An Intro to Athletic Training

Since getting my undergraduate degree in Movement and Sports Science with an emphasis in Athletic Training from the University of La Verne I've gone from a "I could care less about the direction of the profession" to actually being concerned about how the general and professional public views what I would like to do for the rest of my life.

I used to think that the word "trainer" and "athletic trainer" were interchangeable when referring to my job, but that is certainly not the case. I am an ATHLETIC TRAINER! We could debate about how closely the title describes my career but for now that is what the men and women at the National Athletic Trainers' Associaton (NATA) want to call us.

What we do:
In school we are taught the basics about biomechanics, kinesiology, anatomy, physiology, nutrition, general medicine, exercise physiology, rehabilitation and examination of everything between your head and your toes. Suffice it to say we leave school with a pretty good working knowledge and skill level to work with athletes of all ages and even the general public. We do it all and I kind of like it that way. People will compare us to personal trainers or physical therapists and while some of my co-workers get upset at the mention of these two professions I would say that we're a mixture of both and a lot more. Yes, I can write you a workout plan and yes, I can take you from an injury to back on the field safely and just as good as before your injury. In the field of ATHLETIC TRAINING, especially where I work in the college setting, we work very closely with our athletes and see them on a daily basis. We are responsible for the prevention of their injuries, covering their competitions, caring for their injuries on the field, off the field and rehabbing them back to full participation.

That's a lot of info for one sitting of reading. I will be posting things that I find interesting in the world of athletic training and sports medicine and hopefully everyone will get to know how cool the job of athletic training is and how much we can do! Follow me on this blog and feel free to post questions and comments.