Category Archives: General/Miscellaneous

Technical Difficulties

General/Miscellaneous,

Hi everyone!

My laptop doesn’t seem to want to connect to the Internet anymore even though the network troubleshooter said there was nothing wrong, so I was unable to write today’s post (right now I’m literally typing up this one on my phone). I hope to post tomorrow by way of a trip to the library. Thursday’s post will hopefully be on schedule. Sorry for the inconvenience and I’ll do my best to get my computer up and running again.

Thank you for your patience!

– G the AT

UPDATE: due to the flash flood watches for my area, I’ll be staying home. We’re in the process of getting hit by a tropical storm and it’s safer to stay off the roads out here as it’s prone to flooding. Because this is suppose to last through Thursday, I’ve decide to go on hiatus until next week. Again, apologies for any inconvenience.

UPDATE 2: The internet works again! Expect a post sometime tomorrow 🙂

Athletic Trainer, NOT “Trainer”

General/Miscellaneous, , , , ,

Welcome to my medical blog!

I’d like to briefly introduce myself in case you didn’t check out my about page. My name is Gina, and I’m an athletic trainer.

Before you say it, no, I’m not a “trainer,” and no, I don’t work at a gym.

“So what IS an athletic trainer?” you may be asking. I’ll tell you:

An athletic trainer is a medical professional, recognized as such by the American Medical Association. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) defines us AT’s as a professional who, in collaboration with doctors, provide injury prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment care to athletic injuries.

Unlike “trainers,” athletic trainers are required to receive a bachelor’s degree through a 4-year accredited program at minimum and pass a national certification exam before they can even so much as think about practicing in a variety of settings including high schools, colleges, performing arts, and even the military. And in many states, athletic trainers need an additional state license before that. If you want to work in a college setting, you have to get a master’s degree first. So, that’s sixth years of education, learning how to treat and manage sports-related injuries. And that’s not counting those of us that go on to get doctorates!

So no, I don’t work in a gym. No, I don’t make fitness plans. No, I’m not a strength and conditioning coach. I treat injuries, sometimes even save a life or two. Because we want to keep our athletes safe and healthy and playing at 100%.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss and explain new advances in medical science as they come, along with tips here and there to help you adopt a healthier lifestyle. And granted, while I’m a medical professional, if you have some kind of medical concern, you can leave a comment asking for advice, but likely I’ll tell you to see your doctor. Always see your doctor if you have a medical issue. I said this in my About blurb, but doctors, as well as all of us medical professionals, receive years and years and years of training and education. You can’t replace our knowledge with WebMD.

With all that said, I hope you enjoy this blog!