How Far Can ATs Stretch?

I'll be the one to say it, athletic trainers are the most versatile health care providers on the market.

As it is great that our scope keeps increasing, it also feels like it has stretched us and our job responsibilities.

We orchestrate and manage almost every aspect of health:

• Emergency Response & First Aid

• Orthopedic Evaluation and Diagnostics

• Injury Prevention & Recovery

• Nutrition & Hydration

• Mental Health & Stress Management

• Rehabilitation, Manual Therapy, & Soft Tissue Treatments

• Strength and Conditioning, Performance & Return to Play Protocols

• Biomechanics/Ergonomics

• General Medicine Evaluation

• Concussion Recognition, Evaluation, Care, & Return to Play Procedures

• Protective & Prevention Bracing, Taping, Splinting, Bandage, Wound Care

• And many many more!

Could this be a contributing factor to our professions increased rate of burn out? Especially if some of us do not feel like we are being compensated for the value we bring to the table?

I would recommend sitting down with your supervisor and go over your job description responsibilities and update it to make it more realistic with your work environment and flow of daily operations. When you can create better professional boundaries it helps create a sense of control, which is a big contributing factor to burn out.

Shelby 5/2024