March eBlast - South Carolina Athletic Training Day

South Carolina Athletic Training Day

March 1, 2024 has been officially declared "South Carolina Athletic Training Day" by Governor McMaster and the South Carolina Senate!

On Tuesday at SCATA's Hit the Hill Day, a Senate resolution was presented by Senator Katrina Shealy and read on the senate floor to acknowledge the role of athletic trainers across South Carolina in providing quality health care services. We are grateful for Senator Katrina Shealy and Governor McMaster declaring South Carolina Athletic Training Day. You can read the entire resolution here: Senate Resolution South Carolina Athletic Training Day

An example media announcement is available to utilize in your work setting. Please join us in celebrating this special day!

HIT THE HILL DAY

On February 27, 20 athletic trainers from across the state joined efforts at the State House for SCATA's legislative day. The day started with Senator Katrina Shealy introducing the athletic trainers present to the Senate while also introducing a resolution naming March 1, 2024 South Carolina Athletic Training Day.

Copper Dome Strategies, SCATA’s lobbyists, helped individual athletic trainers meet with both their Senators and House Representatives. SCATA members were given the opportunity to discuss current legislation and offer to host legislators at their workplaces. SCATA continues to build a positive presence in the State House in order to establish our voice on certain issues pertaining to the health care of the physically active.

Thank you to all of the ATs that travelled to Columbia to help advocate for our profession!

Happy National Athletic Training Month

SCATA is excited to celebrate NATM 2024 and each of our members for your positive impact on your patients, students, colleagues, and the profession of athletic training! It is an exciting time for our organization and athletic training in South Carolina. This year's NATM slogan, "From Head to Toe," helps highlight athletic trainers working in a variety of settings, treating diverse patient populations, and applying our skill set in various medical and health care settings.

SCATA is challenging each of you to take an active role in advocating for athletic training this March. Please consider using your voice in both your work and community setting to spread the word about athletic training. Below are a variety of resources to help make your efforts as easy (and the least time consuming) as possible.

Top 10 To-Do's this NATM
1. Participate in the SCATA social media project. Make at least 10 posts and be entered in a raffle for a complementary symposium registration.

2. Visit NATA website for resources.

3. Add NATM logo to your email signature.

4. Post NATA NATM poster in your workplace.

5. Send email/letter to your coworkers/workplace educating them on the role of an athletic trainer.

6. Have a media announcement for ATs/NATM at sporting events through out the month.

7. Create a press/media story using workplace, school, local news channels, etc.

8. Contact your AT mentor and say thank you! Make a donation to the SCATA Scholarship Fund in their honor.

9. Contact your physician and other members of your health care team and thank them for their support of athletic training.

10. Volunteer for a SCATA, MAATA or NATA position.

Welcome New Members

We are excited to launch our new South Carolina Athletic Trainers' Association website. Executive Council has been working hard to transition to an updated system to all more functionality and ease of use for our members. You will need to log in and set up your profile. A welcome email was sent on January 17, 2024 to the email address on file with our old website/WildApricot.

Membership expiration dates will be updated soon. If you have paid your NATA dues, your membership profile will updated and reflect your NATA membership expiration. If you are not an NATA member, and would like to be a SCATA member, you can pay your dues through your profile. You will soon see a pay dues now screen upon log in.

If you need assistance with log in, please email [email protected] with details before making a new profile/membership.

Committee Reports

Third Party Reimbursement Committee

In late November, the SCATA Executive Council and TPR Committee hosted a Third Party Reimbursement Bootcamp. Joe Greene, along with additional representatives from the NATA, spoke to us on gaining reimbursements and the path to success. We are requesting SCATA members' feedback on the importance of this topic for members and the association so we can make decisions on how to resource this initiative in South Carolina. Please complete this survey so we can find the path forward on this initiative: TPR Survey

Public Relations Committee

As part of NATM 2024, we want to highlight athletic trainers in South Carolina! There will be various "AT Spotlights" on social media throughout the month of March. You are able to submit yourself or a colleague to be part of a spotlight via this link: AT Spotlight

We would like to welcome Andrew Ditch to the Social Media committee. As a small, emerging committee, we are always looking for more members. Those who are interested in serving SCATA through social media efforts, please email Anna Boddicker ([email protected]).

Honors, Awards & Scholarships

Applications are open for 2024 SCATA Academic Scholarships:

Hannah Sobeski Memorial Scholarship

Terry Lewis Post- Professional Scholarship

Terry Lewis Professional Scholarship

Nominations are open for 2024 SCATA Honors & Awards:

Fred Hoover Award of Excellence

Founder's Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award

SCATA Athletic Training Service Award

The deadline for applications and supporting materials is April 15, 2024.

Questions? Contact Dr. Jim Berry [email protected]

Annual SCATA Symposium

We are getting ready for the 2024 SCATA Annual Symposium! Please plan to join us in Columbia as we celebrate 40 years of SCATA's contribution to athletic training in South Carolina. Symposium website and information will be live April 15, 2024. Registration will open May 1, 2024.

NATA News

The 2024 NATA Clinical Symposium and AT Expo is June 24-28, 2024 in New Orleans. NATA is celebrating 75th convention this summer. Housing and registration is now open. You can register here.

MAATA News

The Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers' Symposium will take place in Virginia Beach, VA from May 17-19, 2024. MAATA has just released the educational program for this year's symposium: Check it out here! For early bird pricing, Register here by April 28, 2024. See you at the beach!

LLR News

DHEC certification will be transitioning to licensure at LLR later this summer. We anticipate the finalization of our regulations to be complete by June 2024. LLR application, fee structure, and requirements will remain the same as we move out of DHEC. As information is available, we will update our membership.

Please continue to use DHEC certification at this time.

Go to the Athletic Trainer Certification Portal:
1. On the DHEC website (https://scdhec.gov/), search Athletic Trainer
2. Click Athletic Trainer Certification Verification. If you are renewing, do not create a new profile. Please email [email protected] for your user ID if you do not know it. If you are a new user to the Image trend system, you will need to create an account. Contact [email protected] for assistance.

Click here for more information.