Dear California Legislators,

Please support California Athletic Trainers by supporting Assembly Bill 796, legislation that seeks to license and regulate the athletic training profession.

The athletic training profession is regulated in 49 states and the District of Columbia, yet California remains the only state that does not regulate the profession. There is an urgent need to regulate the profession.

Athletic Trainers are board certified health care professionals. The profession requires a master’s level degree for entry. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations and disabilities.  Athletic trainers work with a variety of patients in schools, colleges/universities and professional sports, industrial, police and fire departments, performing arts, military, and healthcare facilities. 

Athletic training is classified under the allied health professions category, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and are assigned National Provider Identifier numbers (NPIs). The American Medical Association also recognizes athletic training as an allied health care profession.

In all other states and the District of Columbia, the athletic training profession has statutorily outlined education and training standards, a defined scope of practice, an oversight board, and a formal adjudication process. Because California does not regulate the profession, this framework does not exist in the state. This lack of regulation poses a significant threat to the public and major employment challenges for certified athletic trainers. 

I ask you to join us in support of licensure for California Athletic Trainers. Thank you in advance for your consideration of AB 796.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Nick Harvey, with the California Athletic Trainers’ Association, by email at gacchair@ca-at.org.