When reading today’s article about injury in sports (“Getting the body right is only half the battle,” Feb. 20, p. 7), I was quite upset to see the term “trainer” and “training room” used referencing Boston University’s sports medicine staff. The correct terms are athletic trainer and athletic training room. As a senior athletic training student, it is a huge initiative of our program and our profession to stress the proper use of our title. Athletic trainers are allied health care professionals who are nationally certified and licensed in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. We are an integral part of the delivery of health care to athletes and all physically active individuals. When only using the term “trainer” there is room for interpretation to what that actually means — horse trainer, dog trainer, personal trainer or athletic trainer. Those who work with athletes in the high school, collegiate and professional settings are athletic trainers, and we would greatly appreciate being described as athletic trainers.
Christine Ferrara
SAR ’08