The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports at its meeting last week in Indianapolis continued its discussion of membership concerns regarding the recruiting and retention of athletic trainers.
CSMAS approved the report of its July meeting on athletic training workforce issues, which convened representatives from the athletic training industry to discuss the current educational, credentialing and workforce landscape; opportunities to collaborate and share resources; and the exploration of potential solutions.
In its discussion of the meeting, CSMAS noted data that shows challenges across the athletic training profession and trends specific to the collegiate setting, including:
- Compensation not commensurate with qualifications and responsibilities.
- Staffing shortages.
- Recruitment and retention issues.
- Work-life balance challenges.
- Increasing workloads.
- Frequent and unpredictable schedule changes.
CSMAS supported ongoing collaboration with key athletic training stakeholders to develop potential solutions to these challenges, including mentoring opportunities, summary of health care delivery models, team physician advocacy, and strategies for cultural change.
Existing NCAA resources and recent initiatives to support athletic trainers and educate campus stakeholders about the ongoing issues impacting the collegiate athletic training workforce were also noted. They include:
- CSMAS Statement on Athletic Training Workforce Issues.
- NCAA SSI Spotlight: Athletic Training Workforce.
- NCAA Division III Athletic Trainer Recruitment and Retention Resource.
- Newly createdNCAA Division II Athletic Trainers Connection Program.
Transfer Portal
CSMAS members discussed how an increase in transfers within an evolving college sports landscape is impacting sports medicine staffs, including athletic trainers.
The committee noted the process to obtain and review medical records often creates challenges andadditional workload for the sports medicine staff of both the departing and the receiving school. These challenges are often compounded due to the timing of a transfer or the receipt of incomplete medical records.
CSMAS referred the topic to its Administrative Subcommittee for further discussion.
Other topics discussed
- The NCAA Sport Science Institute is engaged with2050 Vision, a project led by Indiana Sports Corp to make Indiana the global epicenter of sports and the women's sports capital of the world. CSMAS affirmed female athlete health as an area of interest and identified a number of health, safety and performance topics for further consideration.
- CSMAS approved additional gambling and sports betting resources to be included in the NCAA Mental Health Best Practices. They arethe National Council on Problem Gambling's Problem Gambling Treatment Manualsand the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction'sThe Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines.
- CSMAS supported and provided feedback on draft consensus statements from the Summit on Performance Technologies in Collegiate Athletics that was held in Indianapolis in May. The consensus statements provide membership considerations when identifying, evaluating and implementing performance technology. CSMAS will consider final consensus statements at its December meeting.