General 3/29/2024 3:00:00 PM Justin Mordecai, Director of Athletic Communications

National Athletic Training Month Spotlight: Vanessa Hale

Meet Associate Head Athletic Trainer Vanessa Hale

ATLANTA, Ga. -- The month of March is National Athletic Training Month, a month to spread awareness on the importance of athletic trainers and their contribution to athletics departments, professional sports teams, rehab clinics, and various other spaces. During NATM, the Clark Atlanta athletics department will spotlight the three athletic trainers on staff with a weekly highlight.

VANESSA HALE - ASSOCIATE HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER

Vanessa Hale is a native of View Park, Ca., who stumbled into athletic training as a 16-year-old who wanted to remain connected to sports. She attended Culver City High School in Culver City, CA where her journey with Sports Medicine and Athletic Training began, the summer before her sophomore year when she worked with the school's football team as a student Athletic Trainer. She also worked with their track and field program until she graduated in June 2012.

Hale attended the University of Oregon for two years before transferring to Howard University. where she was a student athletic trainer with the football, track and field and tennis programs for four years. She graduated from Howard with a Bachelor's of Science in Human Performance in Fall 2017.

She attended the University of Houston were she earned a Master's Degree in Athletic Training in 2020. While at Houston, she expanded her experiences by working with sports such as basketball, baseball, and volleyball.

Get to know Vanessa Hale

Q: What made you want to work in sports medicine?

A: I made the decision to work in Athletic Training around 15 years old, about a year before I chose to step away from competing in sports. Athletic Training was something I actually stumbled into, but consciously chose as my future career less than a year into it. At that time in life, all the things I thought I wanted to be as an adult faded away and after having my fair share of injuries between ages 10-16, I couldn't think of a better way to remain connected to sports. With the injuries I experienced and not necessarily having someone be there for my recovery until my last one, and always having had an interest in the medical field regardless of specifics, it couldn't have been a more perfect fit.

Q: What is your favorite part about being an athletic trainer?

A: My favorite part about being an Athletic Trainer, in the athletic setting, are the shared experiences we have with other AT's and Sports Medicine professionals along with our athletes and coaches. We share the emotions that come with wins and losses, long days, improving programs, and more with our athletes and coaches. Being able to share experiences and advice with other AT's and Sports Medicine professionals from different backgrounds, settings, and experience levels about injuries to simply "what works" in running an AT/Sports Medicine department will always be an unparalleled outlet.

Q: Most rewarding part about being an AT?

A: The most rewarding part about being an Athletic Trainer is, regardless of which aspect of the profession, seeing your hard work and effort reflect in the results. The feeling of an athlete returning to sport after lengthy post-surgery rehabilitation, having an impact on shifting the way athletes view coming into the clinic to take care of their physical health, having the opportunity to teach/impact the next generation of Athletic Trainers, and creating the standard/culture are the highlights from the 6+ years of school to the long days in the career. Seeing it all come together is, in my opinion, the best feeling.

Q: Whats something you would say a lot of people don't know about being an AT or working in the industry?

A: There are actually a plethora of things that the majority don't know about being an Athletic Trainer. Athletic Trainers can work in settings such as high school athletics, the military, or for companies like Google and Amazon. We don't just hand out water and Gatorade, tape/patch up, or even save the life of your favorite Pro athlete, our profession is much more than what is seen on TV. We coordinate care for our patients whether that's seeing a specialist for surgery, setting up physical therapy or programming the rehab plan ourselves, or even just getting them to their appointments. In other cases, we are programming protocols for some who were hurt on the job, or someone who simply wants to be able to move without pain, it isn't always about getting someone back to the field or court. Specifically, in the athletic setting however, we have to manage more than just ourselves and our facilities. We also have to manage our hours as best we can to ensure all sports have coverage, hold treatment hours, manage and teach any student aides and graduate assistants we may have, be adaptable when practice and game schedules change, and the list goes on and on. We are listed in the same category of health care as nurses, Allied Healthcare Professionals, and are just as accurate as doctors/physicians with diagnoses 92% of the time. Athletic Trainers are Healthcare.

Q: What are your biggest goals as an athletic trainer?

A: When it comes to my biggest goal as an Athletic Trainer, I can't say that I have a solid one at this time but, to be nothing less than a "jack of all trades." There are five domains pertaining to Athletic
Training: Injury Prevention, Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis, Immediate and Emergency Care, Treatment and Rehabilitation, and Organization and Administration. While it is part of our learning experience to be proficient in all of these domains, as we grow in our career and depending on the setting, Athletic Trainers tend to become extremely well versed in two maybe 3 domains, its normal for that to happen. That said, I want to be so well versed in each domain, I put myself in a position to accept or even turn down any opportunity that presents itself.

Q: What advice would you have for anybody looking to work in sports medicine or become an athletic trainer?

A: Any advice I would give to those looking to pursue Athletic Training/Sports Medicine leads more toward personality, character, and overall social capabilities verses knowing when to use what rehab technique or simply passing the BOC. Being adaptable and able to multitask, if one can simultaneously handle multiple personalities, knowing when you must be completely professional versus when it's okay to relax a bit, and confidence in one's knowledge and application are highly valued. These attributes along with so many others like being proactive with a hard work ethic, play a direct role in success in this career field no matter the setting.
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