Ethics in Athletic Training

Ethics are commonly known throughout the Athletic Training profession. There are certain principles that serve as guidelines in order to establish and maintain high standards for the profession such as Principle 1: Respect of all rights, welfare, and dignity of all. Principle 2: Comply with the laws and regulations governing the practice of athletic training. Principle 3: Maintain and promote high standards in their provisions of services. Principle 4: Shall not engage in conduct that could be construed as a conflict of interest or that reflects negatively on the profession. This is authoritative because of the National Athletic Trainers' Association Code of Ethics. Certified athletic trainers must practice these principles under all circumstances. Athletic trainers are responsible for making decisions that they may find difficult or challenging. Though an athletic trainer is responsible for the interpretation of each principle, if there is a conflict that lies between Code and the law, the law prevails. Cathy Reed, a certified Athletic Trainer, stated, "I do not charge for my services, however, there are ethics in relation to morals, protocols and scope of practice that the state limits. Business Ethics are seen and experienced daily by practicing athletic trainers. The athletic training profession is particularly strict about this topic because as health care providers, athletic trainers are expected and encouraged to provide appropriate care in a professional manner.

Hi tatum_2019,

Interesting ... I did not know athletic trainers are considered health care providers. Have you found any authoritative descriptions of how "Business Ethics are seen and experienced daily"? Who employs athletic trainers - what kind of business are they a part of, and have those businesses ever pressured an athletic trainer to do something that violates that code of ethics? Whenever I see a code of ethics (or a law for that matter), I imagine the number of unwanted situations that must have occurred before those protocols became official. (Our official codes of conduct, in other words, are a response to any number of instances of "bad behavior.") What was athletic training like before this code of conduct, I wonder?

Most importantly, I wonder what you are arguing (or going to argue) here.... I think if you look into some of my questions above, you'll find a debatable assertion.

- Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator

You bring up some really good questions. According to an Athletic Trainer I emailed, she said that practicing ethics comes with the job description. She said that she follows the NATA Code of Ethics without even realizing it. Under one of the principles it explains that an athletic trainer must avoid any substance abuse wile practicing. This should be pretty self explanatory but that's one of the expectations that the athletic training profession stresses on. This is because in order for an athletic trainer to perform appropriate skills and tasks, he or she must be in the correct sate of mind while doing so. Athletic Training is a very strict and demanding profession that holds high expectations for all of those who are apart of it. Thus, making every principle under the Code of Ethics essential to daily practice. I appreciate your questions and suggestions and will definitely add them into my final product!