JUSTIFIED

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...

• Football Deaths Raise Questions About Lack of Athletic Trainers
• Most high schools lack full-time athletic trainers
• If schools can't afford athletic trainers, they can't afford football
• Sports Medicine: Give schools the gift of quality medical care
• American Academy of Neurology Position Statement on Conussions

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.