In 1950, the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) was established to represent the profession of Athletic Training and Certified members on an international scale. Currently, the NATA represents more than 30,000 members, those of which, 24,000 are Certified members.
A Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) is a unique health care provider who specializes in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries that occur to athletes and the physically active. To become an ATC, a Bachelor's degree in athletic training, pre-medical sciences, kinesiology, exercise physiology, biology, exercise science or physician education must be obtained from an accredited college or university. Over 70% of athletic trainers have masters degrees. Standards of required educational content include:
• Acute care of injury and illness
• Assessment of injury/illness
• Healthcare administration
• Human anatomy and physiology
• Kinesiology and biomechanics
• Medical ethics and legal issues
• Pathology of injury/illness
• Pharmacology
• Risk management and injury/illness prevention
• Strength training and reconditioning
• Therapeutic exercise and rehabilitation techniques
• Therapeutic modalities
The National Athletic Trainers' Association, Board of Certification (BOC) is an independent board that certifies candidates. Each candidate must pass this competency examination, which is computerized and tests the skills of a potential trainer by simulating athletic injuries on the computer. The candidate must demonstrate the ability to provide management of acute injuries and illnesses, assessment and evaluation of injuries or illnesses, provide therapeutic rehabilitation programs, psychosocial intervention, and pathology of injuries and illnesses.
Certified Athletic Trainers may work in various settings, traditionally observed in the competitive setting. These include high school, college, semi-professional, and professional associations and/or leagues. The ATC can be viewed performing many responsibilities, including running to the competition field to perform a primary survey, providing emergency medical care, and managing the injury or establishing a rehabilitation program to return an athlete to activity in an expedient manner. The scope of practice of an ATC is wide-ranging, which may even include strength and conditioning and pharmaceutical issues.
Certified Athletic Trainers can also be seen working outside of the school or competitive setting, including hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent and ambulatory care centers, military hospitals, corporate wellness centers, and physical therapy clinics. It has been demonstrated that Certified Athletic Trainers, according to a nationwide Medical Outcomes Survey conducted in 1996-1998 demonstrated that care provided by ATC's effects a significant change in all outcome variables measured, with the greatest change in functional outcomes and physical outcomes. This investigation indicates that care provided by Certified Athletic Trainers generates a change in health-related quality of life and patient outcomes (ref:Albohm MJ, Wilkerson GB. An outcomes assessment of care provided by certified athletic trainers. J Rehabil. Outcomes Meas. 1999;3 (3): 51-56).
(Information obtained by the National Athletic Trainers' Association)
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