The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and others who support the athletic training profession. Founded in 1950, the NATA has grown to more than 43,000 members worldwide. The majority of certified athletic trainers choose to be members of NATA to support their profession and to receive a broad array of membership benefits.

History

The NATA was unofficially formed in late 1949 by a small group of athletic trainers from around the nation. The NATA was founded in 1950 when the first meeting of the NATA took place in Kansas City, Missouri. Nearly 200 athletic trainers gathered to discuss the future of their profession. Recognizing the need for a set of professional standards and appropriate professional recognition, the NATA has helped to unify certified

athletic trainer Athletic training is an allied health care profession recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA)"What is an Athletic Trainer?". The Board of Certification Website. 2003. Athletic training is also recognized by the Health Resources Serv ...

s across the country by setting a standard for professionalism, education, certification, research and practice settings. Since its inception, the NATA has been a driving force behind the recognition of the athletic training profession. Once housed in

Greenville, North Carolina Greenville is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, Pitt County, North Carolina, United States; the principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area, Greenville metropolitan area; and th ...

, the NATA is now headquartered in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. From humble beginnings, the association has expanded to encompass a global membership totaling more than 43,000, plus a full-time executive director and staff. Members serve as leaders for the association, which has multiple committees working together to help advance the profession. In 2016 at their national convention in Baltimore the National Athletic Trainers' Association announced the launch of its first-ever public awareness campaign, At Your Own Risk. The campaign is designed to educate, provide resources and equip the public (non-athletic trainers) to act and advocate for safety in work, life, and sport.

Code of Ethics

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association Code of Ethics states the principles of ethical behavior that should be followed in the practice of athletic training. It is intended to establish and maintain high standards and professionalism for the athletic training profession.

Districts

The NATA consists of 11 Districts. For purposes of the election of NATA’s President and Board of Directors, and subject to the provisions of Section 5.2 of the NATA Bylaws, NATA shall be divided into ten Districts. Each voting Member of NATA may only be a Member of one District.

Eastern (District 1)

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

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Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Eastern (District 2)

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Mid-Atlantic (District 3)

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

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District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Great Lakes (District 4)

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Mid America (District 5)

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

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South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

Southwest (District 6)

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Rocky Mountain (District 7)

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

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Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

Far West (District 8)

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

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Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Southeast (District 9)

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

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Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Northwest (District 10)

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

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Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Great Lakes (District 11)

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Awards

Each year during the NATA Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia a variety of awards are presented for research and outstanding achievement in sports medicine.

Hall of Fame

The NATA Hall of Fame was created to recognize the very best of the athletic training profession and is the highest honor which may be bestowed upon a member.

Fellows program

The NATA Fellows program began in 2008, it recognizes professional achievement in research and/or education, combined with service to the profession. Only the most accomplished scholars in the athletic training profession earn this distinction and are allowed to use the prestigious designation of “FNATA.”

Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer

The Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award is a prestigious honor that recognizes NATA members for their exceptional and unique contributions to the athletic training profession. It reflects a lifetime of dedication to the association and the field of athletic training on the national, district and local levels. Candidates are not expected to have experience in all areas, however this is a national award and contributions at the national level are necessary. These contributions can include, but are not limited to: leadership and advancement of the association and the profession nationally.

Honorary membership

Honorary membership in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association is an exclusive honor reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to the athletic training profession. Though not certified athletic trainers themselves, they have dedicated a significant portion of their careers to advancing, promoting and championing the efforts of our association and its members.

President's Challenge

The President’s Challenge award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contributions that directly impact athletics and athletic training, have a national impact or are of major and lasting importance. This award provides a stimulus for continued service, research and education in the field of athletic health care. It fosters joint recognition among members of the NATA and other disciplines and reminds us of the very important role all groups play in the future of athletic care.

Gail Weldon Award of Excellence

The Gail Weldon Award of Excellence is a national honor that recognizes athletic trainers for their commitment to make significant contributions to mentoring, professional development, life balancing, leadership or to improve the health care of females within the profession.

Sayers "Bud" Miller Distinguished Educator Award

This award honors the first chair of the NATA Professional Education Committee, Sayers "Bud" Miller, who was a distinguished educator. The objective of this award is to recognize individuals who follow his example and exemplify excellence in the field of athletic training education. This award recognizes individuals who excel in promoting athletic training education beyond the local level through service and publishing on athletic training issues. To be eligible for nomination, individuals must currently be BOC certified, a member of the teaching faculty for 10 years, have evidence of quality in published manuscripts, and in formal oral presentations concerned with issues in athletic training.

Bill Chisolm Ethnic Diversity Advisory Council Professional Service Award

The Bill Chisolm Professional Service Award has been presented annually since 1994 in an attempt to recognize any individual who has significantly advanced the provision of athletic health care services to ethnically diverse individuals, or who has made a significant contribution to the professional development and advancement of ethnically diverse Athletic Trainers. The recipient is selected by the committee and is not required to be a member of an underrepresented ethnically diverse population.

Tim Kerin Award for Excellence In Athletic Training

Outstanding Research Manuscript and Outstanding Manuscript

Continuing Education Award

This award honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the profession of athletic training in the area of continuing education.

College/University Athletic Trainers’ Committee (CUATC) Awards

The CUATC wishes to recognize those collegiate athletic trainers who have demonstrated exceptional performance as an athletic trainer.

Governmental Affairs Committee Daniel L. Campbell Legislative Awards

Daniel L. Campbell was an active and influential member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association for 34 years. Dan served in several capacities in his service to the NATA and the profession, but is most known for his work in governmental affairs and reimbursement. He was instrumental in creating the Reimbursement Advisory Group, the precursor to the Committee on Revenue, and co-authored a booked titled “Reimbursement for Athletic Trainers” about the history of the reimbursement effort. NATA named Dan a Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 1996. The Daniel L. Campbell Legislative Award is given for two types of effort, each important in achieving success in the legislative and regulatory arenas. Class I- A state association with an outstanding effort toward legislation. Class II- A state association who has undertaken activities aimed at keeping athletic training “on the radar screen” of legislators.

Public Relations Contest

Each March, the NATA PR Committee issues a call for entries for the annual public relations contest. The contest recognizes outstanding PR achievements by NATA districts, states, individuals or student groups. Categories include: * Most creative effort * Greatest impact * Best student effort * Best Grassroots effort * Best state association effort Entries must educate, use proper “athletic trainer” terminology and must not be self-serving.

American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine For Excellence in Athletic Training Award

The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, the largest sports medicine affiliate of the American Podiatric Medical Association, presents this annual award to an athletic trainer who displays commitment and excellence in the field of sports medicine.

Deloss Brubaker Student Writing Award

NATA undergraduate student members are invited to submit original manuscripts for the annual student writing contest. One winner will be selected for each of the following categories: * Original Research * Case Report * Literature Review

Young Professionals’ Committee National Distinction Award

The National Distinction Award is the YPC’s highest honor. The YPC wishes to recognize young professional athletic trainer that has made an immediate and definitive impact on the athletic training profession at the national, district, or state level.

References

External links

* {{authority control Athletic training Sports medicine organizations Sports professional associations based in the United States Sports organizations established in 1950 1950 establishments in the United States