What Athletic Trainers Make

As I sit in wonder of the hours that I pour into my career, and in utter disappointment every other Friday when I receive my paycheck, I begin to deliberate over the choices I have made in life.  

I ask myself, "What do Athletic Trainers Make???"  I decided to breakdown the hours that I work and plug those hours into my paycheck.  Now, the hours that I counted do not include the 'on-call' weekends, sitting in ERs and doctor's offices, taking phone calls on Sunday, etc.  And I based all of this on my salary before taxes and such (I probably would have cried had I done this with my salary after taxes).  I counted all 52 weeks of the year.  I determined what I make per hour as a secondary school athletic trainer...

drum roll, please...

$18.05 per hour.  Yup, a college degree, 1500 hour internship, state license and BOC certification and 7 years of experience has given me the same hourly wage as a truck driver and correctional officer (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).  Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against truck drivers and correctional officers.  I just thought that getting a college degree and all that jazz was supposed to bump me up on the pay scales.  

So, here is where my own justification comes in.  I, again, ask myself, "What do Athletic Trainers Make?"

Athletic Trainers make injuries go away. 

Athletic Trainers make the scene safe.

Athletic Trainers make the bleeding stop.

Athletic Trainers make relationships with athletes, parents, coaches, administrators, physicians, nurses and the community.
Athletic Trainers make the atmosphere calm in emergencies.

Athletic Trainers make prevention strategies so that injuries do not reoccur.

Athletic Trainers make a place for students to belong and learn as athletic training students.

Athletic Trainers make sure that athletes get to the doctor when it is necessary.
Athletic Trainers make sure that each athlete that comes into the office gets evaluated and treated.

Athletic Trainers make rehabilitation protocols.
Athletic Trainers make improvements in patient functional and physical outcomes.
Athletic Trainers make the physician's job easier.

Athletic Trainers make a world of difference everyday.  Everyday, I wake up and peel myself out of bed to do it all again, having no idea what the day holds.  Will I see yet another undiagnosed SVT?  Will another beginners gymnastics athlete scorpion and set in motion our EAP?  Will I just simply progress athletes as tolerated and see nothing out of the ordinary?  The truth is, it doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter because athletic training is a service profession and regardless of how athletic trainers are treated or paid, we can't help but do our job and do it well.  Woodall's Law:  Success in Life is not about How Much you Make, but rather What you Make.  

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.—Colossians 3:23

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Each New Beginning has the Potential to be Epic

As we start the last volleyball game in the marathon tournament, 2 + hours late of course, all I can seem to think about is the look on all the coaches' faces...the look of 'new potential'!  The coaches have nice makeup, cute shoes and positive attitudes.  That will change.  One missed 'w' in the win column will surely dwindle their spirits as visions of 'Coach of the Year'  and 'State Championships' slowly disappear.  'Star athletes' will emerge and the future of the coach's staff position hangs precariously in the balance.  Suddenly, the well put together outfits and time spent on hair and makeup becomes a thing of the past as more concern is placed on team mottos and bringing home victories becomes a blood thirsty desire.  Parents, meanwhile, appear to enjoy the games and friendly bantering ensues...with one eye on the coach.  I see one parent from the opposing team, from across the gym.  He seems unconcerned with the game as he leans carelessly across three levels of bleachers.  But if you watch closely, there is a wince, and then another.  It becomes obvious who his daughter is.  The one who keeps shanking the ball 10 feet behind her, clear into the lights.  The dad looks at the daughter, the daughter looks at the coach, the coach looks at the official!  All hands fly in the air!  So, one begins to think, "what just happened?!?!?"  Dad thinks the daughter hasn't been coached well and all the money spent on club sports and personal trainers wasted because they can't do what he paid them to do.  The daughter, knows not to make eye contact with dad, because that would, in no uncertain terms, confirm her acknowledgment of wrong-doing.  So, she turns to coach, as if to say, "How the HECK did THAT happen?!?!?!?"  Coach, in a last-ditch effort, stares down the official as if to say, "Wasn't there a camera flash, or a new UIL rule that somehow makes this go away?!?!?"  Then, coach scours the bench, looking for the hidden talent that has surely made the bus trip by accident...but no, no such talent emerges.  

As the game ends, the losing team mopes to their huddle and provides a sad rendition of their 'fight' motto that was so proudly declared just an hour ago.  The winning team, smiling big enough to show off every bracket in their braces, skip away with matching back packs bouncing in unison.  The nets come down, the concessions window closes and parents accumulate as a end-of-game ritual begins, it is the dawn of a new year.  

So, as we begin our 2012-13 school year, I hope that we all begin with high hopes and wind in our sails.  Woodall's Law:  Each new beginning has the potential to be epic.  

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.