Athletic Training Month!

March is a month to celebrate the wonderful work that Athletic Trainers do every day. I have been an Athletic Trainer for nine years now! There have been many ups and downs along my path, and I thought I'd share a bit of my Athletic Training story.

Most of you are probably asking: What is Athletic Training?

According to the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), Athletic Training encompasses the prevention, examination, diagnosis, and the treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries, and medical conditions. Athletic Trainers work in a variety of settings that include high schools, collegiate athletics, professional sports, clinics and hospitals, military settings, and performing arts among many others.

That's a lot! Athletic Trainers seem to cover a lot of different areas! Well, in my experience, Athletic Trainers do a whole lot more than just those things outlined by the NATA. 

Athletic Trainers are listeners that hear the hopes and fears of their athletes, counseling them through some of the best and worst times of their athletic careers.

Athletic Trainers are mechanics of sorts. Not just in regards to the human body, but also athletic equipment, sports apparel, and Athletic Training room supplies.

Athletic Trainers are communicators, having to keep everyone on the same page about an athlete's health. This chain of communication includes (depending on the issue) the athlete, parents, coaches, athletic director, physical therapist, and doctor.

This video from the New England Patriots gives great insight to the life and impact that Athletic Trainers have:

Obviously, not all Athletic Trainers have access to the resources, facilities, and personnel of a NFL team. I have spent the vast majority of my career in the high school setting, working with whatever I could afford on modest budgets.

I began my career working for Central Indiana Orthopedics (CIO), a physician group in Muncie, Indiana, which sent me to Blackford High School as part of their Athletic Training outreach program. I would work in the clinic during the day, then head to the high school in the evenings for practices and games. Blackford is a small high school that gave me an opportunity to be part of a community.

In the four years that I spent at Blackford, I became close with many of the athletes, parents, and administrators. My role at CIO allowed me to attend many of the athletes' physician appointments, giving both them and their parents a sense of comfort and familiarity while also ensuring that communication remained strong with everyone on the same page. This was a special time in my career where I learned significant lessons from the physicians that I worked with, while cultivating my niche in the Blackford community.

After leaving Blackford, the next three years were more rocky in nature. I was never able to find a solid fit. I moved back to Chicago during this time to find more stability. Instead, I found myself exhausted by long days of odd hours, working six days a week, and not particularly fulfilled by the work that I was doing. I was experiencing something that many Athletic Trainers struggle with: Burnout.

Feeling overworked and undervalued, many Athletic Trainers lose their passion for the profession. There are certainly some hazards that Athletic Trainers must overcome: dealing with overzealous parents, overbearing coaches, making important medical decisions daily followed by immediate scrutiny, and administrations that don't support or value the profession.

So why be an Athletic Trainer?

My answer to that is simple: To make a difference. I believe in finding a purpose in what you're doing. The last two years I've been at a high school where I can make an impact, improving the quality of care that the athletes receive. One of my greatest strengths has been relating to athletes and being a trusted resource for them. This has brought some sense of purpose back to my career, and I know there is still much work to be done.

I've also spent time looking at other areas of interest that I have within the profession of Athletic Training. If you've seen some of my other recent posts (Three Days in Singapore! and One Day in Edinburgh!), then you know I enjoy traveling. I have a particular interest in how Athletic Training translates overseas. I even wrote a blog for Athletico (a prominent Midwest Physical Therapy company) entitled: An Experience with Athletic Training in Ireland.




*pictures courtesy of Tony Uggen (Athletic Director at Blackford High School)*