Tag: NATA

Chiefs’ Rick Burkholder inducted into National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame

#Chiefs’ VP of Sports Medicine & Performance, Rick Burkholder, was enshrined in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame this offseason.

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Kansas City Chiefs Head Athletic Trainer and VP of Sports Medicine & Performance, Rick Burkholder, was one of six new enshrinees for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Hall of Fame.

Entering his 11th season with the Chiefs in 2023, Burkholder has consistently been recognized as one of the top athletic trainers in the NFL. He’s spent over 20 seasons on Andy Reid’s staff spanning his tenures in Philadelphia and Kansas City. Before he joined the Eagles’ staff, Burkholder began his NFL career in athletic training as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers for six seasons.

In 2014, Burkholder was elected as President of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) for a three-year term. During his term, Burkholder made an outsized impact in fostering gender equality among the NFL’s athletic trainers and emphasized the importance of athletic trainers at all levels of football.

The NATA Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony took place at the 74th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana this week. There, Burkholder received an additional piece of jewelry to go along with his second Super Bowl ring.

This isn’t the only NATA honor that Burkholder has taken home during his career. In 2016, he earned the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. The following year, Burkholder received the NATA’s President’s Award, which signifies those who make an outstanding impact on the athletic trainer profession. He’s also previously taken home the NATA Athletic Training Service Award.

Burkholder was honored just two seasons ago with the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) Fain-Cain Memorial Award Oustanding Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.

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Across country, 34% of public, private high schools do not have access to athletic trainers, study shows

A new study suggests that 34% of U.S. public and private high schools have no access to an athletic trainer.

A study recently showed that more than half of California schools either don’t have an athletic trainer who’s fully qualified or don’t employ one at all.

Another recent study reveals that this issue is not just prevalent in California.

It found that 34% of public and private high schools in the U.S. have no access to an athletic trainer. Also, 47% of schools that have access to athletic trainers only received part-time services.

“School districts, school education boards, state legislators and state athletic associations continue to take a reactive, rather than proactive, approach to addressing safety concerns,” Robert Huggins, the lead author of the study, said in a statement.

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Similar to the study conducted for California, across the United States there is a difference in care between private and public schools. Among private schools, 45% had no access to an athletic trainer. For public schools, that number is at 31%.

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“The safety of student athletes must be the top priority for schools with athletic programs, not just in rhetoric, but in allocation of resources to put the appropriate personnel in place,” NATA President Tory Lindley said in a statement.

The study was conducted by the Korey Stringer Institute. It was published in the Journal of Athletic Training, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s (NATA) scientific publication.

More than 47% of schools in California do not employ an athletic trainer, study shows

According to a study done by NATA, more than half of California schools either do not employ an athletic trainer or have someone in that position who is unqualified.

More than half of California schools either don’t employ an athletic trainer or don’t have a fully qualified person in that role, according to a study.

The study, published this week in the Journal of Athletic Training, which is the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s peer-reviewed scientific publication, found that over 47% of schools in the state do not have an athletic trainer. An additional 7% of schools employed unqualified health personnel for that position.

Among the schools that have an athletic trainer, only 13% reported employing a full-time, year-round position for the job.

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“Currently in California, anyone, even if they have zero medical experience, can call themselves an athletic trainer. This should be a major concern to parents,” NATA President Tory Lindley said in a statement.

There is also a disparity between the types of schools that employ trainers. Schools that employed athletic trainers were more likely to be public (50.6%).

“One wrong decision could leave your child paralyzed forever,” Lindley said in a statement. “That is how serious this is. There is no room in organized sports for this level of risk. Our athletes deserve better.”

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California is the only state that doesn’t regulate athletic training. However, Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) introduced a bill that would require an athletic trainer or person using a certain title or terms to be licensed by the California Board of Athletic Training.

“California doesn’t regulate athletic trainers and as a direct result we’re seeing too many unnecessary injuries, disabilities and even death,” Bonta told Yahoo in September.