Certified Athletic Trainers’ Fight for State Regulation in California

Abstract

California remains the only state in the nation without regulation in the form of licensure, registration or title protection for the athletic training profession. Athletic Trainers (AT) have advocated vigorously since the mid-1980s to have legislation vetoed by two separate governors on six different occasions. A total of 307 (14.6%) of 2100 current National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) members were surveyed regarding this lack of regulation in California. Virtually all, (98%) supported the need for state regulation and the preponderance (93%) believed it should consist of licensure. Many respondents (78%) also indicated that the lack of regulation negatively impacts the public’s perception of the athletic training profession across the United States. Sixty-eight percent of respondents agreed that the lack of regulation negatively impacts ATs accepting employment in the state of California. Lastly, 87% agreed that the lack of regulation negatively impacted the safety of physically active individuals in California. Since 2002, ATs in California have attempted to have eight bills related to athletic training regulation with no success of being enacted. It is the perception of the NATA members surveyed in this study, that California needs state regulation, preferably in the form of licensure, for the protection of the health, safety, and wellbeing of physically active individuals and a better public understanding of the critical public health role and contributions of an ATs.