The Public

QUICK FACTS ABOUT NATA
National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA)
 The professional membership organization for athletic trainers and others who support the athletic           training profession
 Established in 1950
 Headquarters: Carrollton, Texas
 Staff: 44 full-time employees

Membership
 Total number of members: 44,000
 Certified members: 79 percent
 Female members: 55 percent
 International members: certified – 1.2 percent; non-certified – .1 percent
 Student members: certified – 4 percent; non-certified – 20 percent

Definition of Athletic Trainers
 Health care professionals who render service or treatment, under the direction of or in collaboration          with a physician, in accordance with their education and training and the states’ statutes, rules and          regulations. As a part of the health care team, services provided by athletic trainers include injury            and illness prevention, wellness promotion and education, emergent care, examination and                      clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions.

Secondary School Statistics
 NATA/KSI benchmark study published in 2015 in Journal of Athletic Training: 37 percent of public                  secondary schools in the U.S. have a full-time athletic trainer, which is the gold standard of care                recommended by NATA.

Governmental Affairs
 Athletic trainers are licensed or otherwise regulated in 49 states and the District of Columbia; efforts            continue to secure regulation in California.
 Of the 49 regulated states, only Texas provides for initial licensure without the Board of Certification            (BOC) credential (ATC).
 No state mandates athletic trainers in secondary schools. There are some jurisdictions with related              requirements (such as D.C. and Hawaii) – check with NATA staff for details.
 NATA hosts an annual Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC, as an opportunity for ATs to advocate for              their profession.
 Athletic trainers are eligible and encouraged to apply for their National Provider Identifier (NPI) – it is          quick, easy and free. The NPI is used by all health care professionals in adherence to HIPAA                        requirements and the simplification of transmission of electronic health information. The                          designated taxonomy code for an athletic trainer is “255A2300X – Specialist/Technologist – Athletic          Trainer.”  Students can apply for their NPI under the taxonomy code “390200000X Student in an              Organized Health Care Education/Training Program.”
 NATAPAC is the political voice of the athletic training profession, seeking better working conditions,              fair access and the right to practice for all athletic trainers. The voluntary contributions of NATA                members are the only legal source of funds to support these activities. It is separately                                incorporated and is managed by its own board of directors.

Information links
 Concussion management NATA Position statement
 Concussion handout