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Promoted Without Being Taught to Lead Most leaders were never actually taught how to lead. They were promoted because they were good at their job. They were reliable. They were efficient. They knew how to execute. So they moved up. But here’s the problem: Execution and leadership are completely different skillsets. Being great at doing the work doesn’t automatically translate to: developing people delegating effectively managing high performers sharing ownership of outcomes S

Failing fast isn’t about being reckless. It’s about shortening the feedback loop before failure becomes expensive, public, irreversible, and possibly harmful. “Fail fast” means something different depending on where you sit. In healthcare, business, and leadership—we say it all the time. But we rarely define what it actually looks like in practice. Because failing fast isn’t one thing… It’s context-dependent decision-making. Clinically: Failing fast is about recognizing when

Athletic trainers are trained as generalists… But expected to perform like specialists. From day one, our education (guided by the CAATE - Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education and credentialed through the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer) prepares us to manage: Orthopedic injuries Emergency care Rehabilitation Behavioral health Pharmacology Administration We are one of the most broadly trained healthcare professionals in the system. Yet th

Everyone knows the iron triangle of business: Fast. Cheap. High Quality. — Pick two. In athletic training, we don’t just work inside this triangle…we’re often expected to be all three. The Reality in Athletic Training • FAST → Immediate evaluations, same-day return-to-play decisions, constant availability • CHEAP → Tight school budgets, low PRN rates, “coverage” seen as an expense • HIGH QUALITY → Evidence-based care, risk management, athlete safety, documentation Individuall

Questions Athletic Trainers Should Ask Before Working PRN Most PRN/event athletic trainers are taught clinical skills… but not operational protection Protect your: ✅ license ✅ liability ✅ time ✅ compensation ✅ sanity Scope of Services What services are ACTUALLY expected? Emergency response Injury evaluation Prophylactic taping Stretching/manual treatments Rehab recommendations Recovery equipment Hydration monitoring Performance recommendations Medication dispensing Avoid “sco

California gets a LOT of criticism for not pursuing full athletic training licensure sooner. But the bigger national conversation is this: Not every state operates under the same “industry standard” structure. ▪️ CA = registration/title protection ▪️ HI= registration model ▪️TX = LAT & BOC/ATC tracks ▪️CO = registration model (2021) So while CA became the public example of “lack of standardization,” the reality is the profession still has multiple regulatory identities nation

As athletic training becomes more mobile through PRN staffing, event medicine, telehealth, and the interstate compact, there’s a conversation the profession may not be fully prepared for yet: 👉 Taxes, payroll, and multi-state compliance. For years, many athletic trainers worked primarily: ➡️ locally ➡️within one school district ➡️one clinic ➡️one hospital system ➡️or one state But the profession is changing and evolving. Now many ATs are: ✅traveling for tournaments ✅covering

Athletic Training Tax Implications and the Interstate Work A lot of ATs likely think about the interstate compact as: “Now I can legally work in multiple states easier.” But they may not realize: “Working in multiple states can also create payroll, tax filing, and recordkeeping obligations.” This becomes especially problematic because many PRN/event-based AT jobs are: ▪️ Short duration, ▪️Last minute, ▪️Part-time, ▪️Contractor-based, ▪️and spread across many states over a yea

Are ATs rewarded more for sacrifice than outcomes? Athletic trainers are often praised for: ▪️ staying late ▪️ covering extra events ▪️ answering calls at all hours ▪️ working through exhaustion ▪️ filling staffing gaps ▪️ and “doing whatever it takes” But how often are ATs rewarded based on actual outcomes? ▪️ Reduced injury risk ▪️ Faster return-to-play timelines ▪️ Better emergency preparedness ▪️ Improved communication systems ▪️ Documentation quality ▪️ Long-term a

“It’s Only A Weekend” Might Not Matter and Taxes One of the biggest misconceptions in cross state event medicine coverage: “I was only there for a weekend, so taxes don’t apply.” In some states, that assumption can become a problem. Many athletic trainers work: ▪️ tournaments ▪️ camps ▪️ showcases ▪️ combat sports ▪️ youth events ▪️ seasonal PRN coverage ▪️ across multiple states each year The challenge? Some states tax income earned from the FIRST day worked in that state. T

The Hidden Risk of 1099 Athletic Training The interstate compact may expose one of the biggest gray areas in athletic training: 👉 Independent contractor classification. A lot of PRN/event AT work historically functions through: ▪️flat rates ▪️gig-style staffing ▪️last-minute assignments ▪️nationwide coverage models ▪️and independent contractor agreements But healthcare is heavily regulated. And once interstate practice expands, scrutiny may increase around: ▪️worker classifi

Interstate Mobility Could Reshape Event Medicine Operations Structure For years, many sports medicine companies operated regionally. The interstate compact changes that equation. Now companies may be able to build: ▪️ larger national PRN pools ▪️ regional deployment systems ▪️ travel coverage teams ▪️ remote follow-up care models ▪️ and multi-state staffing pipelines That creates opportunity. But also complexity. Because every additional state may bring: ▪️ payroll registrati

Has athletic training unintentionally romanticized self-destruction? “Suicidal empathy” in athletic training is a powerful way to describe when an athletic trainer becomes so consumed with helping, saving, protecting, or accommodating others that they progressively sacrifice their own boundaries, identity, mental health, finances, relationships, or physical well-being in the process. It is not an official psychological diagnosis, but it captures a pattern many healthcare prof

Tax Season Just Came and Went for Athletic Trainers A new layer of complexity has been added to the equation. The interstate compact may create incredible opportunities for athletic trainers to work across state lines more easily. But with increased mobility comes increased administrative responsibility. One of the biggest mistakes traveling healthcare professionals make is assuming: “I’ll figure it out during tax season.” By then, it may already be a mess. If athletic traine

How Dr. Iman Abuzeid Built a Billion-Dollar Platform by Reversing Healthcare Hiring Iman Abuzeid is one of the most interesting healthcare entrepreneurs of the last decade because she solved a workforce problem by questioning a basic assumption: Why should nurses apply to hospitals? Instead, she built a platform where hospitals apply to nurses. That simple reversal became the foundation of Incredible Health, now one of the largest healthcare hiring marketplaces in the United

Most athletic training hiring processes still rely heavily on: ▪️ resumes ▪️ panel interviews ▪️ references ▪️ and hypothetical questions But athletic training is not a conference room profession. It is an operational healthcare profession performed in chaotic, unpredictable environments. An AT may interview extremely well…until: ▪️ 3 injuries happen simultaneously ▪️ a coach pressures return-to-play ▪️ EMS activation occurs ▪️ weather protocols activate ▪️ parents become con

This is not advocacy, this is increasing debt. A loan has interest on top of tuition. It only elongates the process of payment and increases cost. Are we advocating for easier access to debt, or are we advocating for a more affordable pathway into the profession? Those are not necessarily the same thing. While protecting student access to federal loans may provide short-term relief, it does not address the underlying issue: The rising cost of athletic training education. Incr

Athletic training has clinically evolved faster than its business infrastructure. Welcome to some uncomfortable truths in athletic training. Questions about leadership, workforce structure, burnout, economics, and the future of the profession.

After visiting Las Vegas this past weekend, I was reminded of something that keeps nagging at me: Why wasn’t Nevada one of the first states in the Athletic Training Compact? Few states have embraced sports tourism the way Nevada has. I would have gambled and taken bets that Nevada would be leading the line on this opportunity. Las Vegas has transformed itself from a gaming destination into one of the premier sports destinations in the country. The city now hosts the NFL, NHL,

Has Higher Education Lost Its Monopoly on Opportunity? For generations, higher education was the primary pathway to career advancement, economic mobility, and professional opportunity. Today, that monopoly is being challenged. 📉 Trends Shaping Higher Education • Rising tuition costs outpacing wage growth • Increasing student loan debt burdens • Declining birth rates leading to enrollment challenges • Growth of alternative credentials and certifications • Expansion of apprent

Has Advocacy Lost Its Meaning? And Is It Always a Good Thing? Few words are used more frequently today than advocacy. Every organization is advocating. Every movement is advocating. Every profession is advocating. Every cause has advocates. But that raises an important question: Has advocacy lost its meaning? Somewhere along the way, advocacy stopped being viewed as an action and started being treated as a virtue. If something is labeled "advocacy," many people immediately as

Retention, Recognition, and Redefinition of Athletic Training The athletic training profession is at a crossroads. We’ve advanced in education and evidence-based practice, but many ATs still face burnout, unclear advancement opportunities, and under-recognition within healthcare systems. That’s where the BOC Athletic Training Pathfinder Program comes in. By defining developmental milestones, potential career paths, and competencies tied to different stages of an AT’s professi

What can athletic trainers learn from Volkswagen's “Think Small” marketing campaign (1959) Context — The Volkswagen Problem In post-WWII America, cars were big, flashy, powerful, and loud symbols of status. Then came the Volkswagen Beetle — tiny, plain, slow, and German. To most Americans, it was the wrong product at the wrong time. But Doyle Dane Bernbach marketing didn’t fight that. They embraced it. The ad was minimalist: A tiny Beetle floating in a sea of white space Simp

Athletic Trainers and the Volkswagen “Lemon” (1960) advertisement Context: A photo of a Beetle with the word “Lemon.” The copy explains that Volkswagen’s inspectors rejected this particular car — proving their obsessive attention to quality. It turned a negative into proof of integrity. ➤ Lesson for Athletic Trainers: Own your flaws — they’re your credibility. Instead of hiding limitations, talk about what makes you careful, thorough, and human. For example: “Anyone can rush