How can athletic trainers effectively address and overcome burnout?

By: James Farnsworth, PhD, LAT, ATC

Hello everyone! Happy National Athletic Training Month! My name is James Farnsworth, but most of the people I know call me Jim. I am an associate professor in the Professional Athletic Training program at Middle Tennessee State University and have been working in higher education for roughly a decade. When I’m not busy updating my lecture materials for class, grading student assignments, creating clinical scenarios and activities for my students or working on writing research papers, I love spending time with my wife and two-year old son. We enjoy a variety of different hobbies including hiking, playing video games, putting together puzzles, cooking and talking about the latest books we’ve been reading. While I love my hobbies, one of the challenges I face is trying to find time to get it all done – which can be overwhelming at times. 

Unfortunately, this problem is not unique to me, or even unique to athletic training and can lead to feelings of burnout and job dissatisfaction. I say this not because I want to vent about how hard it can be – but because I want you to know that if you’re feeling burnt out know that you’re not alone. A recent systematic review (Ogelsby et al., 2020) identified over 40 different studies investigating burnout in athletic training. The authors reported that burnout exists in nearly every subgroup of athletic training ranging from students and clinical staff to faculty. Work-life balance and lack of perceived value (by administration and athletic staff) are two of the most reported factors leading to burnout among athletic trainers. To this end, the National Athletic Trainer’s Association has developed a position statement which provides suggestions and recommendations for facilitating healthy work-life balance in athletic training practice settings. 

A copy of the position statement can be found by clicking the Position Statements link under the News & Publications tab on the NATA website (https://www.nata.org/news-publications/pressroom/statements/position). The article is a great resource as it provides multiple tips and strategies for improving work-life balance at both the organizational and individual levels. Some of the recommended strategies for individuals include setting boundaries in the workplace, prioritizing daily responsibilities and tasks that include both personal needs and professional obligations, effective communication between staff and administrators, setting both personal and professional goals, and regular self-reflection on your role and time demands with negotiation of your role and opportunities in the workplace as they arise. 

I think it’s important to contemplate and reflect on why we got into athletic training in the first place. When I was younger – athletic training was not something I had ever considered as a profession. I wasn’t even aware of the profession’s existence until meeting the athletic trainer (Jim Bazluki) at my high school. Jim Bazluki helped me deal with my injury and left a lasting impression on me that has influenced my career choice to this day. Dr. John Kelly, IV, Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery at Penn Medicine wrote in his blog about dealing with burnout in allied health professions. His advice was to reflect on “why you are doing this?” because “when we focus and find real meaning in our vocation, our energy will be replenished, and each day will be more fulfilling.” 

Want to learn more? Join me and my colleague Katie Perkins at the TATS 2024 Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium, May 31 - Jun 2, 2024, in Murfreesboro, where we will present “Burnout: From Student to Professional. How to Keep the Fire Burning! 


Respect, find out what it means to... your athletes.

Hi, my name is Ashley Williams. I completed my Master’s degree in Athletic Training at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I have 3 years of experience as an industrial Athletic Trainer in Middle Tennessee. I’m a plant mom of 10+ with a passion for health/fitness. I enjoy hiking, running, and weight training. Over the past few years, I've learned to value the golden rule more than ever. You should always treat others how you want to be treated, because essentially, we’re…

The P is for Prudence

Hello fellow athletic trainers! My name is Katie Perkins aka “Katie P” and I am a new member of the TATS Ethics & Compliance Committee. I am a secondary school athletic trainer in Memphis, TN at St Agnes Academy - St Dominic School. I have been an athletic trainer in the state of TN for 19 years, starting in Chattanooga before moving to Memphis. For this blog, the P in “Katie P” stands for Prudence.

The Clock is Ticking: The End of the Reporting Period is Near

Hello Friends! My name is Lynette Carlson and I’m honored to serve as the new chair of the TATS Ethics & Compliance Committee! I am an Assistant Professor and Clinical Education Coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I also have my own practice, Sports Medicine Solutions, where I provide medical care to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, TAG Gymnastics, Chattanooga Roller Derby, and see patients as an Active Release Techniques certified provider. Over the next few months, the committee members will introduce themselves via this Choices Blog. Our mission is to…

Transition to Practice

Spring is a season of new, a season of change, a season of growth. This is a time when many look for change, experience opportunities of growth and follow dreams of a new career. 

How do we assist our newly certified peers with transition to practice, from transitioning from student to professional? Do we effectively welcome them into the professional setting and provide the onboarding and mentoring needed to successfully navigate all of the responsibilities?

The Value of Effective Onboarding 

Introducing newly hired athletic trainers to the expectations, behaviors, and culture of the organization may be a good definition of onboarding; however, the process of onboarding goes well beyond the definition. An effective onboarding experience should involve the human resources office, although that is just the tip of the iceberg. Accountability for this process lies primarily with the hiring manager, who in turn, should ensure that the whole company is engaged. When a comprehensive, inclusive, and ongoing experience occurs, employees become bonded to the organization, its people, and policies. Not only will new employees sense that they are part of the team, retention will improve.

Summer Camps: Money vs Liability

Summer Camps: Money vs Liability

As athletic trainers, the summer months can mean down time with no in-season sports or a way to earn extra money through summer camps. Summer camps can be great for the extra funds, but does it outweigh the liability you may be taking on to cover these events? Depending on the setting you are in or the type of summer camp, it may be up to you to acquire your own liability insurance for camp coverage. Even if your employer is covering your liability, it might be wise to find out how much it covers and what it covers for summer camps.

Made to Order Patient-Centered Care

Made to order” restaurants are my preferred establishments. Why? Because I’m picky! Please don’t put mustard on my sandwich. I understand the chef probably added mustard to add to the flavor profile, and she is the expert, but I really won’t eat it if there’s mustard. What good is a perfectly balanced sandwich if it is thrown away? We can look at how we treat patients in the same light. As much as I dislike patients telling me what treatments they want (“Can I have ice and stim?”), their perspective matters. And with an increase in diversity in our communities, the challenge grows. If we are unfamiliar with a patient’s culture and perspectives, how are we to provide patient-centered care?

Educated for Success

There is no question that this past year has been challenging for everyone. Many Athletic Trainers (ATs) likely found themselves confronted with job tasks and descriptions more aligned with public health than providing traditional athletic training services. Fortunately, ATs excel at adapting. This past year has been filled with example that demonstrate our versatility and willingness to step into new roles as needed.

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Compliance vs Values Orientation: Is There a Difference?

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The NATA Professional Responsibility in Athletic Training (PRAT) Committee received support from the NATA Board of Directors to identify shared professional values (PV) among NATA members. To date, unlike many other healthcare professional organizations, members of the NATA do not have shared PV. Our members must abide by and be mindful of the numerous legal, ethical and regulatory (LER) statutes, principles, and rules of professional practice in athletic training (aka, compliance orientation). While this form of orientation serves a critical purpose for NATA members, the PRAT proposes the addition of a values orientation approach, which supports and simplifies the necessary, but countless professional documents.

Complications and Opportunities

The week of March 9, 2020 started with all of the U.S. fairly aware of the ensuing situation regarding the Cornavirus, aka COVID-19. I do not believe that any of us could have been prepared for how the week would end…canceling of pro, college and high school athletics, shutting down of schools, restriction of flights, a heightened awareness of COVID-19 and a new found endearment for toilet paper.

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Asking for Help Isn't Taboo

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In a world where we are all constantly “connected” to each other, sometimes it can really feel like we are completely alone. Various settings in athletic training may leave some of us in a team of one, feeling like we have no support from others in our profession. It is important to know that if you are feeling secluded and unsupported, there are ways to reach out for a helping hand and to get mental support.

Practice-Based Evidence

Do the majority of research articles you read significantly contribute to your daily clinical decision making with individual patients? The statistics on the number of published articles in health care are astounding. If you are overwhelmed by the amount of evidence, the good news is that most of it can be ignored. The reported number of articles to find one that is valid and relevant is 400, but to find these gems, we need to use the evidence more critically.

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What Does Whistleblowing Mean to You?

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Clinical care that opposes patients’ best interests is concerning and problematic. Unethical or unlawful practices compromise patient care and negatively impacts the athletic training profession, both of which violate the NATA Code of Ethics. As we uphold the Code of Ethics and the BOC Standards of Professional Practice, we are agreeing to report damaging practice in the interest of our patients and to maintain the social contract athletic trainers have with society. In this contract, in exchange for the privilege of providing health care to patients, we uphold public trust through professional and competent practice and policing clinicians who go against the standard of care.

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Cultural Competency

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Race, ethnicity, religion, language, foods, belief system and other characteristics often define culture. Yet culture can be viewed on a continuum, meaning no one event, group of people, or identifier defines any one culture. No person has the exact same experience as another, therefore as healthcare professionals we should be mindful that cultures, histories, and experiences vary in meaning for each individual. Cultural competence is a life-long process, which one commits to daily. It is not an event and does not result from a few encounters with people outside of our own identified culture. Cultural competency requires awareness, knowledge, skill, encounters and desire or A.S.K.E.D. Responding to questions in each component can be a means for working towards cultural competency.

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Accountability and Transparency

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Have you ever noticed that in sports and athletic medicine, a catastrophic event is frequently required to prompt change? How paradoxical that we heavily emphasize prevention yet often fail to implement appropriate measures for minimizing risk. For example, how can we truly state that our interventions prevent injury if we aren’t even counting exposures and tracking injury rates over time? Instead, we are frequently forced to respond reactively which in turn, often creates more of a mess.

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Sound Practices for Protecting your Online Reputation

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The latest data from GlobalWebIndex1 shows that the average internet user in the U.S. spends approximately 6 hours each day using internet-powered devices and services – that’s roughly 1/3 of our waking lives. Two of the 6 hours is allocated to social media (SM). The adoption and diffusion of SM has increased at a rate unparalleled by any prior form of media. This is the new wired world: always connected, always communicating, always multitasking. The benefits from SM far exceed the disadvantages. While the NATA Code of Ethics establishes important external guides, ethical decisions about social media use stem from informed individuals with developed ethical thinking.

Snooze and We ALL Lose

 A couple of questions to consider:

When does your license expire?

Do you have the checks and balances in place to make sure you start the renewal process in plenty of time to stay current and legal?

Think it will never happen to you?

If you think it can't possibly happen to you, just check the Medical Board Examiners monthly disciplinary report and see how often it happens to some of our peers who probably thought the same way. The process is easy, but takes about a month to complete and it's OUR responsibility to make sure all the t's are crossed and all i's dotted in plenty of time to avoid any lapses.

The "our administrative lady forgot" or "the application was lost in the summer mail" excuse won't cut it; the State board doesn't play. All therapy charges are dropped, we can't work and then there's that little thing called a fine. By the way, did you know the fine is up to $1,000.00???

The Medical Board, like us, is fully committed to the safety of all under our care and working on  an expired license is illegal practice. At the end of the day it's not complicated; its just professionals being professional.

Poor Treatment of Athletes at Indiana University

Injured Indiana Athletes Describe Isolation, Poor Treatment by Staff. P. Lavigne, ESPN.com: OTL, April 23, 2017

The above referenced article is in response to allegations made by several student-athletes from Indiana University. This was brought to light by the firing of Indiana University’s head football coach, Kevin Wilson, following a series of issues regarding the treatment of injured athletes.

One such maltreatment allegation included Katlin Beck, a rower on the 2013-2014 Indiana University Crew team.  She went to the medical director of Hoosier Athletics for low back pain. She was prescribed physical therapy, conditioning modifications, and hydrocodone. She was compliant with all medical direction except the hydrocodone, which she refused to take due to the possibility of addiction and symptom masking. Her pain persisted for several weeks with no improvement, so she saw another IU physician, and then a third.  

The third physician informed her that the probable cause of her low back pain was tight hamstrings. By this time, her coach doubted the severity of her injury and “isolated” her from the team along with the other injured athletes. She was denied team gear for not meeting practice goals.

According to the ESPN Outside The Lines article, Hoosier athletes are instructed to see athletic department and school approved physicians and not personal physicians. Ms. Beck, frustrated with 15 months of pain and having seen three IU physicians, sought help from an outside spine specialist. This physician diagnosed her with a significant lumbosacral injury so severe that she was instructed to stop rowing immediately. She was told that scar tissue was the only thing connecting her lumbar spine to her sacrum.

The prevalence of maltreatment of IU athletes was well known throughout the athletic department and with the firing of head football coach Kevin Wilson, an investigation of other incidences began. The result of an investigation of the football program determined the athletes had not received improper care and the coaches had not exerted pressure on the medical staff. It did note, however, “behaviors by the coaching staff that may create an unhealthy environment for players”. With these occurrences brought to the publics attention, many changes have been implemented. One such change is employing physicians through Indiana University and naming a Chief Medical Officer.

The take away from these incidences is that we, as healthcare professionals are the first line of defense and support of the athletes in our care. The presence of overbearing coaches and others, as well as insufficient follow-on care, can make the lives of the athletes difficult and in some cases unhealthy. Our role as advocates should provoke us to action to ensure the recovery, health, and performance of those we care for.

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