125 New Athletic Trainer Jobs — Monday, October 12, 2026 - Why Are We Still Debating Who Gets to Supervise Athletic Trainers?

A Follow-Up on Texas: A Few Clarifications

In this week's What's Worth Noting, I discussed a proposed regulatory change in Texas involving who can provide delegated authority for athletic trainers.

Following the newsletter, I heard from someone familiar with the work of the Texas Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers and the state's professional association who offered some clarification about what they're working toward.

I started What's Worth Noting to share information, offer my perspective, and hopefully generate some meaningful discussion about issues affecting our profession. I do my best to research these topics and represent them accurately, but sometimes I miss the mark. I'm not above admitting that.

In this case, while my original discussion reflected the reporting from the October 5 meeting, I didn't fully capture what the board and state association are ultimately trying to accomplish.

There are two things I wanted to clarify.

First, the board is not looking to eliminate delegated authority. According to the individual who reached out, they're actually working toward requiring athletic trainers to provide proof of their delegated authority documentation as part of the license renewal process, rather than simply affirming that the documentation exists.

Second, there is an effort to change the statutory language from allowing direction by a qualified, licensed healthcare professional to specifically requiring an MD or DO.

While the board advanced a proposed rule change addressing the existing statutory language, that doesn't necessarily reflect the direction the board and state association would ultimately like to see the law take.

I appreciate the individual who reached out to explain what is happening behind the scenes. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into advocating for our profession at the state level, much of it being done by athletic trainers volunteering their time.

My broader questions about professional autonomy, whether mandatory supervision is necessary in every setting, and what qualifications someone should have to oversee athletic trainers haven't changed. I still think those are conversations worth having.

And if anything, this situation reinforces my belief that government affairs should be one of NATA's highest priorities. Other healthcare professions are actively advocating for their interests, and we need to make sure athletic trainers have equally strong representation when decisions affecting our ability to practice are being made.

I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinions, and I certainly don't claim to have all the answers. But I do want this newsletter to be a place where we can have productive conversations, challenge one another's thinking, and share information.

Part of that is being willing to acknowledge when I could have done a better job. This was one of those instances.

I appreciate the feedback and the opportunity to share a more complete picture of what's happening in Texas.

Thanks for reading!