What to Look Forward to in January

Update: The Student Leadership Committee's live Kahoot! Trivia Takeover has been rescheduled to 7 p.m. CST Jan 20. and will only be for uncertified student members.

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 NATA Now blog series. Check out what else is in store for January, and follow our communication channels throughout the month for more information!

Watch the accompanying video as NATA President Tory Lindley, MA, ATC, discusses the new yearlong campaign, Built for This, and read more about the campaign below (in the advocacy section).

Don’t forget: The deadline to renew your NATA membership is Dec. 31. Renew today to maintain your valuable, member-only benefits that assist with professional growth, connection, support and advocacy.

Advocacy

• With a new year comes a new set of challenges as well as new opportunities to shine a light on the important role athletic trainers play in the safety, well-being and lives of their patients and communities, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Despite the challenges faced this past year, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead in 2021, there is one thing ATs can rely on: They’re built for this. This January, NATA is kicking off its new yearlong campaign, Built for This, designed to highlight the foundation every athletic trainer has that equips them to handle just about any situation they’re thrown into, no matter how big or small. Read about the campaign in the January NATA News.

Engagement

• The January NATA News introduces NATA’s yearlong campaign for 2021, Built for This, and features the first article in the new Built for This article series. This article series will share how athletic trainers are embodying each of the five domains of athletic training. The issue also took a look at ways to earn CEUs during the upcoming reporting year and some member benefits and events to look forward to in 2021. Also included is an article from the Winter Sports Medicine Legal Digest about athletic trainers and social media.
• The NATA Student Leadership Committee is hosting a live Kahoot! Trivia Takeover at 7 p.m. CST Jan. 20. The Kahoot! event will feature Board of Certification Inc. preparation questions, NATA history questions and questions from the 12 content areas identified in the Athletic Training Educational Competencies, 5th Ed. There will be two sessions available and a special prize for the winner of each session. Trivia is open to all NATA members. For more information or any questions about these upcoming SLC events, email slcoutreachcom@gmail.com, visit the student webpage and follow the SLC on Facebook (NATASLC), Twitter (@nataslcreps) and Instagram (@nataslc) to stay up to date on this and other important information.
• The NATA Joint Committee Meeting 2021 will be hosted virtually in January. Designed to foster collaboration, JCM is held annually to provide NATA’s volunteer leaders with the opportunity to update leadership and each other on the progress of various committee initiatives. In addition, leadership will review important association news with attendees.
• The January Journal of Athletic Training covers a variety of topics, such as “Mental Health, Physical Activity and Quality of Life of U.S. Adolescent Athletes During COVID-19–Related School Closures and Sport Cancellations: A Study of 13,000 Athletes,” “Transgender Athletes’ Experiences With Health Care in the Athletic Training Setting” and “Practices of Athletic Trainers Using Weight Charts to Determine Hydration Status and Fluid Intervention Strategies.” The issue will also cover concussions, shoulder injuries in swimmers and health-related changes of retiring collegiate football athletes.

• The NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee is accepting nominations for the Bill Chisolm Professional Service Award through Feb. 1, 2021. Created in 1994, the Bill Chisolm Professional Service Award recognizes an individual who has contributed to the development and enhancement of ethnically diverse athletic trainers. The recipient is selected by the committee and is not required to be a member of an underrepresented ethnically diverse population. Any NATA member may nominate a candidate for the award by completing the Bill Chisolm Professional Service Award nomination form available on the NATA website.

Development

• The NATA Professional Development Center is the premier place to find continuing education opportunities. Search any of the below to participate in and earn CEUs for this reporting year:
  • Infection Control Considerations in Interscholastic and Intercollegiate Health Care Sites Post COVID-19
  • Peer-To-Peer Support Following A Crisis
  • Opioids and Our Patients: What An Athletic Trainer Needs To Know
  • Winning With Data: Improving Student Athlete Safety and Performance Through Head-Impact Monitoring
  • Surviving Sports: Professional Well-Being in Athletic Training
• NATA launched a new and exciting virtual event series in December. Join us in January month for the second NATA Timely Topics Series event, “Self-Care and Work-Life Balance Strategies for the AT.” The series is free to members and $45 per event for nonmembers.
• The NATA Research & Education Foundation’s Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 2021 award cycle. The application and all supporting documents are due Jan. 15, 2021. The NATA Foundation Scholarship Program is one of the organization’s most highly regarded programs and has awarded more than $3.58 million to 1,775 students. Visit the NATA Foundation’s website for more information.
• The NATA Research & Education Foundation’s student writing contest is now accepting submissions. The Athletic Training Student Writing Contest (SWC) is named for Deloss Brubaker, who chaired the contest for its first 30 years. SWC is now in its 41st year. Through this competition, a total of $1,000 is awarded by the NATA Foundation in three different contest divisions. The submission deadline for all entries is Feb. 1, 2021. Students enrolled in their final semester may submit an entry after the deadline and prior to their date of graduation, which will be considered for the next year’s contest. For more information, visit the NATA Foundation’s website.