Happiness is being an Athletic Trainer

Anyone who knows me knows that I am super passionate about being a Certified Athletic Trainer. I truly believe that it's one of the biggest reasons that I was put on this earth, and I can't think of myself doing anything else.

Unfortunately, my current full-time job doesn't give me the opportunity to practice at all as an actual AT. Thankfully, I have been able to volunteer at the high school on the base that I work on in order to keep my skills in tact, which has been a huge help to them since the Department of Defense school system does not hire ATs anywhere in the world (which is a huge travesty and blows my mind if for no other reason than how much money ATs can save the health care system in the long run - budget problems, anyone?).

I started last school year by covering almost every home competition for every major sport, and then the track team even asked me to come with them to the European finals at the end of the season. I covered football in the same manner this season, but I just felt like a glorified first responder. I would evaluate the injuries, give the kids and coaches (and sometimes parents if they were available) instructions, and then go home. There was no follow-through, and frankly, it drove me crazy.

So, I decided to take a step toward solving that problem. I approached the AD and vice principal at a volleyball match with the idea of doing a clinic in the afternoons a couple times a week for injury evaluations, treatments, rehab, etc. Both of their eyes lit up like I had just handed them a check for a million dollars. 

As soon as I could, I got to work on planning, revising evaluation sheets for documentation, refreshing my memory on things like special tests and manual muscle testing, talking to the health clinic to work on getting their direct support, talking to the coaches, and reading journal articles. It was a huge breath of fresh air to have a reason to review and expand my knowledge! 

I had my first afternoon clinic/practice coverage yesterday, and I drove home with a huge smile on my face. One of the coaches sent a girl down to see me for an injury that she got last week, and then asked if I would be willing to come up with a program to help prevent ACL injuries for her girls team (since females are more likely to sustain that particular injury than males). I was so excited, I really can't explain my joy! I'm like a kid in a candy store now that I get to feel like an AT again, and the coaches are just as grateful for me being there as I am for letting me be there.

Maybe eventually, somewhere down the line, there will actually be a paid position that I can apply for, but in the meantime, I'm perfectly happy to be doing coverage twice a week and at home games for free. When you love what you do, it's not work, so getting paid is just a bonus. 

Go Falcons!

You know you're an AT who works with the military when you ordered your kit off a military supply website.