NATM 2022: Why Do You Love Being an Athletic Trainer?
National Athletic Training Month may have come to an end, but we won’t stop celebrating you! We want to give a huge thank you to all the athletic trainers who joined the #SHNATM22 conversation on our Sports Medicine social media pages, showed off their AT spirit, and shared stories about why they love what they do.
We understand that the role of an athletic trainer has changed a lot in the last few years due to the pandemic. Besides providing essential care for athletes, many athletic trainers were also asked to be contact tracers for their schools or districts, help track immunization status among students and school staff, and so much more. Through these changes, many ATs continued to follow their passion to help athletes succeed on and off the field.
We recently asked you to share why you love being an athletic trainer. Check out some of the stories you shared with us on social media during National Athletic Training Month!
“I love being an AT for a lot of reasons, but one thing that never gets old is when an athlete in pain gets excited when something simple fixes their pain. I love being able to teach them easy ways to take care of their bodies that they can then take with them for life. – wahisportsmed
I love being an athletic trainer when I see my students go on to become ATs… I especially love it when student-athletes come back and say that high school ATs work the hardest compared to the college and professional level ATs, because we cover all the sports and all the athletes – usually working with hundreds of athletes and giving them all the time that they need – heidi.s.bower
There are so many reasons why I love being an athletic trainer. I love when my student-athletes come back to visit me and tell me how I was the biggest mentor in their life while in high school. The most heartwarming memory I have is when my student-athlete’s mom hugged me and was so grateful for me saving her son’s life. I love my profession! – aperow24
A few years after I left grad school, I got a text from the parent of a previous student that said, “Just wanted to check in and see if this number was still yours. We miss you and hope you’re doing well.” We went back and forth catching up, and it was so nice to see the impact I made in my first year as an athletic trainer! – sarahw3317
I love being an AT for several reasons, but the biggest must be watching athletes return to play after sustaining an injury. The rehab process can be difficult and can diminish spirits. However, watching the athletes finally return makes it so special. I think I’m their biggest fan! – megcoughlin.11
Making memories and supporting athletes through their ups and downs is why I love being an athletic trainer. – Peter Sands
I think there are a lot of reasons that we all love being ATs, and that have made us stay in the profession. But I think my favorite part is the connections that I make with the athletes I work with and seeing them grow as they become more mature adults. I truly love helping teach these young adults how to properly take care of their body, both physically and mentally. It’s great knowing that I’m working in a profession that impacts so many young minds that are ready to enter the world. – megz0623
School Health supports athletic trainers across the country by providing the proper equipment and resources, so you can provide your athletes with the best care. As always, thank you for everything you do to help keep athletes safe on and off the field!