panel of Young Professionals and Veterans. It will be a great opportunity to communicate with your future colleagues and foster new relationships. If you are a student or new graduate that has questions about this forum, don't hesitate to contact me. Also, we are still in need of a few Young Professionals to serve on the panels. If you are interested, please contact me at tiffanyfoust730@hotmail.com.

The second project in the works is a mock-interview and resume builder workshop for students and new graduates. If you are interested in participating in this and gaining this valuable information, again please contact me at tiffanyfoust730@hotmail.com.

We have been working very hard on this this year to provide career-building and networking opportunities for Young Professionals, and can't wait to see the growth of our organization through you all. We look forward to seeing you this year in Arlington!

Registration and Housing Open!

SWATA Annual Symposium Registration and Housing is now open! This year’s symposium will be a great place to socialize, collaborate, and become more involved in our profession. You can register for both the symposium and housing on the SWATA website, www.swata.org.

The Young Professionals Committee has a full docket of events scheduled:
*a Young Professional social
*Mock interviews for YPs and students who would like help with resume and interviewing skills
*Student round-table discussions
*Speed networking

All of these events are an attempt to open lines of communication between all District 6 athletic trainers and to better prepare the next generation of YPs to become active members of this organization. It is definitely a great time to be a part of this great profession.

Conflict Resolution

There are several types of conflict...(wo)man vs. (wo)man, man vs. self, man vs. society, man vs. nature, or Man vs. Wild (great show).  Moral, ethical, personal, marital.

Over the course of one's life, chances are you will face all of these; and at the beginning of one's career it is likely that your resolve will be tested.  How you respond to conflict can and will have a far greater reach than you can imagine.

As athletic trainers, we are in a position that can lend itself to conflict.  Conflicts of interest between us and coaches, parents, administrators and even athletes.  Standing fast, and sticking to your guns can be challenging, and often uncomfortable.

Take, for example, a situation when a student-athlete is evaluated and treated by your fellow athletic trainer, but is not feeling any better after several days.  You evaluate and come to a different conclusion regarding the student-athlete's condition and change their course of treatment.  This could create a problem.  It often won't, though, because the interest of any athletic trainer isn't being right, it is doing the right thing by our patient.

Other examples:
Coaches wanting kids to play before they are cleared.
Athletic directors asking you to do things additional to your athletic training duties.
Teacher/Athletic Trainer. 'Nuff said.

I am a "do the right thing" person. I operate that way in my everyday life and specifically in my work setting. I know that we all strive to be that, and it can be difficult. Doing what is right is not always popular, and is often not easy.  Confronting your peers or supervisors is an uncomfortable situation, but it is sometimes necessary.

How do you deal with conflict resolution?

Chores

During NATM, we are going to use this blog to highlight some of the issues facing YPs, feel free to add your commentary and what's bugging you.

Right.

Chores are never-ending.  Even if you have done all the laundry and put it away (and that never happens) you still have the clothes you are wearing. Unless you do laundry naked.  The same can be said (minus the naked) for dishes and yard work and sweeping and vacuuming and....ugh.  never. ending.

They are a fundamental part of life.  From the moment you are capable, you have chores and at first there is a reward: stickers, privileges, allowance, etc.  The older you get the less the reward and the more an expectation, and then it is your responsibility.

Often we hear about life balance.  The delicate mix of work and personal life that is typically difficult for young professionals.  That discussion usually includes mention of family and friends, community and faith and priorities. 

Never any mention of chores.

However, I have found that the hardest part of "life balance" IS the chores.  I am great at time management.  I can juggle many things at once and keep my priorities straight, but I haven't yet mastered the art of getting chores done too.

When I get home at night, or finally have a free weekend the last thing I want to do is laundry.  So often times it will pile up until I have nothing to wear, or the dishes will sit in the sink for a day too long making them that much harder to get clean.

Ugh.

My husband is a HUGE help, don't get me wrong, but this chores thing is the bane of my life balance.  Maybe I need to get a housekeeper...or have kids who will one day work for free. 

Of course that throws the whole life balance scale out of whack again.

I.Can't.Win.

In all seriousness...laundry isn't more important than having dinner with the family, they make paper plates for a reason (even if it isn't "green"), and $20 to a neighbor's kid is money well spent if I can spend the afternoon with my husband and dog.

At the end of the day, or week, or month the chores are done somehow and my house may not be spotless, but I can live with that.

Our Specialty-Part 2

Kim Detwiler recently wrote on the NATA Blog...

***What are the traditional skills of the certified athletic trainer?
Thorough and systematic injury evaluation.
Accurate assessment and diagnosis.
Efficient, effective, and responsible rehabilitation.
Injury prevention and wellness education.
Providing quality care to athletes and active individuals.
Problem solving and critical thinking.
Helping people.***


Athletic trainers are many things to many people. Attempting to balance what is asked of us with what we are supposed to do is often a daily battle.  I, myself, am attempting to refocus my duties so that I can be the best athletic training practitioner and not the best athletic trainer/secretary/catering manager/everything else.


Few things can make you recognize your importance like a "routine injury" that turns out not to be so routine.  I recently had a situation like this...a JV girl's soccer player took a ball to the face.  A typical occurrence in soccer.  I trot out to the field thinking she was only going to be a little dazed.  She complains of a blind spot, and after further evaluation, and very little pupillary response, I determine she has a serious eye injury.
Would a lay person without our education and expertise come to that same conclusion, in that short, very crucial, period of time?


Or take for example what occurred on Wednesday at two Houston area high schools. A student athlete collapsed during a "routine" work-out.  In both situations the athletic trainers spring into action and stabilize the child for transport.  This article even mentions the athletic trainer. Good work, guys!  You did a great job.


Sports Safety IS a Team Effort.  Athletic trainers are the coach, quarterback, goalie and the anchor leg.  We respond first and determine the course of action.  THAT is our specialty.

March is National Athletic Training Month!

It's that time of year again!  National Athletic Training Month-time to for a grassroots effort to educate the media, employers, athletes and the general public about the importance and relevance of athletic trainers.  You may remember this post from last year, and I hope that it reminds you of the importance of diligently promoting athletic training now and throughout the year.

There are some great resources on the NATA website, as well as some additional information geared specifically for the target audience: consumers. 

Some simple things you can do:

Always refer to yourself and your peers as an athletic trainer.

Put the NATM logo and a definition of athletic trainers in your e-mail signature so that everyone you correspond with in the month of March will know.

Use your social media outlets, facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Buzz, etc to spread the word.

Little things throughout this month and throughout the year will add up to a big impact.

Last year, we did a commercial contest with great results.  We are repeating this contest again this year, so if you are interested e-mail us at ypc@swata.org for more information.

FINALLY...The SWATA election for Vice President is now open.  You should have received your ballot from Dan O'Connor earlier this week.  Please cast your vote, and keep an eye on the blog for a Q&A with the candidates in the coming weeks!

HAPPY NATIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINING MONTH!

The Biggest Loser 5K

A few weeks ago, Mike Carroll asked me if I wanted to work an event at the Cotton Bowl on a Sunday morning. Because Sunday is usually the day off for a high school athletic trainer and the distance between Stephenville and Dallas, I had to first ask what event I would be covering. The event that myself, Yvette Carson of Coppell High School, and Lindsey Watson of Aledo High School would be covering was the Biggest Loser 5K Run at the Cotton Bowl.

Earlier in the week, Mike had received an email from Sandy Krum, athletic trainer and set medic for NBC's Biggest Loser television show. Sandy was looking for help with coverage for a 5K run that would take place around Fair Park grounds. After speaking with Sandy, I found out that we would be providing medical coverage for about 100 runners including current members of the BL cast. I was also told that the day wasn't just about the run, but also about filming an episode for the actual show. I have never seen a television show filmed so I was immediately interested.

When Yvette, Lindsey, and I arrived at the Cotton Bowl on that cold Sunday morning, the crew had already set up the "stage" and cameras that would be used for filming, and the participating runners had started to gather inside a near by building. We were told the runners won spots in the event by calling into local radio shows to answer health and fitness questions related to weight loss. There were men and women of all shapes and sizes and fitness levels excited to run just over 3 miles with the contestants of the show.

After a little while we met up with Sandy. Sandy is in his fourth season working with the BL contestants. Before moving to Hollywood, Sanday was an athletic trainer for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He also covered men's tennis for the USTA Men's Tour and the U.S. Open. He told us that the BL show occasionally travels to different cities to host events in hopes of bringing attention to the growing problem of obesity and its effects.

Because none of us had ever worked in such an environment, we all had many questions as to what was going to happen during the day. First, we had to discuss why we were really there - to provide medical coverage for the participants. We discussed the course layout, water stops, and athlete trainer placement as well as where the paramedics and ambulances would be stationed. We were given radios that had communication for the entire operation. The production communications chatter over the radios was constant. There's a lot that goes into television production that the regular person would never imagine. Next, we got to tour the set and meet various producers, story editors, wardrobe staffers, and many other people involved in the operation and production of the show. The coolest meeting of the day was when Sandy took us to prepare his athletes - the contestants.

The show is approximately ten weeks behind on air, so we met only a few of the original contestants. These individuals were male and female, from all over the country, and had many reasons as to why they chose to participate in having their weight loss battle filmed for millions to see. Their stories of struggle and previous failure with their weight and other life issues are the sames ones you hear from your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. The injuries they told us about were the same ones see in any athletic training room. They asked to stretched, taped, and have wounds covered. These athletes were athletes; the only difference is their competition is themselves and their weight loss battle rather than the guy lining up acress the ball from them.

After meeting and speaking with the BL cast, we got to stand around and see the little things that make a big television show. Before the actual event, the participating runners were brought down to the playing surface inside the Cotton Bowl and pumped-up so that the excitement seen on TV would be real. The host of the BL, Alison Sweeny, came down and filming soon began. There were lots of starts and stops during filming. They even had to stop when airplanes flew overhead. After a while, the contestants entered the field and all of the runners got to meet with the contestants they would be running with or sharing the same color. On the BL, each contestant is represented by a color. All of the runners wore a color matching a contestant.

Luckily, we had no medical issues when the race was finally run. The day was more about the excitement that is created when a television show comes to town than a winner or loser. For me, it was neat to see a wide array of people spend a few hours of their time to promote health and fitness during this unique opportunity. An opportunity like this only comes about occasionally and being able to be a part happened because of professional connections.

Our Specialty-Part 1

I've been thinking a lot recently about what makes athletic trainers special.

And then, every now and again there comes a story about an athletic trainer that fills me with pride and acts as a reminder as to what makes athletic trainers...so amazing.

Check it out here

Loree McCary is one of my mentors. She helped shape me as the athletic trainer that I am today, and I couldn't be more proud. I wanted to highlight this story here, because 1)Loree deserves it, and 2)as the unsung heroes of athletics I think our profession deserves it.