SWATA Young Professionals

What's in a Name?

2012-01-30T13:49:00.000-06:00

The regular debate on changing the title of our profession has fired up once again. I think the movement is an interesting one and I understand the impetus behind it.

That said, I can't imagine undoing the 60+ years of history and work and our most recent public relations successes just to start over.

Athletic training is gaining ground in our battle. Proper terminology by our practitioners, patients and the media is leading to a wider understanding of our skill set and state legislation related to concussions is shining a light on the lack of adequate health care in many secondary schools.

CNN has become a great advocate for athletic training, most recently highlighting our profession in Dr. Sanjay Gupta (a neurosurgeon, by the way) documentary on concussions: Big Hits, Broken Dreams.

Dr. Gupta even goes so far, on his blog, to say the following:
"...There are ways to play football more safely, and still win.

Whether it is the mandatory presence of athletic trainers who can diagnose concussions and are empowered to sit a player out..."

An endorsement of our skills from a widely recognized neurosurgeon! That's big.
A year ago I posted this...JUSTIFIED and I feel in one year we have made even more progress.

Are we there yet? No, but I don't think a name change is going to bridge the gap.

What name would adequately encapsulate our skills and give us the recognition we so desire?
Sports Therapist or Athletic Therapist?
Active Sports Medicine Therapist and First Responder?
Preventative Athletic Rehabilitator?

Even if we do make a change, we would be referenced like this: "the athletic therapist, formerly athletic trainer..."

Do we really want to be known as "the profession formerly known as athletic trainer?"

Instead of focusing on the name, how about we continue our push for public recognition and the ground we are gaining won't be lost.

The one thing I want to leave my children is an honorable name.

Theodore Roosevelt

What would you do?

2012-01-03T16:27:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, watching live television is generally not much of an option for athletic trainers. My husband (also an athletic trainer) and I have reverted to our old favorites on DVD and ‘ER’ is the current choice. Just the other night we were watching an early episode that focused on the hospital being a ‘teaching hospital.’ As a teaching focused medical center, monthly or weekly the resident physicians would all gather with the chief attending and discuss cases. To begin a resident physician would present the case and how they treated the patient, then the question was asked to the rest of the group, "What would you do?" As you can imagine some of the physicians were defensive but at the end of the day everyone was able to learn from each situation.

I know that our profession is improving in sharing and discussing different topics and situations especially through the message boards, blogs and published case studies, but I wonder, how often do you sit down with your fellow colleagues and ask,

“What would you do?”

And are you prepared for an answer that is completely different that yours?

By allowing discussion we can all grow, as students we often read and presented case studies, after only 3 years in the profession on my own, I have noticed that I have fallen out of the practice of asking another athletic trainer about their ideas or other innovative ways to do something. It is difficult for me to have someone critique the care that I chose to provide for a patient but I firmly believe that by continually learning, and sharing and asking for critique we can ensure that the best care is given.

So I would like to ask if there are any of you that as a group of professionals regularly present cases and discuss different treatment options and if this is a positive model for athletic trainers?

What do our athletic training students think about themselves?

2011-12-27T08:52:00.001-06:00

As an athletic trainer at a high school, I sometimes wonder the different goals that our student athletic trainers are trying to pursue/reach while in the athletic training program. On the other hand, I was curious to know how our students viewed their own attitudes and personality traits/characteristics while in the athletic training program. In most athletic training programs, you tend to see a lot of different personality and behavior characteristics, which tend to change over time. This is possibly due to the increased amount of interaction between different individuals, such as other student athletic trainers, athletes, and coaches.

At the beginning of the year, we try to express the different expectations that we have while the students are in the program. Some of the basic expectations that we have but not limited to: positive attitude, being proactive, professional appearance, leadership, punctuality, enthusiasm, and reliability. With that being said, we always found ourselves having meetings with our students because one or more of them were falling short of our expectations.

At the end of football season, I decided to create a self-evaluation document for our students to fill out based on how they felt about themselves. While in college, the athletic training students always had to complete a self-evaluation, so I thought it would be a great idea to modify the questions as it relates to the high school setting. The choices that they were to choose from were: Not yet experienced, Below Average, Average, Above Average, and Excellent.

This was just a completion grade for our students, because it would be inappropriate for them to receive a grade based on how they felt about their own characteristics. Not all students possess the same level of each quality as compared to their peers. As the responses came in, it was interesting to see how the students rated themselves. The students that we believed to be better at certain qualities when compared with their peers were consistent with the self-rated responses. On the flip side, those students that we felt needed to work on some qualities; it was consistent with their responses as well.

Another aspect of the evaluation was to see their goals that they might have set for being in the program. While some responses ranged from meeting people, extra-curricular activity, or feeling important, others wanted to pursue a degree within the health-care profession. Although we understand that not all of our students will continue on to become athletic trainers in college, it is important for us to not only promote the profession, teach them basic athletic training skills, but also teach them lessons about life in general and be their mentor when they need it.

After the evaluation was due, we asked our students thought about the assignment. Some thought it was silly, while others thought it was a good idea. Those who thought it was a good idea realized the areas in which they were weak and took that information and understand the qualities they might be able to work on. Overall, our students enjoyed the self-evaluation idea and would like to continue to evaluate themselves so they can gage their progress while in the athletic training program.

Therefore, with the evaluation being a success, I am able to take the information and help those who may be struggling in certain areas and provide them with some resources to achieve the excellence status.

So the question is…..how would your students rate themselves?

Perception is Reality

2011-12-16T11:26:00.003-06:00

I've spoken many times on this blog and elsewhere about the need to brand athletic training. Being seen as experts in athletic medicine and recognized, every time, as the go-to profession and a requirement when dealing with athletic injuries.

A large part of branding is perception; primarily public perception. In order to get the recognition we want, we need the public to understand our role. We have gotten better as a whole about not being foot stompers: demanding people address us "athletic trainer," and respect us for providing health care and not just "coverage" and rather commanding respect and modeling our requested actions.

What I have found, however, is that it only takes one single misstep to lose ground. One event can alter perception to the point that it erases forward progress and damages an otherwise spotless reputation.

"Perception is reality." And when the perception being distributed to the public are things like these:

Athletic trainers are paid to keep the machine humming. The long-term health of the individual player is not their first concern; the health of the team is. The faster a trainer gets his players back on the field, the more likely he’ll be to keep his job.

The doctors and trainers didn't know McCoy had taken a helmet-to-helmet hit.

The implication that not all athletic trainers are created equal..."professional">high school, etc.

The situation in Cleveland is a difficult one, and I'm sure we've all experienced similar frustration.

Maintaining an united front and combating misconceptions, as the NATA did and continues to do will go a long way to bolster our reputation, but the larger burden falls on us, the clinicians. We are the ones "in the mission field" on a daily basis and in every encounter with our patient, athletes, parents, etc. We are all athletic trainers, with a unique skill set and expansive knowledge base. Take your responsibility to yourself and the profession as a whole seriously.

A Short Soap-Box from a Short Athletic Trainer

2011-11-06T12:50:00.002-06:00

I recently left the "traditional" setting of athletic training and took a job as a physician extender in an orthopedics office. I love it so far! I'm learning something new every single day. I have great patients and see something new every 15 minutes. My day is so wonderfully busy and I am so fulfilled by my new job.

I have integrated a pre-op appointment in our office. Its all about patient education and putting the patient's mind at ease. I issue cryotherapy, teach TENS application for post-operative pain, crutch fitting and gait training, and fit for braces. My athletic training education prepared me greatly for all of this.

I am able to listen to patients and identify their complaints. I assess their injuries and then summarize their complaints to the physician for a better focused encounter. My athletic training education prepared me greatly for this.

My first attempt at casting a thumb fracture got glowing reviews from my Doc. He asked "Where did you learn how to do that? That's a really great job." It was simple: my athletic training experience prepared me greatly for that, too.

At the first of the year, I will also be serving as a first assist in the operating room for my doctor. In order for me to do this, I had to pass the National Board of Certified Orthopedic Physician Assistant Exam. I studied hard. I read all of my athletic training texts cover to cover. My physician offered a few of his texts to me for additional study materials; I already owned all but one of those from, that's right, my athletic training education. By my good graces and hard work, I passed that test.

That OPA-C credential is now opening so many doors for me in regards to my orthopedic practice, but it was my athletic training education that made it possible. Why is my ATC not recognized in the same capacity?

My point is, we must continue to be involved in legislation to allow athletic trainers to serve in this capacity. We are all health care providers and we are prepared through our education to be excellent health care providers. Even if you are in a "traditional" setting, being the voice of our profession is imperative. I know of a few collegiate settings that are beginning to use the health care model and bill for services. There is absolutely no reason that these athletic trainers not be seen as health care providers that are skilled and worthy of doing so.

Woman are taking over our profession...or are they??

2011-09-21T22:06:00.005-05:00

Indiana State University (yes, I may be slightly biased to them! GO SYCAMORES!) publishes research presenting data on: Age, Sex, and Setting Factors and Labor Force in Athletic Training.

What does this information show??? Well, in a nut shell....we see tons and tons of females getting into the Athletic Training Profession...however, what we don't talk about is the number getting out! Out of 18,571 AT's 52.1% were male and 47.9% were females. So, initally what would you think?? Well, yes, you would think the woman are catching up to the men...however, here is what we see....

"National employment trends have indicated an increase in female representation in the workforce from 40% in 1975 to 46% in 2005, with a projection that 51% of the workforce will be female by 2014.....Athletic training has incurred similar growth patterns since women first became athletic trainers (ATs) in 1956, with women now representing 48% of the athletic training population. Currently, 97.7% of all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions employ ATs. However, a closer investigation of the ATs in the college or university, high school, and clinic populations reveals inequity. Less than one-third of NCAA in- stitutions have female head ATs. The populations of men and women appear comparable (22% of women and 23% of men are employed in the secondary school setting, 14% of women and 14% of men are employed in the college or university setting, and 22% of women and 23% of men are employed in the clinical setting." (btw I could absolutely do proper citing here; however, what fun would that be in a blog...I will provide the article information at the end of this segment!)

So, where is the major discrepancy...well, it seems everything is fair in love and war (i.e. woman and men) except for not many woman are head AT"s at a college...is this by choice or by sexism..YOU DECIDE..please leave me comments at the end of this blog!

Next thing about woman...."Female athletic trainers tended to leave the profession around age 28 years." Also, "Among female ATs, 45% stated that they changed job settings after having children. The changes were primarily from the college or university setting and might be based on multiple dy- namics, including irregular hours and flexibility of scheduling; regardless, these patterns mimic national data."

So, what does this suggest??? Well, even though we are increasing the number of female AT's coming in...we still cannot catch up to the male population because we have several females still leaving the profession, but can you blame them??? Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE advocate for Athletic Training, but sometimes I like to play the devils advocate!

I was once told by a doctor that I work with that you have to be a, "COMPLETE IDIOT to become a doctor...the hours...the years, the dedication...the stress...but at least I know my family is taken care of by the pay check I bring home...even if I'm not there all the time". Well, his phrase kind of rings home...the hours, the dedication, the stress, but the one thing we don't get is the pay. We cannot always say our families are well taken care of. After doing alot of research from salary surveys to my own personal surveys I am completely astonished at what some AT's are being offered. ...and I am not talking about a starter job that you know you will move out of because that is the realm of the job i.e. a "starter position" (even though those in themselves are a shame)...I am talking about good "experience needed" jobs. We are taking jobs that pay us peanuts, leaving some unable to pay off their bills and loans....unable to afford their car payments...or leaving them eating noddles 6 nights a week. WE as athletic trainers have to stand up for our profession. We tell our people to stand up for themselves and fight for their own salaries..and there is no doubt that this is needed...however, our profession needs to stand up for us too. We want so badly to care for our kids, but at what cost? There is no doubt an Athletic Trainer shoud be at every school...but at what cost??? So, that they can barely live a life and not be able to save money to take care of their family or even themselves years down the road. We cannot just think about the now, we MUST think about the future...the future of our profession including the FUTURE of OUR PROFESSIONALS.

So, this blog kind of points out a few things.....percentage of men vs woman in our profession, the fact that woman are leaving the profession ...and the question still remains to know exactly why...well, here is some more food for thought!!!! It's not just the hours....it's not just the stress.....because even doctors manage families with that....what about the pay????

Statistics a "quotes" come from the following research:

Age, Sex, and Setting Factors and Labor Force in Athletic Training
Leamor Kahanov, EdD, LAT, ATC; Lindsey E. Eberman, PhD, ATC
Department of Applied Science and Rehabilitation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute

Are You Prepared?

2011-09-01T19:05:00.005-05:00

After watching those who live on the east coast last week scramble to find emergency supplies and create hurricane survival kits before Irene made landfall. It made me wonder, are we really prepared as athletic trainers to execute our emergency actions plans (EAP's) in a timely manor? When is the last time we practiced spine boarding or splinting, or even walked through our EAP's step by step?

If you are like me and live in traditional hurricane territory, you are prepared. You have a Hurricane kit, you have plan of attack if a Hurricane ever comes on land, and you watch the National Hurricane Center for updates almost on a daily basis during hurricane season. So how can we transfer our hurricane preparedness into Emergency preparedness in our role as an athletic trainer?

Providing immediate emergency care is a vital part of an athletic trainers existence, and emergency plans have to be rehearsed. This rehearsal provides team members a chance to maintain and improve their emergency skills at a high level. In addition, all equipment should be checked on a regular basis, but lets be honest when the last time you took out your splints and made sure they where in working order?

Today, I reviewed my EAP's with my Athletic Training Education Program students and at this point I do not believe they would be able to accurately implement it. I plan on using the next couple of days to allow them to become familiar with not only the plan and their role, but the equipment they may be asked to get and/or use.

I hope to never use my EAP's but as long as my team and I have rehearsed and our equipment is in working order I know everything will turn out for the best.

Below are some references for creating and implementing your own emergency action plans.

National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Emergency Planning in Athletics-http://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/EmergencyPlanningInAthletics.pdf

National Center for Sports Safety -http://www.sportssafety.org/articles/emergency-action-plan/

Center for Catastrophic Sports Injuries, Prevention and Management, College Sports Medicine Foundation- http://www.csmfoundation.org/Center_Catastrophic_Prevention_Management.htm

Why fight the heat?

2011-08-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday I got a small taste of what most of you have been going through for the last couple of weeks: high school football in the heat.

Honestly, I got lucky. The school I was covering made a great call and scheduled the scrimmages from 8:30 am to noon. We were even lucky enough for an occasional cloud to block the sun!

Even with good scheduling and a break from some clouds, the actual temperature was still just below 100 degrees. The coaches scheduled plenty of water breaks, constantly reminded the players to get water, and had obviously educated the players on the importance of staying hydrated.

So, there I am, at a school who has taken the recommended precautions to reduce the likelihood of heat illness but I can’t help but think we are still doing it wrong. Physiology tells us that the human body is not designed to function in hot environments, much less function in extreme heat wearing a helmet and full pads. Unfortunately, athletes die every year and remind us of this very fact.

So why are we still doing it?

I get it, we love football; but, from my viewpoint, it seems as though we could make some changes that would protect the athletes (and coaches) from heat illness.

The most obvious: start practice later in the year. Why do we start playing football in August? How about moving the season back a few weeks?

I understand that a champion needs to be crowned before Christmas. This can still be accomplished if we take fewer teams to the playoffs. What happened to only the district champion going to playoffs?

I think we let way too many teams go to the playoffs anyway.

Why not reduce that number and shave a few weeks off the season? A champion could be crowned and we could all avoid the dangerous heat for a few more weeks. Coaches may not want to give up two a days but that would be a small price to pay to say lives.

Brave? or just plain dumb?

2011-05-31T14:03:00.002-05:00

“Quality of life” is one of the hottest buzzwords in the profession these days. What can we do to make our job more enjoyable and keep people in the profession? This isn’t rhetorical. Seriously, what is it? What are we looking for? What do athletic trainers need to make us stick with this profession that we so fell in love with that we sacrificed so much at one time?

I have left my current position. I left because I was unhappy. I am this demographic that I don’t know how to handle or how to fix. I was tired of being here for the long hours. Not so much the time I was working hard to get patients better or teaching or providing great care for athletes, but for the time wasted. The time in the middle of the day where I was expected to be in the athletic training room “just in case.” These moments are when I am certain Facebook was made for athletic trainers.

I left because I was uninspired by what was called of me everyday. I left because I know that I am stunted in my professional growth. I left because I want to be challenged and learn something new and make a new mark for athletic trainers outside of the school setting.

I have been told I’m “brave” to make such a leap of faith. Some have praised me for acknowledging these things in myself and doing what it takes to make the changes. I partially think I have lost my mind. Who quits without having a job lined up!!!! Oh, that would be me.

I like to think of it of the seven-year itch. I’m in my eight year with my hubby, and I still like him. So I figure something had to give…

So I ask of you, how do we prevent the seven-year athletic training itch?

Volunteering

2011-05-23T12:12:00.006-05:00

The weekend of April 16-17 was the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer event in Houston. A few of the Young Professional Committee member's volunteered their time Saturday and Sunday to help medical crew the route, along with 3 other athletic trainers. The walk was significantly understaffed with medical crew, especially athletic trainers. Volunteering your time to an event like this is very rewarding and I encourage anyone that is interested in participating next year to please contact me via email or reply to the post for more information. We hope to see you next year in Houston on the weekend of April 21-22nd, 2012.

Below are some pictures from this year...

Thank you Loree McCary, Carissa Spraberry, Charessa Lyons, and Adriann Fleming for another great weekend :)

Remember when...

2011-05-16T08:59:00.000-05:00

Remember when your grandma and grandpa would tell you how they walked to school 5 miles uphill both ways? Remember when your mom told you not to make that face or else it would freeze that way? Remember when you got to college and people said you would act like a kindergardner? Remember when you thought you knew it all and then 5 years later you realized you knew nothing?
Life experiences take us from one stop to another on our journey of life. Advice is a tool to help you along. Some pieces are worthless like that little allen wrench in the build it yourself furniture. Some pieces are an everyday need like a pair of scissors. We should pass on the good advice to help those who need it and save our opionion when others should find their own truths.
I know I sound old when I say "It was so different when I ______", but it really was. Computers didn't email, cell phones were in bags and no one knew what text messaging was. I want to change with the times, but I also want to remember when. One piece that I read rang so true to me. It is attributed to a speech from Bill Gates where he lays it out for those students about to step into the "real world". Please take what you like and leave what don't, but in the end "remember when".

Rule 1: Life is not fair-get used to it.
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of university. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone, until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. She doesn't have tenure.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping-they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one

·Attributed to a speech by Bill Gates

ATEP Outreach Presentation

2011-05-03T14:49:00.000-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to present the SWATA ATEP outreach lecture to the athletic training students at ETBU. I made the short trip to Marshall (only 90 min) on a Friday morning to meet my audience.

David Collins, the program director, met me outside of the athletic center with a big smile and welcoming handshake. After spending a little less then an hour getting to know Mr. Collins, learning how to use the projector and discussing all things ETBU athletic training it was time to present.

The audience consisted of about 20 total students with roughly two-thirds being upperclassmen which forced me to think, “Great, these are exactly the type of students who benefit from the information given in the lecture.”

Almost immediately a few quick questions revealed that many of the upperclassmen were not sure what the next step in their careers would be, so it was looking as though the presentation would prove to be very helpful.

We discussed all of their options (first job, GA positions, or continuing their education) and how to decide what was best for them as individuals. The students asked questions and appeared to be absorbing some useful information. Next, we discussed all the ins and outs of SWATA and NATA young professional committees. The students were intrigued by the existence of the committees and of the services that are provided to them by the committees.

Finally, we wrapped up the presentation by sharing contact information and discussing how to follow up on topics that interested them. I made the trip to ETBU to teach future young professionals how to transition, but actually learned a lot myself about their program and the interests of the next generation of professionals.

AATA's 25th Meeting

2011-04-26T00:04:00.003-05:00

I wanted to personally thank those members of SWATA who came to Arkansas to help us celebrate our 25th Birthday of our State Association!

Friday:
Seminar on Concussions
YPC/AATSA Night at the BallPark

Saturday:
Morning - Remembering our past -- history of the AATA and NATA
Afternoon - Educational Sessions
Night - Evening Social at the Arkansas Athletic Training Hall of Fame at Verizon Arena; followed by a slideshow from the PR Committee; a video from the YP Committee; and a fun question/answer/story session from members of the hall of fame and founders

Sunday:
Dr Casa - Heat Illness -- Family Members from the victims of heat illness (those that lived and died)
Business Meeting - new President Elect Selected

We had several friends from Texas come and share this wonderful event with us!!

Thanks for all of your support!!!

Alison L Moore, MS, LAT, ATC

What Athletic Trainers Make

2011-04-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

Recently, Taylor Mali's What Teachers Make poem began making the rounds again. It is an emotional argument for the often under-appreciated value of teachers. It is poignant and appropriate given the current state of finance in education. I'm pretty sure we can all agree that we wouldn't be where we are without teachers.
With that in mind, and after a weekend of bandaging blisters and helping men and women achieve their goal of walking 39.3 miles for breast cancer research, I started pondering what athletic trainers make. I'm no poet and most of mine are in reference to my setting, but it's a good start. Feel free to add yours in the comments.

Athletic trainers make pain go away.
We make quick, objective decisions in critical situations.
We make sure we stay calm when others are not.
We make sure we know our athlete's names, medical conditions and previous injuries.
We make sure athletes know we are always there, and more importantly that we care.
We make parents trust us with their kids and we make athletes trust us with their health, their hopes, their future.
Athletic trainers make sure that athletes are hydrated and fed.
We make athletes cry when we tell them no; and smile when they are cleared to go.
We make sense of medical jargon.
We make "it's going to be ok," mean something and "it's a torn ACL," not mean the end.
We make rehab exercises interesting so 6 months doesn't feel like an eternity.
We make season-ending not mean career-ending.
We make the first catch, pass, goal, hit or basket after months of rehab feel like an Olympic Gold Medal.
We make our athletes' best interest, our first interest.
We make athletes find strength when they are weak and hope when they are hopeless.

Bottom line...Athletic trainers make a difference in the lives of their athletes, patients, clients and weekend warriors.

SWATA Opportunity

2011-04-06T17:00:00.003-05:00

Dear Group, I would like to talk about a few things that will lead up to a wonderful opportunity that will be offered at SWATA this year, and sponsored by the Young Professional Committee. As most of you know, the state is in a huge financial crisis and school districts are taking a large part of the hit to fix the problem. My district for one is facing a massive deficit and unfortunately athletic trainers are being discussed as possible cuts to make up the difference. Its only a matter of time that a large number of athletic trainers across the state will feel the pressure that my co-workers are feeling. That being said, there is a real chance that multiple athletic trainers will be looking for work in the near future. I know that not the entire group that follows this blog are secondary school athletic trainers. Some of you may be based out of a clinic, or a physician extender. The economic impact may have already reached some of you. If not, you will most certainly see the effects soon. Those of you in other practice settings may also see of feel the effects of the slow economy. Some of our readers are not even professionals yet. If you are a student, this most certainly pertains to you. You may be about to enter into one of the toughest job markets in a long time. I ask that if you are a student, to please pay attention to the current events and latest news. Having the knowledge of what is going on when and where, could give you an edge on the next person that you will compete with for a job. It could also effect you decision of what to do after graduation. Maybe its not time to get that first "real job". Maybe its time to stay in school and get your graduate degree, or try a completely different rout that leads you to a successful career in athletic training. Now that's enough of paint a dark picture of the future. The Young Professional Committee will be sponsoring a Mock Interview Session during the SWATA Annual Meeting this Summer in Houston. Below is some information about the Mock Interview session to help you get a better idea of what its all about. If you have any questions feel free to use the contact information below.

Register for the student symposium at the 2011 SWATA annual meeting in Houston, TX July 13-16 to have the opportunity of a lifetime!!!

Athletic Training & Administrative Professionals will be conducting mock interviews
that will allow you to:
 Present your resume
 Get constructive feedback on your interviewing skills
 Interact with seasoned athletic training professionals and young professionals
 Practice professional dress and speaking
 Learn tips from a communications professionalQuestions??? Email Kelley Henderson: k.henderson@tcu.edu

Right Place, Wrong Time

2011-03-29T13:31:00.000-05:00

Dr. John sings "I been in the right place, But it must have been the wrong time..."

As you can see from my very scientific graphic illustration, athletic training is on the rise. Our professional recognition and respect are at an all time high through the efforts of our associations, legislators and most importantly athletic trainers.

Contrasting our steady incline is the roller coaster condition of our local, state and federal economies. My financial adviser assures me that the economy is cyclical. "Don't worry, it will rebound, there is no need to panic." I'm certain that the economy will rebound but at who and what's expense? Right now it appears it will be at the expense of education. Athletic training is right where we need to be-on the rise- but it couldn't come at a worse time, especially for our secondary school practitioners.

Our state (Texas) legislature is considering a bill that will recognize athletic trainers as the key health care professional in concussion management, yet over 50% of secondary schools don't have access to an athletic trainer. Individuals, and organizations alike are recognizing, requesting and requiring athletic trainers more than ever before; however university systems, school districts and clinics are tightening the purse strings. The media may not always call us "athletic trainers," but they are increasingly familiar with our skills and role in health care.

Bearing these facts in mind I assert that, while we must be mindful of economic woes, we must continue the fight. We may have to adjust course, but we cannot back slide. Athletic trainers are not expendable, but rather a vital part of health care for athletes of all types and skill levels.

If you need resources or tips related to the value and importance of athletic training, I recommend Promote the Profession with a great outline of our skills and the NATA website is rich with information from brochures to the salary survey.

“The better I get, the more I realize how much better I can get”

2011-03-23T13:33:00.003-05:00

“The better I get, the more I realize how much better I can get” Martina Navratilova

Its registration time! Both the SWATA annual symposium and NATA annual symposium are now open for registration. I think it is so important for athletic trainers to attend at least one of these meetings. But here is the hitch, my colleagues, you must actually attend them! Call me lame, but conferences aren’t an employee-funded drunk fest or family vacation. They are there to serve as enrichment in the growth of our professional practices. You need to pick programming that interests you or, better yet, in an area you feel that you are deficient in. Regardless of what time of day they are being held! I know that it will most definitely be difficult to rise and shine in New Orleans, but the growth is what will make our profession better.

As we continue to grow and continue to strive for more clout among the medical community, these learning opportunities cannot be ignored. An athletic trainer must know current standards of care formed upon evidence-based practices. An athletic trainer must know new trends in rehab, modalities, evaluations, and legislation. Medicine requires continuing education due to its changing nature, and it is this reason that our professional organizations required CEUs. They require it, so we might as well make it prosperous and meaningful to us as individuals. These meetings are the perfect opportunity to personalize your learning experiences.

The link for SWATA is http://www.swata.org/attendeereg/

The link for NATA is http://nola.nata.org

2011 Election-District Director (5 of 5)

2011-03-18T17:54:00.000-05:00

This concludes our District VI Director Candidate profiles. To see complete profiles and more information on the candidates be sure to check out the Special Edition Newsletter and our Facebook page (SWATA Young Professionals in Athletic Training)

How will you encourage YPs to reach out to you and the executive board?

Mike Carroll- Head Athletic Trainer, Stephenville High School

I have always felt like accessibility is of paramount importance. I have been on executive boards for local, state, and district associations as well as multiple NATA committees. While on all of those boards or committees I prided myself on communicating with the membership. That communication should include regular e-mails, blog updates, Facebook page updates or other media types with information about the association. It should also include simple things such as returning a phone call or an e-mail in a timely fashion. As district director it will be essential for me to represent District Six at the national level and the only way that I can do that is to encourage the YPs to communicate their thoughts, ideas, complaints, and praises to me.

Bucky Taylor-Athletic Trainer, Mesquite ISD

I would be the representative of the District 6 membership which I would take very seriously. Anyone can contact me at any time. My personal goal is to respond to the individual the same day as contacted, and within 24 hours at the latest. I will answer/respond to their issue to the best of my ability, and I will both present and represent your concerns to the board. No question or concern is unimportant.

Kathy Dieringer-Athletic Trainer/Co-Owner, D & D Sports Med

This is indeed difficult for some professionals, and especially for those who have not fully established their networking skills yet. The best I can say is try—reach out to those members of the executive board. We are not as intimidating as we sometimes appear to be, and believe me, we all remember what it was like to be a young professional who wants to be involved. Technology is paramount to the future of athletic training, and will continue to play a huge part in our communication. My “ears” are only a mouse click, phone call, or text away. As all athletic trainers, regardless of experience, begin to embrace technology more, I believe this will become easier. The SWATA Executive Board has made great strides in this area through the use of Facebook and the SWATA blog, and I’m confident this trend will continue in both SWATA and the NATA.

Ron Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Arkansas State University

Leaders such as the NATA National Director can provide a variety of contact information (phone, email, etc) for YP’s to contact them with questions. The National Director can attend YP social events, lectures, business meetings. Most of all listen and respond 100% of the time.

2011 Election-District Director (4 of 5)

2011-03-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

What are some ideas you have to keep YPs in the profession?

Mike Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Stephenville High School

Keeping YPs in the profession is imperative. To be able to do this the YPs must be able to adequately do their job and manage their life at the same time. Whether it is YPs, students or older athletic trainers it is vital that the association give members benefits that meet or exceed the cost of membership. For the YPs benefits that will help to keep them in the profession should include networking to know that they are not alone in their problems. Educational sessions at district and national meetings that will increase the breadth and depth of their knowledge are also important as this will increase the YPs ability to do their job.

Bucky Taylor-Athletic Trainer, Mesquite ISD

I think that we need to provide better insight and training into the day to day challenges of the profession. Young professionals enter the profession today with a much better knowledge base of how to provide care for their athletes. However, I am not sure that they have a realistic idea of the expectations and demands they face on the job. During some point during their training and during the first few years on the job, this issue needs to be addressed. Many good young professionals leave the profession because they do not have safety nets or means to address daily issues. For the athletic training profession to continue to grow, our professional organization should address this area and provide solutions.

Kathy Dieringer- Athletic Trainer/Co-Owner, D&D Sports Med
I believe question #3 speaks to this issue somewhat, in that as our profession improves our working conditions and salaries (life balancing), fewer athletic trainers will leave the profession for other areas of healthcare. Additionally, we have to keep young professionals engaged through increased committee membership and involvement. Through involve/evolve young professional participation has improved, but we need to take it a step further by requiring committee chairs to choose young professionals as a percentage of their committee membership. As a former SWATA committee chair and current NATA committee chair, I know how difficult this can be as choosing a committee member who is well known and has proven him/herself is more comfortable. The benefit I see is the ability of the young professional to see things from a different perspective-many call it "thinking outside the box," but I prefer to call it "making your box bigger." Anytime I can listen to various perspectives on an issue, from the young professional to the retired member, I benefit both as a committee chair and as a professional. I also enjoy the energy that this type of environment provides during brainstorming or planning sessions.

Ron Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Arkansas State University

Young professionals need value for their membership. YP’s need to experience fulfillment and satisfaction in the profession of athletic training. YP’s need involvement in the YP Committees on the National, District, State and Local level for a voice in athletic training issues. Entry level curriculums need to provide realistic clinical experiences for different athletic training career settings. The athletic training profession needs to continue to pursue different forms of revenue and compensation for athletic trainers. Minimum standards of care that continue to be stressed will improve the daily responsibilities of athletic trainers. Networking at all levels of athletic training gatherings will assist the YP in being the best athletic trainer they can and open numerous opportunities in their career of athletic training.

2011 Election-District Director (3 of 5)

2011-03-14T12:30:00.029-05:00

How do you see YPs contributing to the future of SWATA?

Mike Carroll-Athletic Trainer, Stephenville High School

The YPs have already made a huge impact on this association in their short existence. Since I was elected to the SWATA Executive Board we proposed to the membership and passed a new constitution. This changed the structure of the SWATA Executive Board to include an at-large position who will be a voting member of the board. This would be a perfect position for a YP. I can think of no better way to contribute to the future of the organization than to be on the executive board. Also for the YPs to continue to help mold and shape the future it is critical that as a demographic continue to stay involved and complete projects that they identify as positively affecting not only YPs, but all athletic trainers in general.

Bucky Taylor-Athletic Trainer, Mesquite ISD

They are the future of our organization. I think that the best way that they can contribute to the future of the organization is through being active in the professional organization and providing insight into how to effectively communicate the needs and concerns of this important group. This could come through using social media or some similar tool.

Kathy Dieringer-Athletic Trainer/Co-Owner, D&D Sports Med

Young Professionals are a vital component of the future of SWATA and the NATA, because they set the tone for what is to come. I applaud the Young Professionals Committee for starting a movement for increased involvement early in your careers, as well as a desire to improve your job conditions from the onset. As a leader in the profession, my responsibility is to find a way to keep the young professionals involved throughout your careers. Our young professionals have become better than their predecessors at the life balancing skills we all aspire to obtain, prioritizing our lives so that family comes first, and expecting that our employer values what we do. As this trend continues, our entire profession will improve as a whole in this regard.

Ron Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Arkansas State University

Young professionals have new ideas, YP’s have votes needed with federal, state and local athletic training licensing issues, YP’s are our future leaders, YP’s are contributing members of this great athletic training organization.

2011 Election-District Director Candidates (2 of 5)

2011-03-12T12:00:00.001-06:00

What does the Director do?
The District VI Director represents SWATA on the NATA Executive Board and is our district's voice on national issues. Our current District Director, Brian Conway, has served the maximum number of terms allowed. Director Conway's term officially ends in 2012, but electing this year will allow the newly elected District Director to shadow for one year and learn the details and duties of the position. In order to serve as District Director, an individual must be a certified member of NATA and must have previously served as an elected member of the SWATA Executive Board. Only certified members of NATA can vote for District Director. To see the candidate platforms, be sure to check out the Special Election Edition SWATA Newsletter.

How can the YPC help young professionals with that?

(referring to question 1)
Mike Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Stephenville High School
The YPC has been and will continue to be instrumental in this area. They have always tried to indentify the interests, needs, and concerns of young professionals. Because of that increasing a young professional’s abilities and opportunities to network with their fellow athletic trainers who are either in the YP demographic or more experienced is right up their alley.

Bucky Taylor-Athletic Trainer, Mesquite ISD
I think developing a cadre of mentors in regional areas would be a useful tool for the YPC. It always helps to have someone to call who will lend an ear and/or advice to the young professional. I think we could dedicate time at professional meetings to how public school systems work. You would need to have knowledgeable athletic trainers, athletic directors, and administrators provide the information. Everything from public school finance, legal issues, testing, and day to day operation should be covered.

Kathy Dieringer-Athletic Trainer/Co-Owner, D& D Sports Med
I am certain that I was not the first, nor the last person to take a job based on the “glory” of the place rather than the specifics of the job. We continue to see many athletic trainers accept jobs, as I did, at universities for very low pay and benefits because of the place not the position. The NATA is often called upon to improve life balancing issues such as salaries and working conditions, and I agree that this should be a major goal for the NATA. To assist in this goal, we must also do a better job of being selective about the positions we take, and negotiating for better positions based on our worth.

Recently, I co-authored an article in the October issue of NATA News called “Your Worth, Your Skills, Your Value”. In concert with the NATA Chairs of COR, YPC, CUATC, and Sec. Schools, we are attempting through a series of articles to assist athletic trainers with bargaining skills, providing success stories and tools to show your worth to your employer and market your value as an athletic trainer. This issue transcends settings, and is vital to all athletic trainers, but especially to the young professional who is setting the course of their career. The YPC is an integral part of this endeavor, and certainly will continue to be.

Ron Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Arkansas State University
The YPC should develop a phone list and/or list serve for young professionals to contact when they have a need to discuss athletic training issues such as injuries, rehabilitation programs, job opportunities etc.

2011 Election-District Director Candidates (1 of 5)

2011-03-10T12:27:00.001-06:00

The 2011 election in SWATA will have us voting for a new District Director. The YPC wanted to make sure you had a wealth of information to make an educated decision about the next leader for our district and asked them a few questions.
Ballots will be e-mailed out (so make sure your contact information is current) on March 21! Keep an eye on the blog as we will be posting their answers and resources for more information in the days leading up to the election. Exercise your duty to vote!

What do you wish you could change about your time as a young professional?

Mike Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Stephenville High School

Increasing the ability to network and have access to athletic trainers in my work setting both locally and across SWATA is what I like to go back and change. I can still remember after becoming a licensed athletic trainer in 1991 feeling completely and utterly isolated and alone. I am very appreciative for several athletic trainers that worked at local schools like Gordon Graham at Tomball HS, Arnold Thomas at Cy Fair HS, Calvin Salois at Katy Taylor HS, and Cathy Supak at Clear Brook HS. These people helped by giving me advice and direction on how I could best do my job and help keep my sanity at the same time. Had it not been for these individuals I would not have been as successful early in my career and would have no doubt struggled greatly.

Bucky Taylor-Athletic Trainer, Mesquite ISD

I would have liked to have had either training or mentoring on the issue of dealing with coaches. This was something that could have made my day to day dealings with either unknowledgeable or unreasonable coaches better. Mentoring probably would have been better. If you have someone that has crossed that bridge and can give you the benefit of their wisdom, it would have been useful to me. Also, help on life balancing between my home life and work life would have helped. It would also have been helpful to know more about how public schools operate. Learning the ins and outs of school operation is a difficult process for even the most knowledgeable.

Kathy Dieringer-Athletic Trainer/Co-Owner, D&D Sports Med

If I could change anything about my time as a young professional, it would be to choose my first job more carefully. As a young professional, I was employed by three different universities 15+ years after Title IX was passed. My graduate assistantship, though a great experience, was at a university where our football athletic training facility was still inside the men’s locker room. My first full time position was working at a major Division I university, where our athletic training programs remained separated according to gender. As a female staff member, I was not permitted to work with football or any of the major men’s sports. We treated the female athletes and the “minor” men’s sports. We had separate facilities, separate budgets, and very different salary structures. I soon left that position to become a head athletic trainer at a Division II university, where I remained for over 10 very rewarding years.
I was so excited to take my first job at this major university that I didn’t consider the nuances of the job, and regret that I didn’t make a more informed choice. There were universities where inclusion was common, and I would like to have experienced that as a young professional. While I don’t regret the career path I have chosen globally, I do wonder how my path might have been different had I had the opportunity to work in a more inclusive job setting as a young professional.

Ron Carroll-Head Athletic Trainer, Arkansas State University

I could have used more confidence and the opportunity to interact with other certified athletic trainers on a daily basis to discuss injuries, rehabs and other athletic training issues.

Why it is important...

2011-03-02T11:51:00.000-06:00

Two years ago, on this blog, I posed the question...Can you imagine a world WITHOUT athletic trainers?
It seemed, at the time, that my assertions were far-fetched, the worst-case scenario even.

Now, it seems we are on the verge of our worst-case scenario with an economic climate that has effected everyone leaving school districts, universities and businesses big and small scrambling to cover budget deficits.

Cutting athletic training positions should not be a solution, but in some cases it may be.

It is important this month, and every month to fight for our profession! If you need tips, tools or resources, be sure to visit the NATA website.

Rock The Vote

2011-03-01T11:25:00.002-06:00

I just got this message from family back in Pennsylvania. http://www.wnep.com/videobeta/e7e72058-c32c-4262-af59-19ea59c95147/News/Schuylkill-County-Begins-Bicentennial-Celebration

The small county where I was born is celebrating their bicentennial. The video showed veterans pulling out flags 100 yards long and speaking of their time overseas and how their children and grandchildren our now serving. It got me thinking about our country’s foundation and how democracy was won, not given to us. People fought battles to have the right to choose everyday matters in their lives and most importantly, the right to decide who would lead and govern their nation.
I know that our elections for our district may seem small compared to events in Egypt and Wisconsin, but they are based on the same principle: each person has the right to choose! As the Young Professionals Committee, we have a duty to promote elections within our profession and our district, to make it an important decision in each athletic trainer’s life. We can sit around and talk about salaries, concussion articles that some reporter got wrong, or how many hours we put in, but unless we take advantage of our right to vote, we cannot place blame. If we chose to get involved at easiest level of informed voting, we make our voices heard. We can take that onto other levels of involvement, but we MUST at least savor the moment and utilize our privilege and right to vote!
Our District Representative nominations are in and the YPC will be posting the candidates’ answers to questions, PLEASE take advantage of this opportunity to get informed and then make your decision and VOTE!

On a side note: Please remember that March is National Athletic Training Month. More information can be found at nata.org or swata.org. This is the perfect time to get out and educate your workplace, schools and community about who athletic trainers are and what we do as health care professionals!!!

Representation

2011-02-21T10:58:00.002-06:00

We have discussed many times in this forum about the importance of membership.

NATA, SWATA and your state associations represent you. To the media, to the public at large, and to our local, state and federal government.

It is important, no imperative, that you are aware of what is going on and how it will effect you and our profession. These professional organizations are acting on your behalf whether you are a member or not and their actions can impact you, the athletic trainer, greatly.

Mostly these actions are for the better, but sometimes they aren't. Is it important enough for you to engage and act?

"No taxation without representation" was the cry that rang out when the colonists felt they were being treated unjustly. Well, I assure you the representation is there, it is our job to make sure that these representatives get our perspective so they can represent.

Currently there are 2 bills going before the Texas Congress, one already in committee(not filed by TSATA, but they are looking for feedback) and one should be filed this week, that DIRECTLY effect athletic trainers in Texas.

HR 332 - Relating to the licensure of athletic trainers

SB 835-TSATA Concussion Bill

It is not the role of this committee or me to influence your opinions on things of this nature, but rather to educate you on issues that are important to YPs. Please take the time to educate yourself about this legislation and make your thoughts known to your TSATA representative.

NO LEGISLATION WITHOUT EDUCATION!

The Grind

2011-02-18T15:30:00.002-06:00

Every athletic trainer reaches a point in his or her work year that I refer to as the grind. For me the grind is mid-February to mid-March, the last month of the collegiate basketball season.

Morning treatments before the sun comes up, practice ends after dark, the night class I teach twice a week seems to meet way more often than that, at least two days a week trapped in a bus, and of course there isn’t a healthy athlete at the entire university.

I imagine high school ATs have two points in their work year that would qualify as the grind. One, the end of football season and two, that magical time in the spring when every sport that can possibly be played is in action. I really don’t see how you guys make it through.

The reason I bring up the grind is simple. It is at this time that even the most devoted AT occasionally questions their career choice. So, why do we put ourselves through this yearly punishment knowing full well that it’s coming? For me it’s an easy call. There is nothing better then healthy competition and I truly love being a part of it.

The excitement of games and chasing a championship make the long hours and stress completely worth it, especially when your team finally finishes the job. What about those years when your team comes up short? Well there are many more victories for us as ATs. My favorite is getting to return an athlete from an injury and watching them play with a rediscovered passion and intensity. These athletes had something they loved taken away from them and now they have a second chance, and their AT is largely responsible for that second chance.

So next time you find yourself in the middle of your grind ask yourself how you would feel if athletic training was taken from you (yes, “relieved” is okay in the short term). Then try and imagine the passion and intensity you would have when you were able to return to the career you love. That passion and intensity will see you through and I promise your athletes appreciate it even if they don’t excel at expressing it.

Flexibility

2011-02-13T09:34:00.003-06:00

As an athletic trainer, a key word in the job description needs to be "flexible". This means multiple things. Sometimes you have to be physically somewhat flexible to deal the injury and rehab situations you might be put in. But what I want to talk about today is the life schedule of an athletic trainer. Two weeks ago, we spent almost a whole week out of school, and postponing events due to the weather. This caused an absolutely ridiculous scheduling nightmare. Then we got hit again, on Wednesday, and had to push back events another day. This one weather system not only delayed the end of one sports season by two day, but our basketball teams only practiced once in two weeks, and played 4 games in one week. Because of this schedule, there were two days this past week that never even made it "to work". I was working, and on the job. One of those day, I had something previously scheduled, but then had to come back to work for a make-up event. LONG DAY!!!!!

Now I know this was a freak event, but think about normal times. At my school, I am on at least 9 other peoples time. 9 coaches basically give me and my co-workers a frame work of how we are going to schedule our lives. We only get to decide how we are going to make it work. We now all have children. I married another athletic trainer, so you have an idea of her schedule. One co-worker married a pilot, and is gone for periods of time. The other married a computer geek, that now runs major operations of a major company. She is gone a lot also.

So needless to say, we have to live and die by a schedule. And we like that schedule to be done months in advance. But we all know that we have to have some kind of flexibility so that we can all work together toward a common goal. We are lucky that we get to work as a team. There are a lot of athletic trainers that do not have that luxury. Probably more often than not. But the life of an athletic trainer pretty much revolves around other peoples lives. You joined this profession because you wanted to help others. Selflessness is at the root of this profession. But burn out is also a very real condition in the profession. When making your schedule, working around those 9 coaches, and co-workers lives, make some time for you. I call mine "Timmy Time". I try my hardest to schedule time for me to do SOMETHING ELSE. Anything else. Sometimes, I schedule time to do, NOTHING. Nothing can be the biggest something sometimes. But make time for you, your family, and friends. It will help you get by!!!!

JOB SECURITY...CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO LINK!

2011-02-06T16:01:00.002-06:00

Just a video to show TWO things:

1) First and foremost...why athletic trainers are important!

2) Reasons why athletic trainers should always have a job!

Check out this YOUTUBE link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QTCBrefXso

--Alison

You know you are an athletic trainer when....

2011-02-04T11:53:00.001-06:00

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN ATHLETIC TRAINER WHEN...
1) You can sleep 101 different ways on a bus.
2) You have all the needed items in your apartment to tape an ankle.
3) You know people by their injury, not their names.
4) You have a pile of gauze and gloves on top of your dresser at home.
5) You believe the athletic training room should be equipped with an ibuprofen salt lick.
6) You think shallow gene pool should have its own box to check on an injury report form.
7) When one of your athletes or a coach asks if you even went home the night before.
8) You want to slap the next person that says, "Must be nice having all those holidays, spring break, and summers off?"
9) Nasty feet don't even phase you.
10) You think caffeine should be available in IV form.
11) You've ever had your profession slammed by someone who wouldn't dream of doing your job.
12) You analyze other people's gait patterns while walking around.
13) You want to choke a person that says, "Oh, you must have so much fun being around sports every day."
14) You cook beefaroni on the same hot plate to mold mouth guards.
15) You think midnight is a reasonable time for chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and iced tea.
16) You get pissed off at the sportscasters when they say..."I think he strained his ankle".
17) Your friends/family come to you to see if you think they should go to the doctor when they hurt themselves.
18) When the athletic training room has become your workspace, bedroom, changing area, dinning area.
19) When you can spot Osgood-Schlatter's from a mile away.
20) You realize that skin lube is the best chapstick known to man.
21) You have made more than one trip to the hospital carrying an athlete in the back of the truck

Haha...I know there are ALOT of these I can relate to??? How about you guys?!

- Alison L Moore MS, LAT, ATC

Got any bright ideas?

2011-01-19T10:38:00.000-06:00

Committee terms in the NATA and SWATA are one year, twice renewable. I have been fortunate and proud to serve our associations over the past three years as a young professional, but the time to pass the torch is fast approaching.

The application period for the District 6 NATA YPC Representative/SWATA YPC Chair is open and I encourage all enthusiastic, motivated, driven young professionals (under the age of 32 by July 1) to apply. It has been a great experience and I highly recommend it!

For more information on requirements and what you need to do to apply visit the NATA Young Professionals Page.

If you feel like you want to get involved, but this isn't the opportunity for you, then I encourage you to get on the SWATA Volunteer List. Several committees will have openings this year, as well as a number of other projects requiring help, so take this opportunity to get involved!

JUSTIFIED

2011-01-11T13:58:00.003-06:00

In much of our lives we have to make justifications.

In our finances, our diets, our relationships and our work.

Athletic trainers, specifically, are often charged to justify our purpose, our budgets, an increase in compensation, and sometimes even our decisions.

Recently mass media has turned their attention to concussions in sports, and tragically sudden death. As more notice is given to athletics and injuries, the justifications for athletic trainers are starting to be made by other individuals, groups and professions.

For example...

It is nice to be recognized and respected by "outsiders" as the go-to healthcare professional for prevention and care of concussions, sudden cardiac issues and other acute and minor athletic injuries.

Despite this, less than half of the high schools in SWATA even have ACCESS to athletic training coverage. Rather than resting on our laurels that this information is out there, it is time to mobilize and publicize!

I continue to say that athletic trainers are expertly educated, highly skilled and the best first-line of defense for every athlete. We are our own best advocates, and self-promotion is the best tool for professional advancement.

Use this information and your influence to better the future of the profession and increase access to quality athletic training care.

Athletic trainers are justified, and it is up to us to prove that.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T14:21:00.000-06:00

2011.
The start of every year is marked with newness and resolutions. Promises to yourself and others to be better, do better, take charge, change.

On New Year's Day, I stumbled upon this motivational piece from Ralph Marston:

January 1, 1999

This is your year. It starts today. You've been put in charge of it. You've been given complete control. It is fresh and new, waiting to be broken in. How it turns out is now up to you.

There are no limitations on how you can use this year. And don't worry, you'll find plenty of opportunities distributed throughout its days and moments.

The clock is running now. Your year has already begun. Though it seems today that you have plenty of time, the weeks will pass quickly, so take care not to squander them. Yes, there's plenty of time, but not enough to waste.

What will you do with this great new year? How will you make it the best one yet? You need to think about those things, and soon. Even now, your year is beginning to take shape.

This is your year. It's not a test or a trial run. It's the real thing, and it is here. It is a magnificent opportunity, and one which will not wait. This is your year. See it. Imagine it. Live it. Enjoy it. Make it great.

That year, I was 17 and entering the last semester of my junior year. I had been a "student trainer" for all of my high school career and was deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up. I had a boyfriend who was about to graduate, and overall my future was uncertain. Upon reflecting, I'm positive I didn't use that year as I should have. I wished it away so I could "just turn 18," "just graduate" and do a number of other things that I couldn't wait to do.

As I began to get nostalgic and wish I had been smarter at 17, I read this year's motivational entry...

January 1, 2011

This is it. Your New Year is here. Though you cannot go back, you can do even better than ever as you move forward. No matter how many other years you've already seen, you can make this the best one yet.

Of course there are plenty of challenges, and more are likely to be on the way real soon. But you've already come through a whole lot of them, and now you can put all that experience to positive and meaningful use.

Glance back for a moment and you'll clearly see that life is always what you choose to make it, no matter what else might be going on. Now look forward with a renewed determination, and make the choice to live with more meaning and richness than ever before.

In your heart, you know why. With your considerable experience of living, you know how.

As this New Year begins, look forward to the opportunity you now have of experiencing life at a new and more fulfilling level. On this very first day of the year, look forward to being the best you've ever been at being you.

My life has been the sum of my decisions. I cannot change the past, but I can greatly influence the future.
The same is true for athletic training. People are too focused on what is or what has been. Calling for name changes and lamenting about "good old boys."

Athletic training is a profession of the future. Young professionals are the future of athletic training and I'm confident that 2011 will be the year of the young professional. We need to look forward and not waste any time.

What do you want to change about the future of athletic training?

An Editorial on an Editorial?

2010-12-24T09:12:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-12-06T18:44:00.002-06:00

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

2010-11-22T15:10:00.002-06:00

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

2010-11-20T01:45:00.001-06:00

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

2010-11-19T10:14:00.002-06:00

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

2010-11-08T10:00:00.006-06:00

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

2010-10-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

'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

2010-10-18T20:42:00.003-05:00

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

2010-10-08T11:18:00.002-05:00

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

2010-09-27T11:59:00.003-05:00

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

2010-09-20T20:32:00.002-05:00

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

2010-09-20T14:25:00.007-05:00

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

2010-09-15T10:38:00.002-05:00

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

2010-09-04T08:32:00.003-05:00

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....

2010-08-25T23:05:00.005-05:00

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

2010-08-25T17:24:00.001-05:00

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

2010-08-19T13:09:00.002-05:00

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...

2010-08-17T16:28:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-08-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

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?

2010-08-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

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.

2010-07-19T16:38:00.002-05:00

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

2010-07-12T15:34:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-03-30T09:40:00.002-05:00

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

2010-03-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

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

2010-03-08T12:33:00.000-06:00

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

2010-03-05T10:10:00.002-06:00

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!

2010-03-03T11:24:00.000-06:00

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

2010-02-21T18:10:00.010-06:00

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

2010-01-22T15:41:00.003-06:00

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.

New Year’s Resolutions and Old Year’s Revelations

2009-12-14T11:26:00.000-06:00

While working on some of my StarTRACKS assignments, I used one of my free CEU Bucks (those are actually pretty cool...use them!) from the NATA to watch “Communicating with Confidence." In this, an athletic trainer said something that completely resonated with me and is applicable for all YPs. He said that, as health professionals, communicating with confidence comes with knowing your profession and keeping current on methods and research in your field, and not falling back on “the way I learned it.” Hearing that took my breath away; I say that on a weekly basis!

Granted I have been out of school only six years, BUT in six years, I wonder what has changed? One athletic trainer in the segment presented this idea: at the end of the year, season, or month, ask yourself what you learned new. But most importantly, what did you fail not to learn when presented with something new. Was there an injury you had never dealt with or a surgery you had never rehabbed? Or did you see an injury trend that needs to be examined?

I took this advice to heart, and I am in turn asking you to do the same. I have seen four lumbar stress fractures so far this school year, so I surfed blogs and educational websites to find a good low back resource. I ordered a new book from Amazon and read a little here and there, re-learning that which I learned six long years ago and learning more that which is completely new.

There will come a point in our long careers where it will no longer be six years, but sixteen and twenty-six years, and “the way I learned it” will undoubtedly be changed. So to all of you contemplating a New Year’s Resolution (I promise to use my gym membership I haven’t touched since two-a-days!), reflect on what you did this past year and how you can become a better health care professional for your athletes. Merry Christmas and best wishes to you all for an awesome 2010.

NATA Gatorade Service Award

2009-11-12T10:22:00.004-06:00

NATA Secondary School Gatorade Service Award

This award was created to recognize the efforts of secondary school athletic trainers that are improving their school community as a whole as well as doing their job as an athletic trainer. Everyone knows of that high school or middle school athletic trainer that is always going above and beyond the call of duty for the betterment of their school. It may be covering classes in their department, driving a bus when route drivers are not able to drive, teaching AED/CPR to staff members of their school, organizing and implementing fitness testing, covering power puff games, FCA dodge ball and basketball event coverage, coordinating wellness programs, the list could go on and on...

The point is to recognize someone that you know in your district/area/region that is always going above and beyond expectations. We all have that person that we look at think...how in the world do they have the time to do all of that AND do their regular job as an athletic trainer.

Go to http://www.nata.org/ns/NATASSATCGatoradeServiceAward/index.htm to get more information on how to nominate that hard working athletic trainer that you know deserves some recognition for going above and beyond.

Crazy Time

2009-11-03T13:35:00.004-06:00

I think that I have had these thoughts once or twice since the middle of October...

November is the start of "Crazy Time" in the world of high school athletic trainers (as well as other athletic trainers). There is so much going on and there is no way to keep up with all of it at the same time. Football, Volleyball, and Cross Country are at their peak of their seasons; Tennis is in full swing, Basketball is getting started and Wrestling, Swimming & Diving, & Gymnastics are getting ready to start their seasons! Most athletic trainers are just trying to survive from day to day at this point... I know that I am just keeping my head above water at times!

I always find that if I am drowning in my work, then I need to take a step back, prioritize what needs to be done, and knock them out one at a time. I will do this by making a list, ranking them in order of what needs to be finished first and then I cross them off when they are complete. It is a simplistic approach, but sometimes simple is all it takes.

Finding time to get away from everything is a good way to help you get things accomplished. Sometimes you just need to get a fresh perspective on a situation to know what to do and the only way to get that perspective is to leave it for a while and come back to it. We all have been there before...we have worked on something for so long that we cannot see the solution that is right in front of us. Leave it and come back to it later.

Do not allow your email and other electronic communications bog you down from accomplishing your work. Leave the emails until after you have accomplished the task in your training room or on your desk, the "problem" in your computer will still be there when you finish dealing with what is in the room with you.

Remember that we work in one of the greatest professions in the world. We are in the people business, so go talk with the people you work with. Get out of the training room... go to practices, games, travel with a team to an event and just relax. I did not become an athletic trainer to be inside at a desk all day! November is a great time of year to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air...even if it is watching football practice!

Take time out for yourself and for what is important to you. When you leave work, leave it at work. Be in the situation that you are in; don't be thinking of what you have to do tomorrow or dwelling on what happened earlier that day. Find your "Happy Place" and go there, even for just a little while.

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

2009-10-28T16:24:00.002-05:00

I've heard this so frequently in the previous weeks. Regarding house stuff, and weather, work and life.

It made me think...Isn't this what athletic trainers do? Our entire education prepares us for the worst case scenario. From prevention of head injuries and heat illness, to evaluation of torn ligaments and broken bones to rehabilitation after major surgery. Preparing us to deal with the worst.

What happens though, when you aren't prepared for the worst? When the worst is worse than anything you could have imagined.
Last year, one of my basketball athletes complained of low back pain. She went to her physician, and was diagnosed with leukemia. 16 years old, back pain, CANCER? That was not my worst. She is now cancer-free, but can no longer compete in basketball.

Last week, a coach's son was laid to rest at the age of 12. 2 and a half years ago he was having hip pain. Went to his physician and was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, fatal in 75% of all cases. He fought a valiant battle. The whole varsity team and coaching staff attended his funeral and mourned a life lost too young and celebrated a child who is now cancer free. I was moved, emotional and felt helpless.

Athletic trainers are preventers. Athletic trainers are fixers. I could neither prevent what happened, nor fix these kids. Not to mention their friends, family, teammates and others affected by their diagnosis.

One of the issues that often arises in the first 5 years of your athletic training career is coping with loss and dealing with the psychosocial repercussions left behind. Counseling athletes after a season ending injury, loss of a friend or family member, or simply after a break-up is a situation I was ill prepared for. I didn't realize that in many cases, these athletes felt I was the person they could trust most to listen and advise them through rough times. It is a situation in which you have to tread carefully, and know your boundaries.
I am finally beginning to understand this relationship and appreciate my role.
Sometimes, however, no matter what you do you can't prepare for the worst, and that is OK.
You simply have to be prepared to respond.

Another Level of Recognition

2009-10-19T08:54:00.005-05:00

Otho Davis is the first athletic trainer that has ever been on the ballot for the National Football League Hall of Fame.

The Board of Selectors has the final say, but your vote will be heard.

He started out at #51 last week, and is now at #12!!

Visit http://www.fanschoice.com/vote.aspx

You can vote everyday until November 26th.

It is always amazing what a group of motivated athletic trainers can accomplish!

A little bit about this pioneer of athletic training:
Otho L. Davis (b. February 8, 1934, d. May 2, 2000) was aa football athletic trainer. He was the head athletic trainer for Kent State University from 1957-65. In 1965, he moved to Duke University for six seasons. In 1971, O joined the Baltimore Colts for two seasons, his first foray in the NFL.

It was in Philadelphia, however, that Otho Davis became a premiere athletic trainer. Hired by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973, Davis served as head athletic trainer for the club until his retirement after the 1995 season. He was named Athletic Trainer of the Year five times. For eighteen years, Davis served as the executive director of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). The NATA headquarters was renamed in his honor.

On May 1, 1993 Davis was also enshrined into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame - Philadelphia Chapter. In 1982, he received the Distinguished Service Award for Sports Medicine from the American Orthopedics Society for Sports Medicine.

His other honors include having been inducted into the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association (Texas and Arkansas) Hall of Fame in 1987 and being a member of "Who's Who in the East." He is also a member of the Kent State University Hall of Fame and an Honorary member of the Kent State Varsity "K".

Davis also held memberships in various professional organizations, including the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association. Davis was nominated in April, 1993 by the Professional Football Writers Association (PFWA) for the Horrigan Award. This honor is bestowed upon the league or club official or player for his qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do his or her job. Davis formerly served as the charter president of the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society. Davis was a member of the Board of Advisors of the Ed Block Courage Award which honors a player from all 28 NFL teams each season who, in the eyes of their teammates, best displays courage. He also was a member of the Board of Governors of the Maxwell Football Club and was a past member of the executive committee of the Professional Athletic Trainers' Society.

A native of Elgin, TX, Davis, 61 (2/8/34), attended South Park High in Beaumont (TX) and later earned a B.S. degree in physical education from Lamar University in 1957 and an M.A. degree in 1964 from Kent State, where he was head trainer from 1957-1965. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corp from 1954-56 with the United States Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and was athletic trainer for the Beaumont (TX) "Exporter" baseball club in 1956.

In 1999, John Madden named Davis to his All Madden Team as the all time trainer. The same year he was named to the Eagles Honor Roll.

Love/Not Love So Much

2009-10-13T07:23:00.005-05:00

I love my job. Most days I don't even think of it as a job. However, there are those days when I leave home before the sun comes up, deal with traffic, mounds of paperwork, evaluate a fractured wrist, more paperwork, practice in the rain and come home long after the sun has set and I think that there has got to be something better.

Athletic training is a challenging, interesting and demanding profession that is definitely not for the weak at heart. We are often everything to everyone all the time and it is ingrained in us that this is what athletic trainers are. We lower our heads, we work tirelessly and go home to our families at the end of the day exhausted.

What do I love? I LOVE my student-athletes (most of them ;)) who are always so impressed when I use a medical term. I LOVE my student athletic trainers who I watch develop a love of athletic training despite their designation sometimes as "water girl." I LOVE the feeling of success I get when I watch an student-athlete return to the playing field after a year off due to surgery or major injury, or a week off due to a high ankle sprain. I LOVE when a former student-athlete or student athletic trainer visits the athletic training room during halftime at homecoming to tell me they are studying sports medicine at college and anatomy is HARD. There are so many more.

What do I love not so much? While I tend not to dwell on things like this, there are a few things that frustrate me. I don't love my growing list of duties: travel coordinator, meal planner, insurance agent, safety trainer, compliance director, equipment manager, and sometime-athletic secretary just to name a few. I don't love the often ridiculous practice schedules that keep me here 12+ hours just to ensure practice time on the "main gym floor." (They are both wood, get a grip!?). I don't love hosting tournaments of anything, or staggered practice over Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break.

To me, the positives far outweigh the negatives, AND it is in my power to address the things I do not love so much. It was difficult just starting out to realize that I don't have to keep my mouth shut and just show up, I can elicit change. I addressed the practice issues with my coaches and they agreed to work-out within a certain window during the school day and on holidays or be satisfied with no athletic trainer on campus (no coach wants that!). I'm still working on my increasing job responsibilities and I won't win the tournament battle. It is good to know, however, that I can win some battles, and that is something else I LOVE.

I want to start a discussion...In the comments section of this post:

What do you love about your job?

What would you change?

One I'd really like to know the answer to: What can SWATA and the YPC do to help?

The more things change...

2009-09-16T16:41:00.002-05:00

So I heard somewhere recently that your life won't look much different in three years. The implication is that life doesn't change drastically in that period of time.

It got me thinking, and I think three years is a long time and brings lots of change at every stage...

0-3-you go from a blob that eats and poos to a little person that walks and talks
~
3-6-you can comprehend and reason and you start school!
~
13-16 awkward adolescent to a full on difficult young adult that can drive (scary!)
~
19-22-this is when I had my epiphany that my parents really did know what they were talking about; was of legal drinking age; and graduated college the first time.
~
22-25 I got my first job, graduated from college the second time, got married... turned 28 today and the last 3 years have been nothing short of amazing, and definitely never boring.

I think this is a fundamental issue that young professionals face. Our life is changing so much right now. We are just getting out on our feet, we get engaged, married, friends get married, buy houses and our first cars and eventually there is a growing family in the mix (whether it's kids or animals ;)).

I never thought this would be a challenge, but it gets really difficult to balance everything and keep it all straight. For me, I am currently in the middle of our first home purchase. I never knew that it would be so...so...dominating. Inspections, financing, paint colors, appliances. It consumes my thoughts no matter where I am (work, car, sleep, grocery store), and makes it difficult to focus on the tasks at hand. Setting aside major personal milestones so that I will still be effective at my job is a hurdle that I'm beginning to get over. I imagine it only gets harder with the addition of kids.

I know that my issue is not unique, and I take great solace knowing that I'm not alone. I have called on several friends for help along the way and guidance from mentors.

No matter what change the next 3 years brings, as far as I can tell, it's all worth it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On another, somewhat related note...THE ELECTION FOR NATA President is still going on! How much will change in the next 3 years of our profession and association?! What will your IMPACT on the future be?

Hail to the Chief

2009-09-10T07:52:00.008-05:00

(I'm a little frustrated right now, as I just wrote out an awesome, motivating, compelling voting blog...and then deleted it. Sweet. You will just have to take my word for it. VOTE!)

There is an important election going on in NATA right now that could have great effect on the future of our association and profession. I'm sure you think I say that about everything, but I swear it is true.

The NATA president is the face of athletic training and the National Athletic Trainers' Association to other organizations, sponsors and often the media. S/he with the Board of Directors drive our association's focus over the coming years and are critical to continuing to evolve NATA. It's kind of a big deal.

The candidates are:
Current NATA President Marje Albohm, MS, ATC and former District 2 Director Joe Iezzi, MS, ATC, PES.
Both attended our annual meeting in Arlington, so you may have had a chance to meet them!

To find out more information about the candidates visit the NATA Website and look for Face Time '09 for their platforms. For a Q & A with them visit the YPC section of the website, and check out the July issue of the NATA News.

You should have received your electronic ballot on (or about) September 1st. If you didn't, e-mail amyc@nata.org and she will get you set up. Do this before September 30th when voting closes!

YOUR VOTE COUNTS! There is no time like now to make your IMPACT on the association felt.

Helicopter Parents

2009-09-01T17:17:00.004-05:00

You know the type... Sitting in the bleachers watching practice...everyday. Talking to their kids from the stands, telling them what to do, how to play. Trying to get just a "minute" in the coach's office. You happen to be in the front office checking your box and you see them, hovering, waiting to talk to anyone that will listen to them. It seems that they must not have employment because every time you look up you see them. Then it happens...their child gets an injury.

As a young professional, what do you plan to do when the "helicopter parent" comes in for a landing in your training room? If you think it will not happen...just wait...It will happen to you one day.

When I first started, I would become very defensive with these parents. I did not know how to handle them. I would let them get under my skin and wonder if I really was doing what I was supposed to be doing. They second guessed me and eventually I started to second guess myself. Don't let that happen to you.

Be confident in what you are doing in the training room. Confidence in yourself and your treatments/rehab or a lack of confidence in those areas will show. If people think that you are unsure of what you are doing, they will second guess everything you do.
Be able to explain the 'whats' and 'whys' of what you are doing. Telling a kid or a parent that you want this done a certain way just because you said may not be the best way to build their confidence in you. Be prepared to educate them, these are teachable moments, and you should take advantage of them.
Have a plan. If you can show them rehab programs, treatment plans, return to play guidelines, they will see that you know what you are doing.
Be patient. These parents have a difficult time with letting their children deal with their own issues. Listen to them, but stand your ground. Once they see that you are a professional and you are taking care of their child, they will be less apprehensive in future encounters.

Helicopter parents are usually well-meaning parents that need to learn their boundaries. With a little practice you will learn how to clear them for a landing and get them back in the sky without raising your stress levels.

2009-08-28T14:30:00.001-05:00

We hear the word all the time. We know it exists. We go to conferences and lectures on its prevalence in our profession. Our committee often offers advice on how to prevent it and we beg our seasoned peers to preach wisdom and to offer us their secrets of success. But no one admits to it. Or no one is around to admit to it. So I will confess to you all that I am suffering from (dun dun duuuuuun) burnout.

Now let me stand back and say to you that I am not thinking of leaving this profession. I truly love my profession, but right now I am not sure that I am loving my job. I think this time every year takes it toll on the high school athletic trainer, but for some reason, this time, is different. I'm not just hot and sweaty with aching feet and long hours.

Going back to my sport psych work in grad school, I think the more accurate descriptor of my discord would be “staleness,” the emotional problems stemming from “daily worries, anxieties, and feelings of restlessness that typically is unnamable or specific.” But the thing with staleness is that it can easily morph into this burnout phenomenon that we all know exists.

I can’t put my finger on the “it” that has me Googling PhD programs and searching the NATA website for curriculum programs; on why this month I am completely unmotivated to watch football practice or to preplan a new rehab. Maybe its because two of my best friends left coaching last year (ironically to burnout!) and I miss having them around. I miss the distraction, of not having to talk about work related stuff with an adult and the hide out they could provide with a 10-minute gab session in their offices. Or maybe its that my husband has been working as much as me the last few weeks, leaving our sleep schedules to be the only thing we are sharing. Could it be as simple as that? That I am a victim of the life-work struggle they have warned me about?

Or perhaps it is indeed the restlessness. Am I where I want to be professionally? Am I what I want to be when I grow up? As young professionals, we need to continue to encourage exploration professionally. Being a part of this organization or a committee allows us to continue to evolve from graduate to professional, but we have to recognize that it is a transition and not an absolute. I’m not sure how many of us can admit to having already scored their dream job, but the YPC is set up to help all of us transition into the athletic trainer we want to be. I know my passion and I believe I have discovered where in the athletic training profession I belong. I just now need the courage and resolve to pursue it.

One is Greater Than...

2009-08-26T09:46:00.003-05:00

I am only 1 person.

We hear it all the time. Can 1 person really make a difference? An impact?

The song goes..."1 is the loneliest number," but I'm of the belief that 1 is the most powerful number.

It only takes 1.

4:00 minute mile...was an impossible task. It was thought that no one would ever run that fast. In 1954, with a time of 3:59.4, Roger Bannister made the impossible seem possible. Since that time the record has been broken numerous times.

Mt. Everest...at 29,002 ft high is a giant of inconceivable proportion. Despite dangerous obstacles, and the sure belief of others that it couldn't be done, on May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary became the first climber to reach the summit. As of this year, nearly 2500 more climbers have reached that incredible goal.

There are several more examples of amazing accomplishments by 1 person. Louis Pasteur, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus Christ.

These individuals CHANGED THE WORLD.

I'm not asking you to change the world. I just want you to know that your impact can be felt in athletic training. 1 person CAN make a difference. 1 person does matter.

If every person made their own impact, think about how huge that could be!

1 is greater than none, and whatever your contribution can be, it matters.

An Athletic Trainer?

2009-08-14T12:11:00.006-05:00

Recently, I visited a doctor's office. In casual conversation, the physician asked me what I did, and I proudly stated: "I'm an athletic trainer." To my delight she knew what an athletic trainer was and when discussing my condition(s), she used medical terms and spoke to me as a fellow healthcare professional.

I required some further testing and was sent to a phlebotomist. In casual conversation, she asked me what I did, and I proudly stated: "I'm an athletic trainer." She responded, "Yeah, I really need to get in shape....(something about working out)"

I proceeded to give her my "elevator speech" about athletic training...

"Actually, athletic trainers are in the health care field. Our focus is on the prevention, care and rehabilitation of athletic injuries of all athletes, from your high schools to the professionals and the weekend warriors. We are also first responders and have a very unique skill set from our educational programs, and it requires a degree and a certification like most allied healthcare professions."

This sparked interest and conversation. In my brief visit, I was able to educate someone new about athletic training. Goal achieved!

I would guess that nearly 1 out of every 2 people are unfamiliar with athletic trainers. What do you do when you encounter those people?

I used to say..."you know when you watch sporting events and someone gets hurt...those people that run out on the field/court...those are athletic trainers." The problem with this is while you've provided them with a point of reference, they still don't know WHAT we do.

Another hurdle is that it is difficult to correct or challenge a stranger (or even a friend), but it is necessary to continue to advance. You don't have to be confrontational or rude, just informative and personable. So I developed my "elevator speech." A short, informative blurb about athletic training that you could spit out over the course of an elevator ride. Just long enough to peak interest without boring and beating over the head ;)

Over the course of the next few months, this great job of ours will afford us the opportunity to catch up with old friends, meet new people and be missionaries of athletic training.

I challenge you to go forth and testify about athletic training!

Take advantage of opportunities to talk to the unaware about athletic training, further educate those almost in the know, and spread the good word about this amazing profession.

P.S. No worries, I'm doing fine :)

What a difference a year makes...

2009-08-14T11:36:00.003-05:00

To think- a year ago around this time we had just started the young professionals committee (and this blog), and I remember sitting and thinking...What's Next?!

As the seasons have changed, we have grown and developed, and I look forward to what's to come!

I hope you all enjoyed your summer. It was great catching up in San Antonio and in Arlington. I'm so proud to be in District 6, we are AWESOME!

Now we are all back to the grind that is August, and while I know it is busy, I hope you will take a little time to see what is going on in SWATA and NATA as the associations never rest.

The YPC collected over 200 postcards at the SWATA annual meeting in support of our current legislation, HR 1137. This project is an easy way to get involved and the more momentum we get going the better our chances are of passing this bill this year! If you want to start this project at your work place, follow this link and the easy instructions. Keep track of the number that you send, so we can measure our impact!

For all you secondary school athletic trainers...have you heard about the NATA SS Injury Surveillance Outcomes Study? Want more information, or want to be a part of the steering committee? Go here...

Need some advice on issues you are facing in the workplace? Be sure to visit the SWATA and NATA e-Mentors. They are a great group of experienced professionals that are here to answer your questions. We will be adding new mentors, and enhancing the interface soon!

The NATA presidential election starts in September, so educate yourselves about the candidates and be prepared to cast your vote when you get your electronic ballot!

Be on the look out for more to come from the young professionals committee and SWATA. I believe this will be an exciting year for athletic training!

Again...What is going on in Austin????

2009-05-15T10:07:00.003-05:00

Senate Bill 3 & House Bill 3

These are two pending pieces of legislation in the Texas Legislature....what does this have to do with you as an Athletic Trainer in Texas?

Both of these bills want to remove Health, PE, and Fine Arts from STATE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS. It may or may not be required by local school districts to take Health, PE or Fine Arts....that will be determined by the TEA at a later date.

This is HUGE....and the kids will start to be huge in the coming years.

Why should you care?

Last year's Fitness Gram data shows that 92% of all the high school students in Texas are unhealthy...that should concern you. (now you can argue the validity of the FG test, but those are the results)

Removal of the only two subject areas in the high school that are designed to teach people about their bodies and how to care for their body will only make those numbers worse.

If you are in the secondary schools and you teach a health class or a PE class along with your athletic training duties, this will effect you.

How can we educate the whole child when all we are going to require is Math, Science, English, Social Studies and Foreign Language? We all know that kids only take PE and Health because it is REQUIRED.

If you depend upon student trainers to help you in the athletic training room you probably use the I will get you your PE credits for working in here....well...if PE is no longer a graduation requirement....you see where this is going.

If you offer Sports Medicine 1 and Sports Medicine 2 you can still use these classes to get your student athletic trainers elective credits. In our school district we are using SM1 and SM2 as career pathways credits. If you do not offer SM 1 and SM 2 you might want to rethink that decision.

As a young professional you are probably thinking: "I do not want to ever be a part of the politics, I just want to work as an athletic trainer and go on with my life." I used to think that as well. I have learned, taught by my mentors as well as experience, that you WILL have to LEARN POLITICS if you want to have any say so in what you do as a part of your job. It is a necessary evil to protect and develop your profession.

Please contact your Texas Senators and Representatives. If you do not know who those people are....click here.... http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/

If politicians in your town, Austin ,or Washington D.C. are left unchecked you will wake up one day and wonder how did we ever get to this point???? (See the above picture)

Indecision '09

2009-05-07T07:40:00.005-05:00

Between the H1N1 "pandemic," the UIL, Brett Favre, American Idol, and many other current issues, I'm beginning to think that GOOD decisions are hard to come by these days.

So I'm going to give you the TOP 1O list of some things that will ensure YOU make

good decisions in the coming weeks before SUMMER VACATION (if you get one!).

10. Wash your hands. I don't know why people need to be told to do this (and only because of a flu), but it is always a good idea.

9. Don't count your Pig Flu cases before the extent of the virus is known. Seriously. Close school for two weeks! No wait, it's cool, just put out a lot of hand sanitizer, and send home kids with a fever.

8. Don't retire before you know you are ready. If you do retire, don't try to come back and stick it to your old employer. It will just make people mad.

7. Don't panic. Not about anything in particular, but just in general. Really, it will all be ok.

6. Don't take advice from Paula Abdul. She had a video where she danced with a cartoon cat. Good judgment? :)

5. DO tell us if you will be attending the NATA and SWATA annual meetings! There is something in it for you, but we need to know...

4. Register for the SWATA & NATA annual meetings! Do it today! They are worth it.

3. Join Facebook (and if you are already on fb, join our group!) It is more than a silly social website, it is a great networking tool! Just be smart about what you put on it. ;)

2. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! in the SWATA election...the numbers have increased, but not nearly enough. The ballots should be sent out once more before the election is over. Make sure your contact information is up to date with The Association to ensure you will receive all the important news and updates!

1. Take time for yourself. As the school year winds to a close and many are in the midst of spring football, don't forget to take care of you! Burn-out happens, and it will happen to you if you don't have time to focus on what is most important. YOU!

San Antonio or Bust?

2009-04-23T13:45:00.002-05:00

Ok, so maybe bust is a bit harsh but you will definitely miss out on lots of fun (and education).

Why make the trip? Well, first, it's in our backyard. We as professionals need to not only support our organization but our district as well. We need to show the rest of the country that everything is better in Texas (and that is coming from an Alabama transplant).

Second, where else can you find everyone that you have ever gone to college with or worked in in one place? I am amazed every year by the sheer number of people that I run into. Some of it is obviously planned, like at alumni parties, but some of it is just walking through the exhibit hall (more on that later). I also like to tag along with my friends to their alumni parties and start a whole other relationship with people that I may have never met otherwise. That's really called networking - if you break down!

Third, the exhibit hall! Hello! Free stuff! Free good stuff! I love the fact that you can try all the latest and greatest products that are being offered to our profession. And, I love that the tried and true are always there too! Gatorade and Johnson and Johnson and the ever great free gift from Cramer! I know, lots of exclamation points and incomplete sentences in this paragraph but for goodness sake, it's the exhibit hall!

And last, but certainly worthy of first, is the educational content of the annual meeting. This is really the meat of the event but sometimes we get caught up in all the "fun stuff". Just looking over the preliminary schedule gets me excited about all that is out there. And you can not say that there is not something out there for you; flipping to a page in the NATA News, I just found a presentation on video gaming for rehab, therapeutic modalities, mountain biking injuries and salary negotiation and interview strategies. All of that is one morning from 10:30 to noon and it is not even all inclusive. My point is, the continuing education part of the meeting is bigger and better and should not be missed.

This ended up longer than I thought and I don't feel like I have even touched on everything. Look for information about the NATA Young Professionals events, the Welcome Reception and the Baseball night. Check out the March 2009 NATA News or http://www.nata.org/SanAntonio2009/index.htm for all the information. Hope to see you there!

The Right Image

2009-04-14T08:04:00.004-05:00

You have spent years in school, thousands of dollars, and countless hours to earn your degree. Not to mention the money and hours spent studying and stressing over your state and national exams. Finally, you have completed everything. Now you are ready to get that first job as an athletic trainer! Woo-Hoo! It is a reason to celebrate and be excited, this is what you have been working for, you have earned it...so go get it!

You look online and see the jobs that are out there. You get that little voice of excitement when you see that job you want is posted, like it was fate. You call your staff athletic trainers at your college and they confirm that you are going to be happy at that job because they know the athletic trainer(s) that work there already and it is a good situation. You send in the resume, cover letter and all, and you get a phone call to set up an interview! YES! Then that little voice of excitement comes back in your head....what am I going to wear?

It is true. You only get one shot at a good first impression. If you just show up and think you are going to wing it, you may be winging it to the next job interview.

For many employers the first impression is EVERYTHING. Think about it. There could be 30+ people going after that same job, after all it is a really good job that is why you want it. What will set you apart from everyone else? What part of you do they see first? YOU!

"Do I need to dress in business professional when I interview? I mean I usually wear khaki pants or shorts and a polo shirt or t-shirt when I work everyday. That is acceptable attire for the job, why do I need to wear a suit and tie to interview?" I have been there. Trust me on this one, you want to look sharp. This is as much of an investment in your future as your education. If you show up looking less than memorable, then you might fall to the bottom of the pile. I know you do not have a lot of money to drop $500.00 on a suit or a dress. So shop the sales. You have a TON of khaki pants in your closet, get a matching blazer and a tie at a department store. It is better than showing up in anything less. Women, dresses or pant suits? That is up to you, but you need to dress for success. Dress does make a difference.

Have a firm handshake. When you arrive to the interview try to find a rest room where you can warm your hands under some warm water. There is only one thing worse than a limp handshake: a cold, limp handshake.

Have steady but not threatening eye contact. The expectation in America is to offer balanced eye contact. Too little and you seem to lack confidence. Too much and you're now intimidating the interviewer.

Smile! People do not want to hire someone that does not seem to want to be there. A sincere smile will show them that you want to be a part of their organization.

Turn your cell phone off during the interview. You are there to interview. Those text messages and phone calls can wait until you are finished with the interview. Placing the phone on vibrate is not a good idea because it will happen...there will be a quit time in the interview and you will actually hear it buzzing. Save yourself the embarrassment, just turn it off and leave it in the car.

Live your professional life knowing that everything communicates. How you use your name says more about you than you might think. The name Jeffrey is more formal than Jeff. When I fill out anything in a professional capacity from resumes and applications to injury reports and parent notes I sign with Jeffrey. If you place your email address as a contact on your resume, then have a professional email account. MrBiggieBaller@email.com will not get you many replies for interviews. There are plenty of free Internet email services to get a professional looking account.

Your computer world will have an effect on your professional world. We live in the cyber-world as well as the real world. Employers have the right to google your name and see what comes up. My Space, Face Book and other social network pages are fair game. If anyone can access them and see what you were doing with your buddies at a certain social event then anyone can make a judgement about you and determine if they want to hire you. Is it right? I do not know, but it is reality. It does and will happen.

Proper and polite language works! "Please," "thank you," "yes sir," "excuse me," can all show proper etiquette and that you pay attention to details. When the cell phone rings with an unfamiliar number on the caller id, remember that it could be someone calling to set up an interview so answer very politely and excuse yourself to a quieter location if your surroundings are too noisy.

You have worked so hard to get to this point...don't start slacking now! You are about to open a very exciting and new chapter to you life, give them a lasting first impression and you will do just fine.

Are you a member?

2009-04-09T13:01:00.005-05:00

I know. It's silly (and slightly monotone). You get the point, though.
There are so many benefits to being a member of NATA & SWATA, and so few to not being a member.

I believe that behavior is learned.

I learned from my parents that I shouldn't act like a fool, especially not at church.

I learned from my teachers the value of an agile mind.

I learned from my girl scout troop that there is strength in numbers. It's hard to turn down one cute girl scout, but it's nearly impossible to turn down 5.

I learned from my mentor athletic trainers the importance of being professional, and educated, and being a part of the bigger picture.

I know that not everyone got these same lessons, but I will matriculate you now!

Be a member, and make it matter! There are big issues right now, and it is more important than ever to participate.

Are you tired of my preaching?
Well I wouldn't have to do this if we were all members, now would I? :)

If you ARE a member of NATA, then be sure to check out my blog on the NATA Young Professionals Blog about the Houston Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and athletic trainers!

What is going on in Austin?

2009-04-07T14:59:00.008-05:00

Normally if you asked me that question I would say...probably something wierd. In fact that is the battle-cry for Austinites...Keep Austin Weird!

Well as far as I am concerned, it is business as usual in Austin and there is nothing weird about that.

In mid-March HB 4627 was introduced into legislation. Last week it was assigned to the Higher Education Committee. That is where it sits today. For how long? That is anyone's guess.

This bill will have a direct effect on you as a secondary school athletic trainer. It will require that all student athletes in a "contact sport" be required to have an annual physical and that all student athletes in a "contact sport" be required to have cognitive testing as a part of the annual physical.

If you are in a school district that requires annual physicals for all student athletes as opposed to the UIL minimum of incoming 7th, 9th and 11th grade, then this requirement is not a big deal for you. In reality, this requirement is not that big of a deal for schools like mine that have only required the minimum standards for physicals every other year and completion of physical paperwork on the non-physical years. I have fought for annual physicals for all student atheltes since I have been here and have been unsuccessful in those battles.

But there is that one little phrase "contact sport"...who is going to define a "contact sport"?

What are we to do with the sophmore girl that wants to play volleyball (non-contact) and then she wants to play soccer or basketball. Both of those sports have produced several concussions for me over the years but they could be argued that they are technically non-contact.

Remember under the rules, the sophmore girl is only required to have a physical her incoming 9th and 11th years...and she updated her paperwork before volleyball season began, but she was not required to get a doctor's exam.

Now lets look at cognitive testing...

What defines cognitive testing?

Balance Testing?
Computerized testing programs?
SAC?
Ability to pass classes?

Who is going to administer the cognitive testing?

Physicans?
Atheltic Trainers?
Coaches?

These are all good questions that will be answered at somepoint if this bill becomes law.

If you want to track this bill or to read the bill as it is currently written you can click below:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB4627

Yes, it is business as usual in Austin...the Legislature is in session...and there are always something weird that comes out of Legislative sessions!

Politics

2009-04-02T13:08:00.007-05:00

This word often carries such a negative connotation. People get discouraged with "office politics," the "politics of friends" or even the "national politics."

I get it. Politics are annoying when you feel like it is the same people and the same type of "policy" over and over and over and over and over and over....well, you get my point.

What we need to realize is this; politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. Politics gives small groups of people a chance to make a BIG IMPACT.

Young professionals aren't such a small group, and we can make a big impact. We are the future of athletic training (cheesy or not, it's the truth). It is my vision that in the not too distant future we will be the ones not only participating in the politics by voting, but benefiting from the politics by being elected!

I'm sure it seems like same old, same old, and why should I vote when nothing ever changes...blah blah blah, lame reason, blah blah blah. THAT IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE!!!

As the old saying goes, if you don't vote, you better not b....complain, that is.

Last year, of the 3000ish members of SWATA, only 220 voted. 2-2-0. A greater percentage of Americans vote on American Idol, or Top Chef for that matter and its not even on a major network!!

So vote! Don't just vote for a name. Actually take the time to read the platforms and vote on someone whose beliefs about the future align with your own. We have a big voice and we need to make an exclamation.

Find their bios here, and exercise your right to vote!

SWATA Second Vice President Nominees

ALSO...Did you know that there are SWATA Constitutional Changes in the works? This is another issue you will have the opportunity to vote on at the Annual Meeting in July. Check out the SWATA Executive Board Blog for more information, and see the SWATA website!

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

WHY???

2009-04-01T13:38:00.007-05:00

Why? Why are we so afraid to ask why? Why are people offended when you ask them why? Why do you need to know why? Why do you do what you do? Why do you do it they way that you do it? Why does it work that way? Why did we start doing it that way? Why don’t you do it this way? Why is your way better than mine? These are questions I ask every day. When did the question mark become the an insult? Is it wrong to ask for an explanation? Young professionals sometimes get the impression that the older professionals are offended by us questioning things. People need to quit getting offended when someone asks for an explanation, and the other people need to quit being afraid to ask for an explanation. If there is nothing to hide, then why be offended when someone asks you to explain your self.

MY POINT!!!
You as a member of the athletic training profession need to ask "Why?" You need to know why the SWATA executive board has proposed changes to the SWATA constitution. You need to know why these changes pertain to you. You need to know why it is important for you to voice your opinion. You need know who represents you in front of the legislature. Why are you paying this money to support these organizations? Where is your money going to? Wanting to be informed is not a bad thing.

Ask your leadership why they are doing these things. Ask them to explain to you how this will affect you. If you dont like the answer they gave you, then do something about it. GET INVOLVED! If you don’t like what is going on, ask me how you can help change it. We don’t need spectators, we need participants. Your profession is changing as we speak. If you want to know what these changes are, or want to GET INVOLVED, contact the Young Professionals Committee at ypc@swata.org . We will be more than happy to get the information you are looking for. This is the only way our profession will survive, much less advance into the future.

Tim Horsley
Athletic Trainer
Fossil Ridge High School

We Have A Winner...

2009-03-26T08:28:00.006-05:00

All we can truly say is WOW!!

(YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE VIDEO FROM WORK AS IT MAY BE BLOCKED CONTENT. IT IS, HOWEVER, DEFINITELY WORTH VIEWING!)

The SWATA Young Professionals Committee quickly put together a contest for college students for National Athletic Training Month. We asked them to put their creative caps on and create a commercial highlighting athletic trainers and what we do. We didn't give a whole lot of notice, but we were hopeful that our results would be good, but we were surprised when they were OUTSTANDING!!

Out of several entries, our committee selected the commercial from...

HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY!!

These students did a wonderful job capturing the progress of athletic training and I look forward to more to come from these future young professionals.These students will be recognized at the SWATA Annual Meeting in Arlington at the Young Professionals Session on Thursday July 23th.

We hope that you will come out and recognize their hard work and dedication to the profession of athletic training.

Great Job!

Emily Jones - Junior Snyder, Texas

Richard Martinez - Freshman Abilene, Texas

Shelby Hilliard - Freshman Comanche, Texas

Meggie Serrette - Freshman Cairo, Egypt

Adrian Palos - Sophomore Fort Worth, Texas

Directed and Edited by:

Cole Barker - Freshman Paris, Texas

Seth Manly - Freshman Hawley, Texas

Can you imagine...

2009-03-24T07:52:00.012-05:00

2nd in the Annie Stoecklein series

Can you even imagine a world with out athletic trainers? Do you even believe it to be possible that our beloved profession would cease to exist? Could athletic trainers go the way of the dinosaurs, extinct?

I, unfortunately, do believe this to be possible. While I believe we are irreplaceable and perform a very valuable service and fill a niche in this wild and crazy health care world...I don't think everyone else believes this way. Some people STILL don't even know what the heck it is we do.

THAT SCARES ME.

This is why we fight for our profession. This is why there are so many people that volunteer for what is often a completely thankless and tireless Executive Board position or committee position. Are we all participating in the manner and amount that we should? Do you think you are doing all you can for the athletic training profession?

Consider the following example...

You are employed at a clinic, college, insert setting here, and you have a new administrator. This administrator is charged with "cutting the fat" from your department. He's never heard of an athletic trainer, and calls you to the carpet to justify your position. Could you do it?

What if he says, "I can hire someone with less education and experience for half the salary that can do the same thing you do?"

What if he says, "You can't bill for your services, and aren't recognized by medicare as a health care professional, how are you making money for this department?"

Do you believe this to be an unreal situation? In this economy?

IT'S NOT!

Make sure you use this month and every other opportunity you are given to really spread the word about your profession. We are gaining respect, but we are nowhere near finished. We have just begun what is a long war against ignorance and the uneducated.

I believe we WILL win this war, but I know it is going to take an army.

Good thing we have one in SWATA and NATA.

Your challenge for today is to visit the NATA legislative action center and contact your state Representative regarding our legislation HR 1137: ATEAM

Follow this link:

SUPPORT ATHLETIC TRAINING LEGISLATION

National Athletic Training Month-4

2009-03-23T13:27:00.001-05:00

People for the Advancement of Athletic Traini… » Make Your Own Quiz

National Athletic Training Month Trivia-3

2009-03-12T16:02:00.001-05:00

People for the Advancement of Athletic Traine… » Make Your Own Quiz

A World Without Athletic Trainers...

2009-03-09T11:17:00.006-05:00

A World Without Athletic Trainers...What an AWFUL thought!

Annie Stoecklein is a senior student (and future young professional) from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She created several great flyers for National Athletic Training Month, which she has graciously shared with me to share with you! I think they really illustrate some of the impact that we have, that many of our athletes, and patients may take for granted.

I wanted to highlight her work here (I had to make the files into a picture format for them to work on the blog, but if you want the .pdf of the posters, let me know and I will share). Thanks, Annie! Great work :)

Great job on the first quiz, we had several people with perfect scores. Keep up the good work and recruit more participants!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

National Athletic Training Month Trivia-2

2009-03-09T11:16:00.001-05:00

People for the Advancement of Athletic Traine… » Quiz School

National Athletic Training Month Trivia-1

2009-03-04T13:23:00.005-06:00

People for the Advancement of Athletic Traini… » Quiz Question Maker

For National Athletic Training Month, I'm creating a new organization!!

PAAT or People for the Advancement of Athletic Training.

I hope to create a quiz bi-weekly that will increase knowledge about athletic trainers and what we do. Fill out the quiz each time, and those with the highest scores at the end of the month will be entered to win prizes, like restaurant gift cards, Best Buy gift cards and more!

Send this blog to everyone you know, and lets advance athletic training!!

In addition to our athletic training specific trivia, check out our NATM trivia tournament for March. It's just something fun to do and will hopefully spread the word about our cause...The winner of the tournament will also win a prize!

HAPPY NATIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINING MONTH!!

2009-03-04T11:45:00.004-06:00

Each New Year's Eve, I ring in a beginning, and ponder what's to come. The freshness of January quickly gives way to a seriously busy February and is all too immediately followed by National Athletic Training Month, also known as, March.

I, like many other athletic trainers, am proud of what I do and work hard year round to advance our profession. While I don't need one month to practice making others aware, it is a fun time to do unique projects and build the public's perception and knowledge of athletic training.

Last year at this time, I searched "National Athletic Trainers Month," to see what others were doing and what kind of attention our efforts were getting. I was all too disappointed when this satirical blog came up. Don't bother leaving a comment as this post is 3 years old, but do read the comments of some of your peers as well as others, one of whom states that athletic training is..."some random occupation I've never heard of."

In addition to the words on this blog, there are some images that may be funny, but are seriously detrimental to our cause:

and

I am, by no means, an athletic trainer, or individual that takes herself too seriously, but these types of "satire" do nothing for our advancement.

I challenge each of us to at least do something during this National Athletic Training Month that will help our beloved profession be better recognized.
It can be something so small as always saying "Athletic Trainer" instead of "trainer," or dressing professionally, or even including the NATM logo and an explanation of athletic training in all your e-mails.

The SWATA Young Professionals Committee is hosting a bi-weekly trivia contest, as well as a fun trivia tournament for all people interested (not just athletic trainers). There are cool, not athletic training related, prizes involved, so keep coming to the blog, check your e-mail and spread the word!

Hit the Hill

2009-02-25T15:45:00.003-06:00

First, I know why I love living in Texas; Washington DC was cold. However, it was eventful and well worth the cold nose. I was fortunate this year that Hit the Hill was held in conjunction with the Athletic Training Educator's Conference so I had two good excuses to miss work.

I will admit that I was a little nervous about Monday and the unexpected. On Sunday, we were briefed thoroughly by our lobbying firm, Drinker, Biddle and Reath and on Monday, nine buses pulled away from the Gaylord and headed to the steps of the Capitol (well, as close to the steps as you can get now). Texas was represented by approximately 32 athletic trainers from all settings (look for that picture soon!) We spent the day in the offices of our representatives and our senators asking for their support of the Athletic Trainers' Equal Access to Medicare (ATEAM) bill and asking if they would make a Congressional Record Statement in support of the role that athletic trainers play. We also asked the House of Representatives to join the Congressional Fitness Caucus that boosts the understanding of the role that physical activity has on a healthy lifestyle.

While we never got a solid "YES" from any of the assistants that we spoke to, the people that my group met seemed positive about the outlook and they definitely learned about athletic training. Going into the day, I was really unsure about how it would all go but I am excited that I was able to take part in such an amazing day. I think that all of our voices need to be heard. Over the course of the next few weeks there will be lots of talk about the new bill. Take a few minutes and send an email to your representatives and senators asking for their support.

More information can be found at http://capwiz.com/nata/home/

Days go by...

2009-02-11T11:09:00.006-06:00

Can you believe it is already FEBRUARY 11th? 42 days down, only 323 to go! It feels like only yesterday we were ringing in the new year, and NOW we are in the throes of our spring seasons making a push towards spring break.

Ahhh, SPRING BREAK! Just happens to fall in March, which is also NATIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINING MONTH. This time, NATA’s tagline is the theme: “Health Care for Life & Sport.” It emphasizes the medical component of the athletic training profession, while recognizing the array of athletic training work settings.

Some tips from NATA to remember when promoting our beloved profession:

Always refer to yourself as a “certified athletic trainer” or “athletic trainer.” State this clearly when talking with others. Never use the term “trainer.” In doing so, you are not distinguishing yourself and your peers from personal trainers.

Reinforce that athletic trainers are health care professionals who work in a variety of
settings and with all kinds of people — not just athletes.

Have you started thinking about what you can do to promote athletic training in March?

There are some awesome tools on the NATA website (members only) for you to use when putting together your ideas including:
Logos
Athletic Training e-Card
NATA Brochures/Videos/Books
Athletic Trainers -- Not "Trainers" Fact Sheet
Sample Media Alert
Sample News Release
Sample Proclamation
Sample Public Service Announcements

The SWATA Young Professionals Committee is working on a project to promote professionalism among athletic trainers in March, and you can win PRIZES, so be on the look out for more details about that in the coming weeks!

DON'T FORGET!!! NATA Hit the Hill Day is February 23, 2009. While we may not all be able to attend, there are still ways to get involved, and support legislation that effects athletic trainers. Check out the NATA Governmental Affairs and Legislative Alert Center, and be on the lookout for information from the NATA Young Professionals Committee on an upcoming effort.

Making Summer Plans?

2009-02-04T13:08:00.002-06:00

To most of us, the mention of summer plans makes us start daydreaming of sandy beaches without a cell phone and zero athletes or even the simplest leisure of hibernating in our own homes without a cell phone and zero athletes. But whatever your ideal summer might consist of, we all need to carve out a time for the NATA convention here in our home region.

You may have been contacted by the NATA to serve as a volunteer in the hosting and preparation of the convention in San Antonio. We encourage you to sign up for this opportunity. By giving as little as 10 hours, you can receive a discount on your registration fees. Feeling a little strapped in today's economy? You can volunteer 40 hours and get the entire registration fee reimbursed.

After the volunteer list is complete, there will be a follow-up email that will allow you to sign up for particular times and days that work well for you. When this sign up sheet is made available we, as the YPC, will designate a time for us to get together to volunteer as a group. It will be a great chance to work together and socialize. As athletic trainers, we are champions of multitasking! And I'm sure for all of our hard work, we can reward ourselves with additional socializing on the River Walk. :)

So be on the lookout for both of these. If you need help, don't hesitate to contact anyone of us to get you connected with those who can help you get involved.

The Soundtrack to our efforts...

2009-01-16T09:54:00.008-06:00

If you are like me, then music helps you through the long days and even longer nights. Music has a way of making time go by faster, and punctuating life's important and unimportant moments.

I can relate many things in my life back to a song that was playing, and I often reminisce about people, places or things while listening.

For this reason, I think that my message today can be illustrated by some great music. All the links are clickable to the songs I've selected for my points. I've also included a list at the bottom :) (Please pardon the cheesy lengths I go to at some points to make it work.)

I want you to want to want to get involved in our professional organizations. Got something on your mind? Don't let it be! Tell us about it and make your voice heard. It's a great day to be an athletic trainer, and an even better day for you to stand up and take ownership of the future of our associations. Don't be an independent! We are better and stronger as a group. So come together, right now, and let's change the world (of athletic training).

OK, enough with the stretching. Seriously, though, now is the best time for young professionals to step up. The experienced professionals have created many opportunities for us to participate, and the young professionals committee is working to create more all the time. Let us know what you want. What do you think SWATA should be doing? What would motivate you to be a member, volunteer, vote, etc?

There is currently an opening on the SWATA Board for Second Vice President, and they are accepting nominations. Is there any reason why a young professional couldn't step up and try for this position? Nope. Is there anyone who is interested in representing the young professionals on the SWATA Board?

In other news, I've fixed the comment moderation thing, so all of your comments will be posted as soon as you type them. I'm still figuring this whole blog thing out. Check out the new athletic training-centered blogs that were recommended by a comment to Jeff's recent post. Great resources for young professionals.

*Song List:

I Want You To Want Me- Cheap Trick

Let it Be- The Beatles

Tell Her About It- Billy Joel

It's a Great Day to Be Alive- Travis Tritt

Stand Up (for it)- Dave Matthews Band

Independent- Webbie

Stronger- Kanye West

Come Together- Beatles (covered by Delbert McClinton)

Change The World- Eric Clapton

Networking for Dummies...Kinda

2009-01-05T14:32:00.004-06:00

I cannot claim to be able to publish this info in the famous yellow "...for Dummies" books, but I hope to offer you 10 ways to get to know your fellow LATs/ATCs.

1. You must begin with the end in mind.

What is it that you are trying to accomplish? Are you looking to become a future president of SWATA or NATA, are you wanting to be on a committee and serve your profession, are you wanting to just to get to know other athletic trainers in your area and in the state? You have to decide what is the reason to make this network of people and start from there.

2. What kind of athletic trainers should I network with?

All kinds of athletic trainers. My dad used to tell me that I should be polite with everyone, I never know when I will need their help one day. Get to know those network spiders, those people that seem to know everyone. Be prepared to help people you want to network with, after all you are wanting them to help you.

3. Don't be afraid to meet new people.

Do you fear networking because you are not a "people person"? Chances are you have been in this situation before and you just did not realize it. Think back to when you started in college as that young and eager student athletic trainer. You probably did not know anyone in the training room, but somehow you managed to get to know people. You already have something in common, you both are athletic trainers. We all have stories to share and tales to tell to help break the ice and get to know one another.

4. Baby steps will lead to great strides.

Start with your alumni group of your university or college. You have two things in common with those people, you are athletic trainers and you both went to the same school...voi·là you have some conversation starters that will probably keep you off task for a while! Once you get to know your fellow alumni, you can get to know people that they know when you attend meetings and conventions.

5. Begin in familiar surroundings.

Talking with other LATs/ATCs in your school's district or conference is another great way to get some conversations started with people you do not know very well. Attend the district events like cross country meets, track meets, wrestling meets, etc. where you will be able to work in a common medical area and be open for conversation.

6. Make a district or conference contact list.

Use the list to talk with other LATs/ATCs about the upcoming events. Call them the days before the big games to let them know what you will provide for their visit and you will usually share a few minutes of what is going on in the district before you hang up the phone. Many times the basic conversations will lay the foundation for more complex conversations down the road.

7. Make time to talk before the game begins.

Do not be afraid to make a contact with the LATs/ATCs from the opposing teams. You can use this time to make sure everyone has what they need (if you are the host team), spell out the emergency plans of the stadium, and see what is going on in their part of the world. Remember people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

8. Earn CEUs from all over.

Do not be afraid to break away from the same 'ole routine when it comes to meetings and conferences. Go to different meetings to obtain your CEUs. Make it your goal to attend a meeting in a different part of the state every year until you have been in every different region of your state. Attend the social aspect of the conferences that you are attending. Many conferences offer mixers after a long day of meeting to blow off some steam and get to know people in a more relaxed atmosphere.

9. Get involved in your profession.

Volunteer with your local or regional organization like GHATS, CTATS, BVATS, NTATS, VATA, ETATA, CBATS, SCATA. TSATA and AATA are working hard for you and I am sure that they can use your help if you are willing to volunteer your time. Of course SWATA and NATA are looking for volunteers for various committees and groups. Volunteering is the fastest way to get to know all kinds of LATs/ATCs from all over your region, state, or the nation.

10. Tech options for the talking impaired.

You can visit many different blogs and message boards offered by NATA, SWATA, and TSATA. These are great ways to ask people questions and to lay the foundation for talking to people, but you cannot be afraid to pick up a phone or shake some hands to really establish those relationships. Visit the different websites to link with these resources.

For Sale: 1 candle, burnt at both ends

2008-12-03T13:51:00.007-06:00

I think it is generally around this time of year when the grind of football meets with the beginning of basketball and soccer, not to mention the pressure of the impending holiday season, when most of us are just looking for an opportunity to take a deep breath, much less a break. Coupled with crazy schedules are the pressures of maintaining a life and balancing personal responsibilities. It can be frustrating to the point of ...BURNOUT.

Athletic trainers in most settings do not get an "off-season," and burnout is a real issue facing our profession. We often feel we work too much, get paid too little and it begs the question "Is this worth it?"

Well? Is it?

Athletic training loses many young professionals to burnout. What can we do to curb that trend? What needs to happen?
Less hours?
More pay?
Greater public knowledge and improved overall perception of our role in health care?
All of these would be great, but would they really decrease burnout?

I try to take full advantage of my weekends off, and thoroughly enjoy my holidays away from work by spending time with family and chilling out. I take work, and life, as it comes and make sure to prioritize and this really helps me. Work is important, but it is not most important.

What are some things you do to prevent burnout for yourself?
What do you suggest the profession do to decrease burnout overall?

Athletic Training in nontraditional setting

2008-11-12T21:49:00.003-06:00

Well I figure that everyone else has posted on the YPC blog. So now its my turn. As some of us start to wrap up with football its important to think about all of the other avenues that athletic trainers work in.

I started out as an assistant at a private university here in Houston. I left to become an intern with the Houston Texans. After that I became a Head, and only, trainer at a small junior college. During that time I was also an assistant with the Houston Ballet. I never would have thought about dancers needing the services that can be provided by an athletic trainer. Like baseball, swimming, or tennis, dance has many of the same overuse injuries that other sports do.

My first night working with them my counter part and I were sent to watch a performance that was being put on by summer intensive students. The summer intensive is like their version of a camp. It is just six weeks long 8 hours a day and six days a week. This group of students came from all over the world China, Japan, Australia, Finland, Canada and Mexico. One young man got ready to do his solo performance and began. In the middle of it he jumped in the air and landed. When he landed he didn’t get back up. Being my first night I was not sure what to do. As I started to walk out on to the stage, the stage manager pulled me back and said wait. The young man had to crawl off the stage to me. After a few special test it seemed clear that he had torn his ACL. He went to the doctor and it was confirmed. He did tear it. Trying to talk to a frantic mother in another country was a very interesting experience for me. The young man made a full recovery and is currently at National Ballet in Canada.

The longer I spend working with ballet dancers the more I realize that there are similarities between dancers and other athletes. As everyone else begins to wrap up with football we are getting ready for our big season. 36 shows of The Nutcracker in 30 days. The life skills that are learned in the field of athletic training can take you places you never knew about.

As some of you know I work part time with the ballet. My full time job is an administrative position with Cy Fair ISD. I am the districts Athletic & Aquatic Safety Coordinator. It has been an interesting experience going from being a full time athletic trainer to being a full time administrator. Much of my time is spent looking over and reviewing policies. I also over see the districts 11 competitive pools, schedule lifeguards, and EMT’s. I also work very closely with our districts athletic trainers as well as some of our other safety departments. I communicate with our districts Security Department and our Health Services Department. I also conduct critical incident stress debriefings when we have athletic related catastrophic injures, which at times has been difficult for me. I have learned that no matter how much classroom training we get when we, as athletic trainers, are put in certain situations it is difficult for us when we are helpless. With any newly created job people will have to be open to change. This includes the person whose job has just been created. I look at everyday as a learning experience. This job has taught me so much, and yet everyday there is something more to learn.

I have been very fortunate that I have had some of the experiences that have had. They have led me to a great job and even better people. I work with some of the most well respected athletic trainers in the field. As a Young Professional I could not find myself in a better place to learn.

Best of luck to those in playoffs,
Anthony

More on the three day...

2008-11-11T13:35:00.002-06:00

I, along with Kelley, worked the 3 Day Race. This was my second year being on the sports medicine crew, and I can say with some certainty that I will continue to work it as long as I am around. It is such an up-lifting experience, both for the touching moments you share with walkers and survivors, like Kelley mentioned in her post, and for the excitement and tenacity every single walker shares.

I had one walker at the 6 am medical tent Sunday morning that needed me to take care of a monster of a blister in between her toes. After I was finished I asked her to put her shoes on and tell me what she thought; whether the big bandage would be OK there between her toes. She then confessed to me that she didn't have her shoes with her and that her teammates were looking for them from the previous day's campground. This lady fainted on Saturday, was taken to the ER for fluids, monitored all night long, and was released at 5:30 that morning to come and finish the race. She was adamant about finishing what she started and was all smiles about the 18+ miles ahead of her. I don't know what happened to her on down the road, but it is my hope that she reached the finish line and met her goal.

I even had another man, ask for my hand in marriage after stretching his hamstrings and calf! Stuff like that doesn't happen to me everyday! :)

The gratitude the walkers have for us, the medical staff, is genuine and reassuring, and like Kelley said, it fills your heart with the idea that there is good in the world. I know that as athletic trainers, we give and serve others daily, and that this is just one more example of this what we do so well. I love the opportunity to be an advocate for the profession. Almost every walker asks, what do you do for a living, and it is great to answer back "I'm an athletic trainer." It all makes me proud to be a part of this profession and to surround myself with those who work tirelessly (and tired!) to help out those in need. Thanks for the mammories!

3 Day Walk

2008-11-11T10:06:00.003-06:00

In light of Carissa's last blog, I thought I would do a follow up after the 3 Day Walk.

It was yet again another amazing weekend. We had 3,131 walkers and raised $7.9 million for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. At one point during the weekend, Ted Perry said he looked up and counted 31 people hard at work. This included LATs and students, a few OT and PTs and even a medical student. Needless to say, when we send out a call for volunteers, it is answered triumphantly.

The mornings and evenings were cold, the lines to the sports medicine tent were long, and the blisters were large but the hugs, tears and thanks made it all worthwhile. There are many stories that could be told about the weekend and some of you may have heard them already. The one that touched my heart the most follows: Mike Pruitt, Mike Stokic, Cindy Trowbridge, Cheryl Ferris (ATC from PA) and I decided to leave the last pit stop on foot Sunday and walk the last 2 1/2 miles with the walkers. We joked along the way with everyone, asking why they had been complaining so much; "this is easy" we said as they glared and laughed at us. It was nice to see the weekend through the eyes of all of those we had been caring for. About 3 blocks from the finish line, a young lady was struggling to walk and had to stopped to climb into the gator that the EMT offered. She had a couple of friends with her but they too were almost done with 60 miles and exhausted. As she sat down, with tears in her eyes, I heard Mike Pruitt say "oh no you're not! you have come this far and you will finish". Before anyone could blink, Mike Stokic and Cindy Trowbridge (they were closer in height) had their arms around her and the young woman out of the gator. For the next 3 blocks, the 3 of them slowly finished the 60 miles. I don't think any of us had a dry eye. This is what we do...we leave no one behind, we help those that can't finish, finish and we give everything we have. This is why we are athletic trainers and this is why when we are asked to help, we step up.

God bless those 3,131 walkers and God bless the sports medicine crew of close to 100. I hope that those that were there are a little more energized and a little more aware of the small things. I know that I am.

Charitable Contributions

2008-10-21T13:35:00.008-05:00

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to make you all aware of some volunteer opportunities for Athletic Trainers that are coming up.

As Kelley mentioned last month, the Susan G. Komen 3-day is fast approaching, and they are always looking for volunteers. Ted Perry and Cindy Trowbridge have done amazing things for Athletic Trainers and the Sports Medicine Team for this event, and everyone should be a part of it. This year they are walking on November 7,8,9th in the North Dallas Area. The camp is Timberglen Park (Dallas TX 75287) and the route begins at Southfork Ranch and ends at Southern Methodist University. For more information, CLICK HERE >>> The experience is worth every bit of sleep you miss, sweat you put in and tear you cry. I promise you, it will be the three most rewarding days of your career. DO IT if you can.

Also, The Avon Walk will be returning to Houston on April 4th and 5th 2009. This is an equally rewarding event, but it is only two days. Last year at the Houston event the medical team was small, but athletic trainers were well represented. Let's do even better this time around. Right now, there is a reduced registration fee of only $35! Currently the non reduced registration fee is $65. This promotion will be ending on November 1st so if you want to take advantage you have to act soon!

To register at the reduced rate of $35 before 11/1, simply call 1-800-510-WALK, or better yet- go online and register at http://www.avonwalk.org/. To obtain the discount, simply enter in the promotion code 123108! Volunteer for the Medical Crew, and make sure you identify yourself as an Athletic Trainer.

There will be more opportunities to volunteer and use your athletic training skills to serve the greater good, so keep an eye out. I know that so much is asked of all of us on a daily basis and I know that it can be a lot to give up a weekend to volunteer. You have no idea what impact your presence has not only on those you encounter, but even those watching from the sidelines.
I just want to say I'm proud to be part of such a wonderful, selfless profession.

Keep up the good work!