It’s that time of the year again. National Athletic Training Month. During the month of March, Athletic Trainers all over the country raise awareness about the profession and what we do (besides sling tape and keep athletes hydrated). In this endeavor, we want people to know about where our profession comes from. What can you tell people or place on a display board about Athletic Training? Here are some helpful facts and good-to-knows about the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and athletic training.

• The NATA was founded in 1950.
• The first NATA meeting involved around 200 athletic trainers, and took place in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Headquarters was originally in Greenville, NC and is now in Dallas Texas.
• The NATA has over 30,000 Members World Wide!
• Over 82% of Athletic Trainers are members of the NATA.
• The Major specific Athletic Training Degree was first instituted in schools around 1982.
• Athletic Trainers do not work just for professional-sports. Many are in colleges, high schools, doctor offices, industrial plants, the military, fitness centers, etc.
• NATA Board of Certification (BOC) overall pass rates are about 75%.
• NATA BOC requires a minimal grade of 70% to sit for the certification exam.
• Athletic Trainers are actually licensed, certified, or registered professionals (with the exception of a couple states).

Looking at the above list, those are some pretty cool facts. Not many people know that there are many years of school and training involved to prepare us for our profession. However, when March rolls around, how do you personally advertise and market the profession? Here are some options for you to get the word out about Athletic Training.

• Have the Certified Athletic Trainer’s name announced along with the team during athletic events.
• Have any athletic training student aides’ acknowledge along with the team at athletic events.
• Create a display highlighting your athletic trainer.
• Use the NATA website to find free poster designs to download to display.
• Have announcements made at your school or business.
• If you are at a high school and do not have an athletic training student aide program yet, CREATE one.
• Have a fundraiser for your Athletic Training club.

Remember, promote the profession all throughout March. However you do it, whether it is one or all of the above ideas, or even one of your own. Bringing the fun and knowledge of what we do as Athletic Trainers is all of our responsibilities. So let’s get out there and raise some awareness! Happy National Athletic Training Month!

View as a PDF