Several years ago, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) started a process to assess the needs of the many diverse members of our profession that were not being addressed. These efforts were sparked as a direct response to NATA member feedback and concerns during a time when a series of videos showed Black men, including George Floyd, being killed by members of law enforcement. The work of the association resulted in the NATA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) Response Plan. This response plan consisted of listening to NATA members’ concerns and using that feedback to perform an internal audit regarding NATA’s diversity efforts. One key observation from members of color was the lack of diversity in NATA’s leadership. Using this feedback and working alongside an external consultant and at-large members of the Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee, NATA developed the 6 commitments to DEIA. The board then appointed a DEIA Task Force, which was charged with realizing NATA’s vision related to DEIA.
The NATA’s 6 commitments to DEIA are
Cultivating an inclusive and welcoming environment.
Providing programming, research, and resources to support cultural competency and ensure that athletic trainers (ATs) are equipped with the knowledge and skills to better serve diverse populations.
Ensuring that the values of DEIA are embedded in continuing education, conferences, communications, and the work of the association.
Examining processes, policies, practices, communications, structures, and barriers with an equity lens to promote authentic engagement, access, and inclusion of diverse individuals.
Increasing transparency and accountability on DEIA by sharing data and information about our journey and commitments.
Supporting and intentionally promoting a diverse athletic training profession.
The DEIA Task Force was charged with providing recommendations to the NATA Board of Directors to ensure that the commitments would be operationalized and infused throughout the association. Over the last 2 years, the NATA leadership and Board of Directors have approved several initiatives that have helped to infuse these 6 commitments into various aspects of the profession. The NATA DEIA Task Force recently transitioned to the DEIA Council and will continue to incorporate the DEIA commitments into the work of the association. The overall goal of these DEIA commitments is not only to enact changes within NATA but for these commitments to be embedded into the athletic training profession.
Athletic trainers should aim to create a more inclusive environment by incorporating NATA’s 6 commitments to DEIA in their settings. An important first step is for ATs, particularly those in leadership roles, to audit their policies and procedures and see how they do (or don’t) align with NATA’s 6 DEIA commitments. Athletic trainers should then implement these revised policies and practices into their settings, thereby benefitting ATs, the profession, and the patients we serve.
Education and training on the need for inclusive practices in athletic training are essential to making effective changes. Training should include the importance of inclusive language, the effects of implicit bias in health care, and other factors that influence clinical practice, patient care, and outcomes.1,2 Perhaps the most effective strategy in applying these 6 commitments is for ATs to develop and apply initiatives that directly affect the culture and environment in their settings. Examples may include the use of inclusive and gender-neutral language in documents and policies; revising documents and electronic medical records to allow patients and employees to self-identify their gender, pronouns, and preferred name; removing any policies that may exclude underrepresented or minoritized individuals; and intentionally aiming to ensure diversity and representation within a setting (ie, staff, faculty, students, committees).3–6
Lastly, it is imperative for ATs to use their privilege, their voices, and their positions of power or leadership to advocate for their patients, their students, and their fellow clinicians. Having representation in a group matters, whether it be diversity of thought or diversity based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, or national origin. Intentionally promoting diversity will benefit everyone, as diversity leads to excellence.
The future of the athletic training profession is tied to our ability to attract and serve more people in better ways. Progress in this area can be slow and sometimes frustrating, particularly if support for research in athletic training is lacking. Therefore, we must increase research in this area, particularly as it relates to the athletic training profession and our influence to improve DEIA. The available research on health care and DEIA has demonstrated how health care disparities, implicit biases, social determinants of health, and access to care can affect the care our patients receive and their outcomes.1,7 Yet, to date, little research has been conducted specific to DEIA and ATs. Despite great strides in a short amount of time, the work related to DEIA in the athletic training profession and the research in this area are never done. The goal of these thematic issues is to educate readers on DEIA-related factors and stimulate future research on how DEIA influences clinical practice, patient care, and outcomes. Ultimately, these assembled articles should encourage all of us to address our biases, improve our cultural competence and humility, and improve DEIA-related health disparities for the patients we serve. With the findings shared in these thematic issues, these new investigations, experiences, and discoveries will change our needs and goals over time so that we can continue to evolve and provide evidence-based, patient-centered care to our patients.