Athletic Training

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Anthony Breitbach, Chair
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Aaron Sciascia, Vice Chair
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Role of Athletic Training in Interprofessional Health Care

The practice of Athletic Training has traditionally been collaborative and interprofessional. In the collegiate, professional and secondary school settings, ATs coordinate care for hundreds of individuals. They provide on-site holistic wellness, primary care and triage/referral working with a wide variety of health professionals including, but not limited to, physicians, physical therapists, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, psychologists and sports scientists. They also are responsible for communicating with coaches, families, administrators and other stakeholders. These skills, developed in their training in these traditional settings, have also made them invaluable in “emerging” settings such as in ambulatory care, physician offices, industrial/occupational, military/tactical/public safety and the performing arts. However, due to the profession’s roots in organized athletics, many times AT education programs have been left out of the mix in Interprofessional Education initiatives.

NAP’s mission of “Distinguished professionals advancing interprofessional healthcare by fostering collaboration and advocating policies in the best interest of individuals and communities” connects clearly with the traditional practice of Athletic Training and how the profession is evolving as it moves forward. The AT Core Competencies of Patient-Centered Care; Interprofessional Practice and Interprofessional Education; Evidence-Based Practice; Quality Improvement; Health Care Informatics; and Professionalism align with NAP’s Core Values of Collaboration, Patient-Centeredness, Inclusivity and Interconnectedness. The members of the Athletic Training Academy in NAP enthusiastically embrace NAP’s vision to “lead and exemplify interprofessional healthcare that promotes and preserves health and well-being”.