Mr. Berry makes a good point, but I philosophically stand by my statement. As an
educator, I am not here to respond to the latest market trends in the health
care field by adjusting the athletic training curriculum every time a new
employment opportunity comes up. I am here to prepare students to become
athletic trainers that meet the highest standards of our profession. In my mind,
that goes way beyond preparation for the Examination, but also includes what it
means to BE an athletic trainer. While what that means may be open for debate at
times, I feel that any graduate of mine of whom I am proud to identify as an
athletic trainer IS employable. However, also I feel that when we as educators
are told it is our primary job to make our graduates employable, that leaves us
open to having to adjust to the market.

I would like to think that Mr. Berry (and no "albeit in the secondary school
setting", you ARE an Educator) and I do not disagree on the issues we have with
defining the profession and educational preparation. We may just have different
ways of looking at what it means to prepare students for their futures.

Respectfully,

Paul Alvarez, Ph.D, ATC
Professor of Movement & Sports Science
Athletic Training Clinical Supervisor
University of La Verne
alvarezp@...
(909) 593-3511, x4259