AT Student Strike

Due to Howard not having an athletic training program they definitely can't be referred to as ATS due to the CAATE guidelines. I find it very interesting that it seems these students are being used as work force to make up for the lack of a head athletic trainer. I wonder what is going on at Howard that would lead them to be without a head athletic trainer for so long a period of time now. Is it the pay? There are some universities that you can count on having an opening each and every year. I would probably infer that might have something to do with it. If they compensation package or pay are not sufficient, perhaps this is why they are still without help. I have heard of this type of thing happening before at institutions here within North Carolina where the students were used as work force in the absence of a certified athletic trainer. The instance that I was present was of particular interest to me as I was on the sideline of the particular team du ring a football game no less. I had to intervene on behalf of an athlete who obviously could not continue competing. The student informed the coach of his status and the coach ignored the student, went directly to the athlete, and told them to put their stuff on and go back in. If I would not have intervened the young man more than likely would have suffered a much more serious injury. At that point the supervision rules made perfect sense, as I came from an internship program and was disappointed initially about students not being allowed to care for teams without direct supervision like I was during my undergrad education. I believe we have a right to inform the NCAA of such instances and push for legislation mandating that a certain level of medical coverage be provided at every member institution. If schools don't have an athletic trainer, then the students should not be allowed to provide care unless they are being paid to do so as first responders. The key word there is paid. I don't see athletic training programs going to a pay for service deal with athletic training students in CAATE programs as they will be "paid" once they graduate with the opportunity to sit for the exam which is (should be ) their sole reason for being in the program in the first place. These students at Howard, unfortunately, do not have this opportunity available to them unless they later complete a master's degree, so why not offer them some compensation. Surely we will have no problem explaining to any CAATE program students why these students are compensated monetarily, and they are not. Just my two cents.

Wes Brown
brownw%40uncw.edu">brownwuncw.edu

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First off, the main focus of this issue should be filling the vacant
Head AT position and NOT establishing what the proper title of the
students should be. I see no reason why these students should not
receive some form of better compensation for the hours that they
have put in. Now are curriculum students paid for their hard work??
No they are not. But these students are being educated in the same
old-school fashion that I was: Learn-By-Doing. These students are
rolling up their sleeves, digging in everyday, and getting the job
done without regular supervision of a staff ATC. I give every AT
student there credit for sticking it out without what they truly
need: a vocal leader and teacher.

It's sad to see a situation where athletic training students are
being abused and taken advantage of with no go-between. Without a
staff athletic trainer there is no mediator between the AT students
and the coaching staff of the various sports, which allows the
coaching staff to the opportunity to manipulate and run over the AT
students as they please. This lack of leadership is one of a few
notions that can scare off potential AT students away from the
profession.

Obviously the NCAA and NATA should intercede and see if they can get
the hiring process a jumpstart and moving in the right direction. I
also agree the NCAA should also push harder for legislation
mandating that a ATC position should be established not only at
every 2 or 4-year college/university, but also at every high school
as well to ensure ideal medical coverage. The university athletic
director does not see this as a priority issue of which he is sorely
mistaken. I find it odd that there is no posting for the head
athletic training position on the NATA Career Center. You would
think that it would be mighty difficult to fill a position if no one
knows about it. Now if pay is an issue then the AD needs to take a
long hard look at the athletic budget to figure out a way to elevate
the salary amount of the position to better entice a suitable
candidate.

I wish these students the best of luck with the rest of the year and
kudos for stepping up and letting themselves be heard.

Jeremy Steakley, ATC
Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer
Men's & Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Western Kentucky University
2005 SunBelt Conference Men's Cross Country Champions
2006 SunBelt Conference Women's Indoor Track & Field Champions
2006 SunBelt Conference Women's Outdoor Track & Field Champions
2006 SunBelt Conference Women's Cross Country Champions
1605 Avenue of Champions
Bowling Green, KY 42101-6412
Office: (270) 745-2617
Cell: (931) 607-8151

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