What to Look Forward to in October

 

 

There is a lot happening at NATA! Stay up to date on what’s to come each month in advocacy, engagement and development in this new NATA Now blog series.

While members can renew their NATA membership for 2021 at any time, membership renewal season officially begins Oct. 1. Renew your NATA membership before Dec. 31 to take advantage of valuable, member-only benefits that assist with professional growth, connection, support and advocacy. Stay tuned throughout the fall to see how NATA is celebrating and supporting its members. Learn more and renew on the NATA website.

Check out what else is in store for October, and follow our communication channels throughout the month for more information!

Advocacy

• NATA is hosting the second annual Youth Sport Specialization Awareness Week from Oct. 19-23. As the pioneer of this important week, NATA strives to raise awareness of what sport specialization is, the risks associated with it and the ATs role in providing a safer approach to youth sports. Read more about Youth Sports Specialization Awareness Week on the NATA Now blog.
• The ATs Care Commission and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), along with the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, collaborated on including information about accessing ATs Care after a catastrophic incident in the NFHS Post Event Toolkit. The purpose of this toolkit is to provide a framework in dealing with the administrative, technical and emotional burden surrounding a catastrophic or near catastrophic event critical events.
• NATA is looking for athletic trainers to feature in our marketing and communications efforts. We know that you perform so many tasks and duties as part of your every day job, especially now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Help us share what you do on a daily basis by submitting your photos to be featured in our #ATsinAction campaign. ATs in Action authentically depicts ATs doing what you do best – providing exceptional health care to a diverse patient population in a variety of settings. We are actively seeking diversity in athletic trainers, patients, settings and activities, as well as photos that properly illustrate social distancing and PPE usage. Help us tell your story. Show us how you impact health care by contributing your images today.

Engagement

• Gather continues to be the hub for ATs to discuss the latest topics. Recently, members have started a conversation about “Returning Positive COVID Athletic Back to Participation.” Visit Gather to engage in the latest discussions.
• The October NATA News, available online Oct. 1, features the Kathy Dieringer, EdD, LAT, ATC, who shares her journey to becoming NATA’s 15th president. This issue also takes a look at research, including early data findings of the NATA Research & Education Foundation 2019 New Investigator Grant recipient’s study on how ATs see social determinants of health in patients and the importance of data collection for injury surveillance.
• The September/October Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach focuses on bone health in athletes. NATA members can now access the digital edition for free. Note that users will need to create an account to access the page. 
• The NATA Research & Education Foundation created the "High 5" for the athletic training profession. This is an opportunity to give the profession and the NATA Foundation donors a "High 5" for all they do. The "High 5" campaign includes a virtual 5K, with registration opening Oct. 1. All registration fees benefit the NATA Foundation. Participants can run or walk on a date that works best for them from Oct. 24-31. They can participate from any park, track, neighborhood or even their treadmill. Members, family and friends of the profession are encouraged to participate. All info will be on the NATA Foundation website beginning Oct. 1.
• The NATA Foundation will spotlight its programs and demonstrate how donors have impacted the profession on its social media channels Oct. 26-30. Be sure to follow the NATA Foundation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to learn more.
• Students: Apply for NATA Student Leadership Committee, which is seeking applicants for multiple positions on the 2021-22 committee. If you are interested in representing your district, you are encouraged to apply on Gather. Applications will be accepted  through Nov. 20.

Development

• The Free Communications Program is accepting abstracts for 2021 through Nov. 1. For more information, visit the NATA Research & Education Foundation website and read the October NATA News.
• The Research Grants Program is now accepting preproposal submissions. The submission window is Oct. 1-Nov. 15. Preproposals are required for anyone interested in submitting a full proposal in the Professional Grants Program; however, this is not required for student grants.
• If you are registered for the 2020 NATA Virtual Clinical Symposia & AT Expo and have not earned the maximum number of 25 CEUs allowed by completing the VNATA 2020 sessions, we want to allow you more time to make that happen. The cutoff for VNATA 2020 has been extended to 11:59 p.m. CDT Oct. 11. If you have completed your 25 CEUs through the VNATA 2020, the link to access your Statement of Credit, to be used for reporting to the BOC, will be sent by Oct. 1. Since the platform is now closing Oct. 11, the final link to access Statements of Credit will be sent by Oct. 26. EBP CEUs and Category A CEUs will be shown separately on your Statement of Credit.
• After hosting successful call-in nights in June and August, the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee and ATs Care Commission will team up once again to host monthly call-in nights starting in October. The ATs Care & EDAC Call-In Nights: Addressing Uncertainty in 2020 will provide ATs the opportunity to express their emotional reactions to  what’s happening in the world and the situations they are facing in a group setting, under the guidance of ATs Care team members trained in ICISF’s Group Intervention. Learn more on the ATs Care webpage.