Representation

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

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

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!

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....

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