2023 Honors & Awards Applications Now Open

Nominate a deserving athletic trainer in Tennessee for any one of the following awards:

Presidents Award: There are always a small group of individuals in any organization who take on the responsibility of providing the resources and effort for meeting the goals and completion of projects. This is particularly true in TATS as it is in our profession. We have been blessed with good leaders and members who have provided their time and talents in many ways. Many have served their time and then stepped aside to let others continue to build on the foundation they have started. However, there are some special individuals who, no matter what achievements they have reached and no matter how much they have contributed still find ways to be involved in the athletic training profession. The Presidents’ Award of Merit has been created to recognize those individuals who have continued to distinguish themselves beyond the call of duty. It stands for the unselfish dedication and sacrifice that epitomizes the certified athletic trainer and is one of our organization’s highest awards.

Sports Medicine Person of the Year Award: Each year, the Honors and Awards Committee is provided by the membership names of special individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to sports medicine with influence on the athletic training profession. The Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society proudly recognizes this person for their service and dedication by honoring them with this award.

Joe Worden Clinical/Professional AT of the Year Award: Joe Worden, former head athletic trainer at Vanderbilt University has been described as the consummate athletic trainer. His regard for each athlete in his care provided a level of compassion and professionalism that was demonstrated both on and off the field. This award is given to that individual who best exemplifies the qualities that Joe Worden demonstrated in his illustrious and unselfish career.

Eugene Smith/Mickey O’Brien College AT of the Year Award: The College Athletic Trainer of the Year Award is named for former head athletic trainers Eugene Smith of then Memphis State University and Mickey O’Brien who served at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. These people were some of the most talented athletic trainers in sports and helped set the model that others have followed in providing care at the collegiate level. This award honors those whose work epitomizes that legacy.

Sandy Sandlin High School AT of the Year Award: Sandy Sandlin was a special person whose tireless work as an athletic trainer at the University of Tennessee — Chattanooga flowed over into the surrounding communities. His dedication to athletes at the high school, collegiate and professional levels set an example for others to follow. The High School Athletic Trainer of the Year is given to those individuals whose effort exemplifies the perseverance and dedication for which this award is named.

Backbone Award: Behind many great leaders there are personnel who demonstrate a work ethic that often goes unrecognized. The professional dedication and personal sacrifice of these individuals allows those with supervisory responsibility to better meet their obligations. The Backbone Award is given to that person whose commitment and enthusiasm exemplifies the unselfish loyalty to their respective programs, staff and athletes.

Corporate Award: The Corporate Award is presented to individuals or groups who have distinguished themselves by making significant contributions or provided outstanding support of the athletic training profession in the State of Tennessee.

Jerry Robertson Educator of the Year Award: The Jerry Robertson Educator Award is named for former head athletic trainer Jerry Robertson of East Tennessee State University for his work in creating, implementing, and establishing the first undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program in the state. This award is given to an individual who is an Athletic Trainer in the educational setting and who’s dedication and service to Athletic Trainers’ and/or Athletic Training Students exemplifies their desire to learn and/or teach regarding the profession of Athletic Training.

Lifesaver Certificate of Recognition: Following the guidelines of the NATA Lifesaver Recognition Program, TATS would like to recognize when an Athletic Trainer has been directly involved with a Lifesaving event. A lifesaving event is defined as a situation in which the victim(s) would have or most likely have died had the Athletic Trainer not intervened by providing skilled medical care and assistance. The Athletic Trainer will receive a Certificate of Recognition at the annual TATS Meeting.

Undergraduate & Graduate Awards Applications Now Open

Attention Undergraduate and Graduate Athletic Training Students! Apply today for a chance to receive a $1,500 scholarship. Recommendations required. Applications close January 31st.

Safe Stars Act of Tennessee

The Safe Stars Act (SB-1259/HB-1410) is officially in effect for the 2022-2023 school year. This bill applies to all “city, county, business, or nonprofit organization that organizes a community-based youth athletic activity” as well as each LEA and public/public charter school that provides a youth athletic activity. The goal of this bill is to enhance safety standards in youth sports by implementing policies around topics like concussion, weather safety, and injury prevention.

This means that there are certain requirements that must be met if you qualify as one of the above organizations. Click the link below to review the requirements for each level (bronze, silver, and gold).

Opportunity to Participate in the 2022-23 High School RIO Study

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is starting their 18th year of the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, more commonly known ad the High School RIO. The RIO is funded by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and is managed by researchers at the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, a 501c(3) non-profit organization. By participating in this important study, you can help us move toward the goal of reducing the rate and severity of sports-related injuries among high school athletes. 

This study uses RIO™ (Reporting Information Online), an internet-based surveillance system, to collect data from a national sample of high school athletes to identify rates and patterns of injury as well as risk and protective factors for sports injuries at the high school level. ATs who participate in High School RIO will receive a virtual gift card to thank them for their participation. While the amount of the incentive varies slightly based on the number of sports reported, last year’s participants received $300 each for reporting ten sports. Participating ATs will also receive ten category B CEUs and an individual school report that can be directly compared to the larger High School RIO summary reports. 

This year, High School RIO will again capture data on 20 sports (boys’ football, boys’ and girls’ soccer, girls’ volleyball, boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ wrestling, boys’ baseball, girls’ softball, girls’ field hockey, boys’ ice hockey, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving, boys’ and girls’ track and field, boys’ and girls’ cross country, and cheerleading).  You are not expected to report for all 20 sports.  Instead, you will be asked to report for 10 randomly selected sports that are offered at your school and that you provide services for.  

If you and your school would like to participate in the 2022-23 National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study or would like to learn more about this important study, please click on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/highschoolrio22_23  

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to working with you!  Also, please feel free to forward this invitation to any other ATs who work in the high school setting who may also be interested in participating. 

The contact for this study is below:

Christy Collins, PhD 

President 

Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Inc 

6151 Central Ave., Suite 117 

Indianapolis, IN 46220 

317-275-3667 

highschoolrio@datalyscenter.org

www.datalyscenter.org  

Call for Proposals for 2023 TATS Annual Symposium.

The TATS Professional Education Committee would like to extend a call for proposals to present at the 2023 TATS Annual Symposium & Members Meeting, which will be held March 17-19, 2023, at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, TN. The TATS Professional Education Committee oversees development of the educational program, which consists of committee-developed programming AND proposal submissions.

The Professional Education Committee welcomes proposal submissions from NATA members and nonmembers for the following program formats: lecture presentation, interactive lectures, learning labs, and pre-conference workshops. Be sure to read the proposal guidelines for each program format (described below) prior to submission. The deadline for submission is October 15, 2022. All proposals must be submitted using this form linked below.

Format Guidelines

• Lecture Presentation; 55 minutes; 1-2 presenters; 45 minute lecture with 10 minute discussion/ Q &A

• Interactive Lecture; 75 minutes; 1-2 presenters; 45 minute lecture interspersed with interruptions for attendee engagement (videos, demonstrations, group activities/discussions, audience participation)

• Learning Lab; 75 minutes; 1-2 presenters; 20-30 minute lecture with 45-55 minute lab session

• Pre-Conference Workshop; 4 hours; varies; workshops must include an opportunity for participants to interact in group activities such as skill demonstrations, discussion sessions, etc.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL

• Proposal topics must fall within one of the five domains of practice for athletic training. Detailed domain information can be found in the Board of Certification Practice Analysis.

1. Injury and Illness Prevention and Wellness Promotion

2. Examination, Assessment and Diagnosis

3. Immediate and Emergency Care

4. Therapeutic Intervention

5. Healthcare Administration and Professional Responsibility

• Proposal submissions must avoid any affiliation with a commercial product or service.

• Proposals must be complete and accurate with confirmed topic and list of speakers.

• Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

• Speakers must be available for scheduling on any of the 3 days of programming.

• Speakers understand that TATS will provide speakers a $100 honorarium, complimentary meeting registration, and all conference-provided meals.

• Speakers agree to allow the TATS to record presentations and make them available on a secured website behind a “attendee only” log in.

• The submission form will be available by July 1, 2022.

• The deadline for submission is October 15, 2022.

Proposals will be reviewed by the PEC and informed of acceptance by December 1st. Any questions relating to the proposal submission process can be directed to Shellie-Acocello@utc.edu.

The following information will be needed to complete the proposal submission process:

1. Presenter Information: Name, Credentials, Title/Position/Affiliation, Email/Phone

2. Title of Presentation

3. Presentation format and length

4. Domain(s) of athletic training that the presentation pertains to:

   I - Injury and Illness Prevention & Wellness Promotion

II - Examination, Assessment & Diagnosis

III - Immediate & Emergency Care

IV - Therapeutic Interventions

V - Healthcare Administration & Professional Responsibility

5. Level of presentation descriptions:

Essential- Includes core theory, concepts and applications,

Advanced- Includes in-depth theory, concepts and applications of information

and/or techniques that are presented beyond the Essential Level,

Mastery- Includes the highest level of theory, concepts and applications of

knowledge of technique within a specific area 

6. Abstract/Knowledge Gap (100 words or less) 

7. State the Learning objectives of the session (3-5)

*The objectives should follow best practice for learning objective construction.

Please use Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs, you may find examples at this link.

Avoid “understand” and “appreciate”.

*DO NOT begin the learning objective with ‘Following this session, participants will

be able to…’ Please start the learning objective with a verb. 

8. Clinical Bottom Line: a summary of the evidence (3-4 sentences) that identifies the

clinical recommendation/s outlined in the learning objectives.

9. Provide 3-5 references/sources (e.g. peer reviewed publications) that support the

content of the presentation. Utilize format as described in the Journal of Athletic

Training authors guide found here.

TATS Professional Education Committee

Call for Abstracts for TATS Annual Meeting and Symposium

We will be accepting abstracts from students and professional members this year.  We are accepting either case study abstracts or an experimental research study abstracts. The format to submit the abstracts will be described below.  

1.     Send Abstract to Helen.Binkley@mtsu.edu on or before January 30, 2022

2.     Notification of Acceptance or Rejection of Abstract, on or before February 15, 2022

3.     If Accepted, you will present it as either a 20-minute oral presentation or as a poster presentation.  This will be determined by the committee.

4.     If accepted, abstract will be published in conference proceedings. 

5.     If oral presentation is the mode of delivery, PowerPoint presentation will be due on or before February 28, 2022.

6.     If poster presentation, make sure the poster is no larger than 3ft x 4ft.

Case Study/Report Proposal

Title:

Authors Name(s):

Objective: 

Background: 

Differential Diagnosis: 

Treatment: 

Uniqueness: 

Conclusions:  

Keywords:

Word Count: 500 word maximum

Experimental Research Proposal

Title:

Authors Name(s):

Context:

Objective:

Design:

Setting:

Patients or Other Participants:

Intervention(s):

Main Outcome Measure(s):

Results:

Conclusions:

Keywords:

Word Count: 500 word maximum

Congratulations, SEATA VP Elect, Peggy Bratt!

Congratulations to the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association Vice President Elect, Peggy Bratt. Peggy will take office starting June 2022!

Peggy has served as both Secretary and Vice-President of TATS and is our current President. During her tenure as a TATS officer, She has been involved with the SEATA Executive Board meetings as a substitute member.

https://www.facebook.com/SEATA.nata.d9/

2022 Undergraduate & Graduate Scholarship Application Now Open

The Tennessee Athletic Trainers' Society Scholarship Committee is pleased to open applications for the Undergraduate & Graduate Athletic Training Student Awards. The recipients of these awards will each receive a $1,500.00 scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded at the annual Tennessee Athletic Trainers' Society meeting to be held at Montgomery Bell State Park on the weekend of March 18th-20th.

Updated NFHS Guidelines for High School Athlete's with Prior COVID-19 Infection

“INDIANAPOLIS, IN (August 20, 2021) — An expert medical task force appointed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) reconvened this summer to update guidance from last summer for assessing – before sports participation – potential cardiac issues in high school student-athletes with prior COVID- 19 infection.”

Please click the link below to review the updated guidance for high school athlete’s regarding prior COVID-19 infections and return to play.

Updated Guidance on PPE & COVID-19

In early August the following statement was released through the White House regarding Pre-Participation Exams during the COVID-19 Pandemic. “The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) convened an expert panel to 35 address the current evidence, knowledge gaps, and recommendations surrounding the COVID vaccination in athletes during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. The group held a series of meetings beginning in July 2021 and reviewed the available literature while using an iterative process and expert consensus to finalize this Guidance Statement.” The guidance statement that was issued is intended to help provide clinicians with information on how to have conversations regarding COVID-19 or how to incorporate conversations regarding vaccinations into the Pre-Participation Physical Exams. The guidance statement in its’ entirety can be found by clicking the button below.

A number of organizations including the NATA, NFHS, and NCAA have supported the above statement. A complete list of organizations can be found below.

With the new forms, it is important to note that if an athlete has already submitted a physical for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, it is not necessary for them to submit a new physical on the updated form. The new updated forms contain questions in the history portion that are specific to COVID-19 and a question on the physical exam regarding immunization. The forms can be accessed by clicking the buttons below.