Westfield State Athletic Training Program

Westfield State University ALUMNI IN THE FIELD Nick Bertone MS, LAT, ATC – Athletic Trainer at the University / College setting.
“I'm currently a D2 Athletic Trainer at Assumption University as a part of a staff of five. During the spring semester, my day consists of seeing patients for treatment and rehab for roughly five hours followed by admin work (however, it rarely goes that smoothly). My spring sports are softball and men's and women's golf.
Becoming an AT has changed me in a lot of ways. I've spent a lot of time working on my craft as I believe that there's always something to be learned or a technique that can be adjusted. Being malleable and patient and adapting based on your athletes/patients needs is a must and this generation of students’ value trust and reliability. Not every day is easy, but the rewards of showing up for someone when they are at their lowest means something and I value the vulnerability that my patients provide.” Westfield State Athletics Westfield State Alumni

Onto the second Domain of Athletic Training Practice – and what you’ll be learning in our (Reminder that applications open in September).
ATHLETIC TRAINING 101: Practice Domain 2: Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis: Recognizing, assessing, and diagnosing injuries and illnesses, ranging from musculoskeletal injuries to concussions, to determine the appropriate next steps for care.
according to published findings by Lombardo, et al (2016), the *on-field diagnoses* of Athletic Trainers agree on over 92% with hospital physicians who have all of the diagnostic tools at their disposal. It is something highly emphasized in our Athletic Training education program here at Westfield State University.
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....the Last EXAMPLE SKILL of Practice Domain 1, Injury Prevention Programs: Athletic Trainers, in coordination with Strength and Conditioning Coaches when available) design or utilize existing targeted exercise routines to reduce elevated risk of injury. These programs exist for joint injuries of the ankle, knee, shoulder, and spine among others, and others are designed by Athletic Trainers for other body segments. How effective are these programs? The literature suggests health care cost reductions of as much as 59% with prevention programs in place (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8450687/).
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Next up: Domain 2, interspersed with more Alumni stories, and our visit to the 2026 National Athletic Trainers' Association Convention in Philadelphia! Alumni: swing by the NATA Research & Education Foundation Free Communication Poster presentations and say hi to us at our poster!

EXAMPLE SKILL Practice Domain 1, Equipment Fitting: Athletic Trainers study and apply proper inspecting, fitting, and maintenance practices for helmets and other required protective equipment. These occur regularly throughout the season. We work with coaches to instruct participants to prevent intentional head-first contact and other motions that increase risk of traumatic injury.
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Congratulations to alumni and Carolina Hurricanes Athletic Trainer Koryd Lavimoniere on the 2026 Stanley Cup win! Westfield State Athletics Westfield State University

EXAMPLE SKILL Practice Domain 1, Pre-participation Physical Exams.

Athletic Trainers take a lead role in creating, administering, screening, and reviewing mental and physical pre-participation examinations (PPE). Athletic Trainers develop skills in their education to identify underlying risk factors for mental and physical illnesses and injuries and utilize these screenings to intervene BEFORE the participant is affected by these conditions. These risks may be for mental health issues such as depression, and also cardiac or other organ system concerns. It is one of the many reasons why Athletic Trainer employment settings are expanding to non-sport scenarios such as firefighting, police, military, and occupational settings.
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EXAMPLE SKILL Practice Domain 1, Emergency Action Planning:

Athletic Trainers lead interdisciplinary teams to design, update, and PRACTICE site-specific Emergency Action Plans (EAPs). This includes rapid movement of participants and spectators to safe areas for electrical or wind emergencies, meaningful placement of emergency equipment (cold water immersion tubs, AEDs), and role practice of medical and non-medical personnel.

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EXAMPLE SKILL Practice Domain 1, Environmental Monitoring:

Understanding when the environment poses a risk of injury or illness is an essential skill for . Electrical, wind, moisture, heat, or cold concerns each pose threats to participant safety. study and practice to understand these threats BEFORE risk of injury or illness become elevated. Actions in this domain would be regular humidity and temperature monitoring with a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) readings, understanding radar and lightning readings, and heat indices. Your response would be to modify activities, change hydration and nutrition intake, and access to areas of safety. This leads us to the next set of skills…
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ATHLETIC TRAINING 101: Practice Domain 1: Risk Reduction, Wellness, and Health Literacy.

According to the 8th Edition of the Board of Certification, Content Outline for Practice Analysis, 8th Edition, this domain is involved with “Proactively identifying risk factors to prevent injury and illness. This includes developing conditioning programs, conducting pre-participation physicals, and educating athletes on nutrition and lifestyle choices.”
“Risk reduction, often synonymous with risk management, is one of the most important domains of the athletic training profession. It can be defined as “activities to prevent, ameliorate, treat, and/or reduce injury-related disability and death.”
Follow along! The next two weeks, we'll give examples of the skills sets acquired by Athletic Trainers for this domain of practice.

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ATHLETIC TRAINING 101: Domains of practice. According to the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), there are FIVE domains – or areas – of practice for Athletic Trainers. We’ll spend the next two weeks exploring these domains and what that means for . These domains are: 1) Risk Reduction, Wellness, and Health Literacy 2) Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis 3) Critical Incident Management 4) Therapeutic Intervention 5) Health Care Administration and Professional Responsibility.
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