March Is National Athletic Training Month

March is National Athletic Training Month, an awareness and motivational program sponsored by the National Athletic Trainers' Association. Athletic trainers are specially trained individuals responsible for the prevention, accessment, treatment and rehabilitation of athletic injuries and illnesses.

Athletic trainers play a major role in taking care of our nation's athletes at all professional levels and are instrumental in promoting safety at an early age with our nation's student athletes. With ePromos promotional products, you can support the valuable services of these individuals during their month of recognition.

1. FACT: All certified athletic trainers have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Athletic trainers are health care professionals similar to physical, occupational, speech language and other therapists. All certified or licensed athletic trainers must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited college or university in order to practice athletic training. Degrees are complementary to accredited athletic training majors and include established academic curricula. Athletic trainers’ bachelor’s degrees are in pre -medical sciences, kinesiology, exercise physiology, biology, exercise science or physical education. Academic programs are accredited through an independent process by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

2. FACT: The following educational content standards are required for athletic training degree programs.
Students must receive formal instruction in the following specific subject matter areas:
Basic and Applied Sciences:
•Human anatomy
•Human physiology
•Chemistry
•Biology
•Physics
•Statistics and research design
•Exercise physiology
•Kinesiology/biomechanics
Professional Content:
•Risk management and injury prevention
•Pathology of injuries and illnesses
•Orthopedic clinical examination and diagnosis
•Medical conditions and disabilities
•Acute care of injuries and illnesses
•Therapeutic modalities
•Conditioning, rehabilitative exercise and referral
•Pharmacology
•Psychosocial intervention and referral
•Nutritional aspects of injuries and illnesses
•Health care administration

3. FACT: Nearly 70 percent of athletic trainers have a master’s or doctoral degree.
Certified athletic trainers are highly educated. Nearly 70 percent of ATC credential holders have a master’s degree or higher advanced degree. Reflective of the broad base of skills valued by the athletic training profession, these master’s degrees may be in athletic training (clinical), education, exercise physiology, counseling, health care administration or health promotion. This great majority of practitioners who hold advance degrees are comparable to other allied health
care professionals.

4. FACT: Athletic trainers know and practice the medical arts at the highest professional and ethical standards.
Athletic training is practiced by athletic trainers, health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encomp asses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving imp airment, functional limitations and disabilities. Members of the NATA must agree to abide by the Association’s Code of Ethics.

5. FACT: Athletic trainers are regulated and licensed health care workers.
While practice act oversight varies by state, athletic trainers practice under state statutes recognizing them as health care professionals similar to physical therapists, occupational therapists and other health care professionals. Athletic training licensure/regulation exists in 46 states, with aggressive efforts underway to pursue licensure in the remaining states and to update outdated licensure. Athletic trainers practice under the direction of physicians.

6. FACT: An independent national board certifies athletic trainers.
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 a certified 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.

7. FACT: Athletic trainers are recognized allied health care professionals.
ATs are highly qualified, multi-skilled allied health care professionals and have been part of the American Medical Association’s Health Professions Career and Education Directory for more than a decade. Athletic trainers are assigned National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers like all other health care professionals . The taxonomy code for athletic trainers is 2255A2300X. Additionally, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine – among others – are all strong clinical and academic supporters of athletic trainers.

8. FACT: More than 50 percent of NATA’s certified members work outside of school athletic settings and provide services to people of all ages.
Certified athletic trainers work in physician offices as physician extenders. They also work 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 . They are in great demand for their versatile health and wellness services. The skills of ATs have been sought and valued by sports medicine specialists and other physicians for more than 50 years. As the U.S. continues its fight against the obesity epidemic, it is important that people have access to health care professionals who can support lifelong, safe physical activity. ATs are an imp ortant part of the allied health care workforce, especially as the demand for workers is projected to increase over the next decade.

9. FACT: Athletic trainers have designated CPT/UB Codes.
The American Medical Association (AMA) granted Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for athletic training evaluation and re-evaluation (97005, 97006) in 2000. The codes became effective in 2002. In addition, the American Hospital Association established Uniform Billing (UB) codes – or revenue codes – for athletic training in 1999, effective in 2000.

10. FACT: CPT and UB codes are not provider specific.
The AMA states that the term “provider,” as found in the Physical Medicine section of the CPT code, is a general term used to define the individual performing the service described by the code. According to the AMA, the term “therapist” is not intended to denote any specific practice of specialty field. Physical therapists and/or any other type of therapists are not exclusive providers of general physical medicine examinations, evaluations and interventions. Similar to the athletic training evaluation and re-evaluation codes, other therapists have their own specific evaluation codes.

11. FACT: ATs improve patient functional and physical outcomes.
Results from a nationwide Medical Outcomes Survey demonstrate that care provided by ATs effects a significant change in all outcomes variables measured, with the greatest change in functional outcomes and physical outcomes. The investigation indicates that care provided by ATs generates a change in health-related quality of life patient outcomes.
(Ref: Albohm MJ, Wilkerson GB. An outcomes assessment of care provided by certified athletic trainers. Journal of Rehabilitation Outcomes Measure 1999; 3 (3):51-56.)

12. FACT: ATs work in rural and medically underserved areas with people of all ages.
ATs are accustomed to working in urgent care environments that have challenging – sometimes even adverse – work and environmental conditions. The athletic training tradition and hands-on clinical and academic education combine to create health care professionals who are flexible and inventive – ideal managers of patient care and health care delivery. ATs are generally an alternative – not an additional – provider of physical medicine therapies. ATs are an “or” not an “and”; therefore, costs for providing therapy are not increased with the use of athletic training services.

13. FACT: ATs specialize in patient education to prevent injury and re -injury and reduce rehabilitative and other health care costs.
Recent studies, reports, outcomes measurement surveys, total joint replacement studies and many other case studies demonstrate how the services of ATs save money for employers and improve quality of life for patients. For each $1 invested in preventive care, employers gained up to a $7 return on investment according to one NATA survey. The use of certified athletic trainers supports a consumer-driven health care economy that increases competition in order to reduce patient and disease costs. With proper rehabilitation and evaluation, athletic trainers prevent re-injury. The patient’s standard of care is enhanced, not sacrificed, with ATs.

14. FACT: ATs provide the same or better outcomes in clinical settings as other providers.
Results of a comparative analysis of care provided by certified athletic trainers and physical therapists in a clinical setting indicated ATs provide the same levels of outcomes, value and patient satisfaction as physical therapists in a clinical setting (Ref: Reimbursement of Athletic Training by Albohm, MJ; Campbell, Konin, pp. 25). Patient satisfaction
ratings are more than 96 percent when treatment is provided by ATs.

15. FACT: The National Athletic Trainers’ Association represents 30,000 members.
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), founded in 1950, represents more than 30,000 members of the international profession. Of the total membership, 26,000 are ATs, representing about 85 percent of all athletic trainers practicing in the United States. NATA accurately claims the distinction of representing the great majority of athletic
training professionals.