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Undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program
THE PROFESSION OF ATHLETIC TRAINING
Athletic Training is an allied health profession that is recognized by the American Medical Association. Certified Athletic Trainers, under the supervision of a licensed physician, provide care for athletes and those who are physically active within six areas of clinical practice: prevention; recognition, evaluation, and assessment; treatment, rehabilitation, and reconditioning; organization and administration; and professional development and responsibility. Athletic Trainers are specialists in the area of sports medicine; sports medicine is a general term that refers to a very broad scope of care and services that are necessary to maintain the overall health and performance of those who are physically active or who participate in sports.
The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) is the professional association for Athletic Trainers whose mission it is to promote the profession of Athletic Training. It was founded in 1950 when a core group of about 200 athletic trainers met in Kansas City to discuss the future. The growth of the athletic training profession has been on a moderate to fast increase. Total NATA membership has grown from about 4,500 members in 1974 to more than 28,000 in 2001.
Today, the NATA membership spans the globe and includes more than 27,000 allied health care professionals. As the profession that began with college sports expands to guard the safety of all people involved in physical activity, NATA members can be found in schools, on the sidelines of professional sports, in hospitals and clinics, and in the industrial setting.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-2003 Edition, the demand for health care services will create tremendous job opportunities over the next eight years. Nine of the top 20 job growth categories are in health care services. These health care services, including home health care services, hospitals, and offices of health practitioners, will add 2.8 million new jobs as demand for health care services increases. An aging population and longer life expectancies are factors that will increase demand. Professional occupations, in which a bachelor's degree is required, will grow the fastest, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There is expected to be a 26 percent increase in the professional occupations, though that number covers all profession, not only health care. This equates to a 6.9 million jobs gained during the 2000-2010, and these jobs are typically well disbursed in private industry and government.
Of the total professional jobs, 5.2 million will be added from three groups: health care services and technology; education, training, and library occupations; and computer/mathematical occupations. Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) are represented in two of the three major job growth categories; health care services and education. ATCs are at the front end of their growth curve and have a broad practice scope. Additionally, the Labor Department figures are reflective rather that projective, meaning that the aggressive growth seen in the 1990s is unlikely sustainable in the current economic conditions.
The American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) http://caate.net/, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) cooperate to establish, maintain, and promote the standards for the quality of CAAHEP-accredited educational programs in Athletic Training. Athletic Training is an allied health profession that is recognized by the American Medical Association. Certified Athletic Trainers, under the supervision of a licensed physician, provide care for athletes and those who are physically active within six areas of clinical practice: prevention; recognition, evaluation, and assessment; treatment, rehabilitation, and reconditioning; organization and administration; and professional development and responsibility. Athletic Trainers are specialists in the area of sports medicine; sports medicine is a general term that refers to a very broad scope of care and services that are necessary to maintain the overall health and performance of those who are physically active or who participate in sports.
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