What to Look Forward to in May

What to Look Forward to in May from National Athletic Trainers' Assn on Vimeo.

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 May, and follow our communication channels throughout the month for more information!

Watch the accompanying video as NATA President Tory Lindley, MA, ATC, congratulates all graduating athletic training students and encourages them to become lifelong learners.

Advocacy

• A tip from the NATA Government Affairs Department: For May, ATs are recommended to participate in Fun Fact Fridays. Tweet facts about the athletic training profession to your legislators every Friday in May. For more advocacy tips and information, visit the NATA advocacy webpage.
• In the May NATA News, the At Your Own Risk Value of the Athletic Trainer Series looks at the armed forces setting. The resource details the areas of impact, such as emergency care, injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Engagement

• The NATA Student Leadership Committee would love to honor athletic training students from around the country who are graduating this spring on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Submit graduation photos to the SLC at slcoutreachcom@gmail.com.
• The May NATA News is all about mental health. The featured article, “COVID Canceled Sports, Student Athletes Felt the Impact,” discusses how AT-led research highlighted the impact sports can have on mental well-being in adolescent athletes and how the pandemic hit them hard. Other articles in this issue includes “Work-Life Balance Starts With You,” “Are You Experiencing Compassion Fatigue?” and “The Impact of Race, Ethnicity and Culture on Mental Wellness,” which includes information on how ATs can support patients of color.
• May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Be sure to visit the NATA Now blog throughout the month for an article series highlighting members.
• The monthly Built for This article series in the May NATA News features Stacey Ritter, MS, ATC, who offers information on suicide prevention. ATs are prepared for patients who are suicidal thanks to Domain One, and the article also offers a multitude of resources for suicide prevention.
• The Journal of Athletic Training hosts multiple podcasts, such as JAT Chat, AT Tapes and JATCast, that highlight articles from the Journal of Athletic Training. Be on the lookout for May podcasts and find them on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean and Stitcher.

Development

• There is still time to attend the NATA Secondary School Sessions.  The event features Wednesday morning educational sessions, followed by Thursday evening peer-to-peer discussions and will continue through May 13. Registrations will have access to the sessions on-demand through June 12.
• The biennial Athletic Training Educators' Conference  is the premier event for athletic training educators. ATEC will be held virtually April 29-May 1. The conference theme is “Strategies for Athletic Training Pedagogy and Assessment” and will feature plenary presentations, interactive breakout sessions, focused model practice presentations and virtual chat opportunities. The preliminary program is available on the NATA website.
  • The EducATionalist Community Town Hall during VATEC 2021 will focus on the critical and interconnected issues pertaining to student recruitment, admissions, retention and program viability for professional athletic training education programs in today’s competitive educational market. Issues and challenges pertaining to recruiting a more diverse student population into professional programs will also be discussed.
• The 2021 Virtual NATA Education Research Series is taking place through May 6. Each week will focus on a different topic and will be on-demand for a limited time. The price is $45 for members and $65 for nonmembers. Attendees can earn up to 2 Category A CEUs by participating in the 2021 Virtual NATA Education Researchers Series. In order to earn CEU credit, you must attend the CEU worthy sessions in their entirety and complete the session assessment. Partial credit will not be awarded for sessions not attended in their entirety or without a completed assessment.
• Taking place through May 25, with live events May 10-12, the NATA Spine Injury in Sports Conference will provide attendees with an in-depth look at advances in research that have paved the way for improvements in prevention and best practices in the management of acute spinal injury. Developed from the recently published consensus recommendations by the NATA Spine Injury in Sport Group, the conference will feature on-demand educational content as well as opportunities to engage with industry leaders, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of best practice recommendations, the research behind them and how they can be used during real-life emergency-care situations. In addition to nine hours of on-demand,  the NATA Spine Injury in Sports Conference also features multiple engagement opportunities, including specialist chats, peer chats and networking. Registration is $350 for members and $650 for nonmembers. Through May 9, when you register for the NATA Spine Injury in Sports Conference, you will receive a complimentary registration for a colleague.