"Ask Not What Your National Association Can Do for You, Ask What You Can Do for Your State Association"

Where is the highest capacity of change currently happening in the Athletic Training leadership model?

Profession advancement happens at the State Association in the legislative halls based on state Practice Acts. The NATA is composed of 11 people that are supposed to represent multiple states in their districts and 50,000 ATs unique interests. Bureaucracy at its finest.

Logistics and current infrastructure at the national level is not capable of keeping with the current pace of micro and macro changes in the AT profession. Trying to enact national changes for the profession is too big of a beast to handle for the NATA.

Navigating the state's legislative landscape would be easier to handle by the local AT stakeholders. The smaller back ally fights from a regulatory standpoint of “Turf battles” between two or more professions, or litigation and questions of negligent practice are somewhat easier to iron out in these smaller colosseums rather than at the national stage.

We have to remember if one state can set a precedence in strengthening its Practice Act it provides better evidence for other states to be able to enact these standards in their personal state practice act. The ATs that can provide time and resources ($) for progress should direct it to the state level organizations to create transformation in the AT profession.

It's easier to make bigger ripples in smaller pools. 🌊

Kutz & Konin Leadercast. Ep. 13 Pitfalls of Organizational Leadership.

Hortz. B. Scope of Practice: Factors to Consider

Shelby 6/2024