No more manually entering eligible NATA CE activities into your BOC profile. 👏 Through Sync-CE, NATA EducATe and eligible CE activities will now automatically transfer into the BOC reporting system, helping simplify the certification experience for ATs. Learn more: nata.org/sync-ce

Serve shoulder-to-shoulder with your peers in registration, educational programming, and more! Volunteers who serve 8 or more hours are reimbursed a portion of their registration fee. Learn more: convention.nata.org/voluntee…

We are excited to announce the 2026 NATA SAAC Excellence In Leadership Award winner is Gerard White from Louisiana. @LATAincD9 We are excited to celebrate his leadership at the 2026 NATA SAAC State Leadership Forum in Philadelphia on June 29, 2026. Congratulations Gerard🏆

We are excited to announce the 2026 NATA SAAC Emerging Leaders Award winner is Mackenzie Harmon from Oklahoma. @oklahoma_at We are excited to celebrate her leadership at the 2026 NATA SAAC State Leadership Forum in Philadelphia on June 29, 2026. Congratulations Mackenzie 🏆

It’s timmmmeee…! We’re excited to announce registration is OPEN for the 2026 State Leadership Forum taking place on Monday, June 29th, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET, at the 77th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Philadelphia, PA. Please refer to your email for the registration link.

Join us tomorrow at 12PM CST for our next town hall. During this virtual town hall we will be discussing fundraising and association financials. The zoom link has been emailed out. DM us if you have any questions.

As the first state to enact the Athletic Training Compact, Alabama has set a national precedent for licensure mobility and expanded access to care. We look forward to celebrating this milestone at the upcoming bill signing. #NATM2026 #AthleticTraining #Advocacy #SportsMedicine

Congrats Kevin 🎉

🍕 Celebrate an athletic trainer this #NATM! Send them a Little Caesars Meal Deal and support the NATA Foundation—$6 from each purchase helps fund research & education for ATs. 💙 📅 Ends April 9 👉 fundraising.littlecaesars.co… #PizzaForACause #SupportATs

Happy International Women’s Day 🎉

2025 NATA SAAC Recap! 🎇 We look forward to serving all our amazing state leaders in 2026. Happy New Year!

📍What’s the Issue? You may be hearing in the news about efforts by the U.S. Department of Education’s RISE Committee to put new limits on federal loan programs based on classification of graduate programs by degree type. Like most other health care professions, athletic training was excluded from the list of “professional” graduate programs which qualify for access to the maximum student loan amounts. 📍Where does NATA stand? Under current federal definitions, only a small group of long-established health professions are recognized as “professional programs” for higher loan limits. The categories were created more than 50 years ago, and clearly do not recognize the development of athletic training over that time. Specifically, ATs now have graduate-level education requirements, rigorous accreditation standards, national certification, state licensure across the country, and a clearly defined scope of clinical responsibility -- on par with every other health professional. In every meaningful way, athletic training is an integral part of modern health care delivery. The policy language simply has not caught up. Updating outdated terminology matters -- not just for financial aid, but for the visibility, understanding, and long-term sustainability of the profession. 📍What is NATA doing about it? NATA is actively engaged in conversations at the federal level to ensure athletic training is recognized accurately and consistently in these discussions. Two letters have been sent to the Department of Education detailing the impact of this classification on current and future ATs, the evolution of the profession, and the need for access to sufficient student loan funding. Additionally, we have joined a coalition of dozens of related health care organizations to help advocate together for a better definition of what constitutes a professional degree, while simultaneously considering strategies to address the high cost of education. 📍Our View on Student Loan Challenges We hear the concerns of students, early-career ATs, and educators. The cost of graduate education is a real burden for many people entering health professions, and the financial pressures they experience are shaped by several interconnected issues. 1. Education must remain accessible. Tuition has grown faster than wages in many fields, and athletic training is no exception. We want ATs to choose and stay in this profession because they love it, not because they are trapped by the burden of paying off debts. 2. Service in rural or underserved communities should be supported. ATs who provide care in high-need settings play a vital role in improving access and outcomes. They deserve loan programs that recognize and reward that commitment. 3. Students deserve transparency. Clear information about program costs and how tuition dollars are used helps prospective students make informed decisions about their future. 4. Compensation must improve if we want long-term financial sustainability. The financial challenge facing ATs is not only about tuition — it is also about compensation and how systems value (or undervalue) athletic training services. Strengthening recognition, reimbursement and pay across practice settings is essential for improving return on investment and supporting career longevity. 📍What We Do Not Support NATA does not support lending practices that enable tuition to rise unchecked or place disproportionate financial risk on students and new professionals. Everyone benefits when educational institutions, policymakers, and the health care system work together to create a fair and sustainable pathway for people entering the field. 📍Our Commitment NATA will continue advocating for: • Federal definitions that are inclusive of modern athletic training • Loan and financial aid policies that support our students and early-career professionals • Greater transparency in higher education • Improved compensation and recognition for ATs across health care • A future where becoming an athletic trainer is both professionally meaningful and financially sustainable Our profession has grown in remarkable ways. Now we need policies and systems to catch up and grow with us. NATA stands with the students and early-career professionals who represent the future of athletic training, and we remain fully committed to advocating for a pathway that allows them to thrive.

The state leader we are celebrating today is John Ostrowski. John is the Northeast Representative for the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society. Swipe left to find out more about Wayne. @nata1950 @gopatsat @eata_1949 @NazarethATC @SLUHNSportsMed #ATStateLeaders

It’s time to vote! Our top three National Athletic Training Month (NATM) theme finalists are: 1. Power Behind Performance 2. Care You Can Count On 3. Care That Powers Your Best Stay tuned and make your voice heard – your vote helps shape how we celebrate athletic trainers nationwide. Vote below👇🏼🗳️

We are excited to announce the 2025 NATA SAAC Emerging Leaders Award recipients. Congratulations to Zachery Richards, MS, LAT, ATC from South Carolina & Samantha Scarneo-Miller, PhD, LAT, ATC from West Virginia.

Happy Mother’s Day! 💐

Make sure to check your emails and register for SLF 2025 in Orlando.

On Thursday, May 8th, join President Duffy at either 11:00am CST or 3:00pm CST for the next NATA Forward Motion, which will focus on NATA's Legislative Agenda. Attendees of this members-only event can also ask questions & provide feedback. Register here: nata.org/nata-forward-motion

Join us as we celebrate the incredible contributions of our state leaders this month! Thank you for your tireless commitment and passion. If you are interested in being featured DM us or reach out to your SAAC district rep. @NATA1950 #StateLeadersMonth