In-Depth Look: Athletic Trainer Practicing in a Tactical/Military Setting
Madison P. Hiatt, MAT, LAT, ATC is an Athletic Trainer (AT) practicing in a tactical/military setting. She has been a certified AT for 4 years.
Describe your setting:
A typical day for me starts with early mornings. Every branch of the military functions differently. With my current situation, I start mornings with a “sick call” which is a walk-in time for acute injuries before morning physical readiness training (PRT). Afterwards, I lead a modified PRT session with my strength and conditioning coach for soldiers who are recovering from injuries. Afterwards, it’s a lot of one-on-one appointments, group classes and meetings with command teams. On occasion I go out to the field with my soldiers and learn about their jobs and see them in action.
What do you like about your position? What motivates you?
I love that my position allows me to be exposed to the different military occupational specialty (MOS) jobs. In a traditional setting, our job involves getting student-athletes to sports. This is the same concept, just keeping soldiers in the fight and being able to stay in their MOS. The most motivating factor for me is when I teach my soldiers why they hurt or what to do to prevent injuries, and I see my soldiers help each other out based on what I have taught them.
What is your greatest achievement as an Athletic Trainer?
My relationship with patients and other health care professionals is my greatest achievement. Relationships are incredible. It’s important to always have a connection with other health care professionals to create a holistic patient team approach. By building relationships with patients, they can feel safe to come talk to me or ask questions. Through holistic health and fitness this has been the biggest accomplishment. For example, when evaluating a patient, if a patient trusts me enough to come to me to tell me they are having stress, sleep issues or sometimes food insecurity, I’m able to help point them in the right direction to get help. Because of that, so many people have gotten help in a broad range of aspects.
What advice do you have about your practice setting for a young AT looking at this setting?
Not everything is a sprint. Sometimes building a culture change in the military is a marathon. Things take time, but by being persistent you can achieve a great deal.
