State Regulatory News
Currently, 48 states have some form of regulation for Athletic Trainers (i.e., licensure, certification, registration or exemption). Individuals must be regulated by the appropriate state regulatory agency prior to practicing athletic training. The BOC exam is a requirement to obtain regulation in 47 of the 48 states; however, the BOC exam is only a precursor to athletic training practice. Compliance with state regulatory requirements is mandatory and the only avenue to legal athletic training practice.
House Bill 160, relating to the licensing and regulation of Athletic Trainers, was introduced and referred to committee on March 11, 2013. The bill, if passed, would require Athletic Trainers practicing in Alaska to be licensed in the state. BOC certification would be required for licensure. Additionally, the bill provides definitions on the scope of practice for Athletic Trainers and other terminology relating to the profession. Alaska and California are the only two states that currently have no athletic training regulations.
Assembly Bill 864, relating to the licensure and regulation of Athletic Trainers, was introduced Feb. 21, 2013. The bill, if passed, would require the licensure and regulation of Athletic Trainers and create the Athletic Trainer Licensing Committee. BOC certification and other qualifications would be required for licensure. The bill also would define the practice of athletic training and prescribe supervision requirements on ATs.
Hawaii now has registration. ATs in Hawaii must be registered with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs by January 1, 2013. Please visit the
website.
House Bill 281 (Interscholastic Sports Concussion Bill) was passed in April 2012 and requires that an athlete be removed from play if any school athletic personnel, coach or other official suspects a concussion has occurred. An evaluation must be completed to determine whether a concussion occurred, and the evaluation may be completed by a physician or a licensed health care provider “whose scope of practice and training includes the evaluation and management of concussions and other brain injuries.” In addition, the bill requires that schools develop emergency action plans that must be reviewed annually by ATs and other personnel.
House Resolution 58 (Concussion Awareness in Non-Scholastic Youth Sports) was passed in January 2012 and raises awareness of concussions suffered in community sports activities. In addition, the resolution recognizes ATs as individuals who can conduct concussion evaluations.
The above pieces of legislation passed with the leadership and support of the Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky, the Kentucky Medical Association, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, the Kentucky Athletic Trainers’ Society and Norton Neuroscience Institute/Norton Sports Health.
In March 2012, the
Nebraska Board of Athletic Training approved regulatory changes pertaining to graduate student supervision. The changes require that a supervising AT be physically present, immediately available and able to intervene on behalf of the student AT/graduate student and patient. These changes enhance public protection by ensuring that student ATs working as graduate assistants are either supervised appropriately or licensed.
As of September 20, 2012, the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) does not allow a Licensed AT to administer, possess (except for personal use), dispense or store any oral medication – be it dangerous drugs, behind-the-counter or over-the-counter medication – in an athletic training setting. The
Nevada State Board of Athletic Trainers (Board) convened a public hearing on this issue in November 2012. The Board may be contacted for additional information. To help request that the 2013 Nevada Legislature make changes and additions to the NRS code, contact the
Nevada Athletic Trainers Association.
On Wednesday, May 1, 2013, amendments to rules 4755-41-01, 4755-41-03, 4755-42-03, 4755-43-01, 4755-43-02, 4755-43-04, 4755-44-02, and 4755-47-03 go into effect. The full text of the Ohio Athletic Training Practice Act, Effective May 1, 2013, is available on the Board's website
here.
Rule 4755-42-03 clarifies that all licensees must use the initials “AT” or “A.T.” following their name to indicate that the individual is currently licensed. For example, a licensee could list their name as Jane Doe, MS, AT, ATC. The rule would not allow a licensee to only use ATC. In addition, the Board of Certification prohibits individuals from using ATC/L to indicate both licensure and current BOC certification.
At its March 7, 2013, meeting, the members of the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board voted to reduce the renewal fee for all five license types (OT, OTA, PT, PTA, AT) from $80 to $70. This $10 reduction goes into effect on July 1, 2013. Based on long range revenue and expenditure projections conducted by board staff, anticipated revenues should cover all planned expenditures without needing a renewal fee increase until 2020.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine (Board) waived the licensure renewal fees for all license types regulated by the Board for the biennial renewal cycle running January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2014. Renewal notices, with instructions on how to renew a license, were mailed in September 2012. This was a one-time only waiver of the renewal fee. Action is still required to renew a license. Visit the
Board’s website for more information.
