Athletic Trainer vs Personal Trainer
With March fastly approaching I decided to take it upon myself as an Athletic Trainer to help educate the public on our profession. Ask any Athletic Trainer if they have ever been referred to as a personal trainer and I am sure 100% of them will say yes. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about our profession, the comparison to a personal trainer. An Athletic Trainer (ATC), as defined by the National Association of Athletic Trainers (NATA) is "a healthcare professional who collaborates with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations and disabilities. While practice act oversight varies by state, athletic trainers practice under state statutes recognizing them as qualified health care professionals similar to physical therapists, occupational therapists and other health care professionals. More than 70 percent of certified athletic trainers hold at least a master’s degree. The independent Board of Certification Inc. (BOC) nationally certifies athletic trainers. Athletic trainers must pass an examination and hold an entry-level bachelor’s or master’s degree to become an athletic trainer. To retain certification, credential holders must obtain 75 hours of medically related continuing education credits every three years and adhere to Standards of Professional Practice. The BOC is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies." Athletic training is recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a healthcare profession.
A personal trainer develops, monitors and changes an individual’s specific exercise program in a fitness or sports setting; some personal trainers also make nutrition recommendations. Personal trainers can earn credentials through a number of agencies and can work as fitness trainers without formal instruction or certification. A personal trainer may or may not have higher education in health sciences. They may or may not be required to obtain certification or state licensing, participate in continuing education or become certified by any one of numerous organizations that set varying education and practice requirements. Specifically, personal trainers assess fitness needs and design appropriate exercise regimens, work with clients to achieve fitness goals, help educate the public on the importance of physical activity, and work in health clubs, wellness centers and other locations
where fitness activities take place.
With this being fact, how can one associate an Athletic Trainer as the same as a personal trainer? Is it because we mainly work with athletes? No. Is it because we work in many different settings ranging from sports teams to health clubs to factories to physician offices and everything in between? Maybe...Or is it a lack of knowledge by the general public on the profession? Yes, in my opinion it is. So what do we do as Athletic Trainer's to help educate individuals on our profession? We take every opportunity that presents itself to let people know the difference and why it is a difference that they should not take so lightly.
If your kid is playing football and gets hit, it is the Athletic Trainer who evaluates them on the field to determine the severity of the injury and whether or not it is safe for them to return to play from a medical prospective, not a guess based on no knowledge. The Athletic Trainer is the first line of defense in the sports medicine circle. Our vast experience allows us to work in many settings and we deal with injuries of all types. Athletic trainers work in physician offices as physician extenders, in rural and urban hospitals, hospital emergency rooms, urgent and ambulatory care centers, military hospitals, physical therapy clinics, secondary schools, colleges/universities, youth leagues, commercial settings and professional sports teams. The skills of ATs have been sought and valued by sports medicine specialists and other physicians for more than 60 years. As the U.S. continues its focus on reducing the effects of obesity and other chronic diseases, it is important that people have access to health care professionals who can support lifelong, safe physical activity. Below are a few testimonials on the role Athletic Trainers play and how effective we are in all settings.
Testimonials from Employers and Friends of Athletic Trainers
Physicians, Hospitals and Clinics
“Athletic trainers are a committed, essential component to physicians delivering the highest standard of team medical care to the patients of the Andrews Institute. They know how to relate to the patient so his or her recovery is as quick as safely allowable, whether that person is a professional or youth athlete or just an average mom or dad.”
-- James Andrews, MD, Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center, Birmingham, Ala.
“Athletic trainers help enhance a physician’s communication with patients by serving as another source of expert information that patients can absorb. Athletic trainers are a key part of our sports medicine service delivery model.”
-- John Xerogeanes, MD, Chief of Sports Medicine, Emory Orthopedics and Spine Center, Atlanta, Ga.
“I realized early on in my career that ATs are the only health care professionals who devote their entire education and professional lives to taking care of active people. My patients experience excellent outcomes as a result of therapy provided by ATs. My patients love working with them. ATs are a value added service to my practice. I could not do without them.”
-- Thomas D. Kohl, MD, medical director, family practice physician; Director, Sports Medicine, Comprehensive Athletic Treatment Center, Wyomissing, Pa.
Legislators and Regulators
“As a state legislator concerned with health policy, affordable and accessible health care for all people is my primary concern. We must look for innovative solutions to providing health care because of the increasing shortages of nurses and other health care workers. One of the best ways to deliver health care services in the community is to better utilize certified athletic trainers. Athletic trainers are multi-skilled health care professionals who provide a unique combination of injury and illness treatment and rehabilitation with a substantial dose of injury prevention and general wellness.”
-- Former Representative Jerry Krummel, Oregon House of Representatives, District 26
Occupational and Industrial Setting
“Our company has had a certified athletic trainer on site since 2000 and since that time we have recognized the tremendous upside in the tangible and intangible benefits of this addition, including a savings of more than $245,000 in just 2002 alone in health care-related expenditures. We have also experienced a decrease of 67 percent for health care costs related to the low back. Additionally, our days away from work have decreased by 60 percent in the last three years. In the industrial setting, these results can be best accomplished by an individual with the medical knowledge and training of an athletic trainer. We wouldn’t have it any other way and will continue this program for the long term.”
-- James E. Marotz, DO, corporate medical director at Appleton Papers, Appleton, Wis.
Some of the info contained in this blog was taken from the NATA's website and documents "The FACTS about Athletic Trainers" and "Athletic Trainers - Not 'Trainers'".
BIOMechaniks: Train the mind and the body will follow
