Dr. Joseph Beckett, director and Professional Master of Science in Athletic Training Program at Marshall University, was selected to be on the NATA Professional Responsibility Committee for the District III Mid Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association.

The goal of the committee is to support the legal, ethical and regulatory standards by defining, encouraging and supporting adherence.

Beckett was the only representative from West Virginia to be chosen for the committee.

Some of the other schools included in the PRC are University of Arizona, University of Southern Arkansas, University of Rhode Island and Northern Illinois University.

“I would like to see us here at Marshall be a school that other institutions look to in terms of these legal, ethical and regulatory standards,” Beckett said.

An example that Beckett gave of what the committee would be doing, was developing practical situations that adhere to the standards in order to educate more effectively in the classroom.

Some real issues that athletic trainers might face in their fields; what to do when faced with sexual harassment from coaches, patients (who may be athletes) and peers, patients with suicidal tendencies, patients who have been the victims of hate crimes related to race or sexuality and avoiding slander and libel on social media, may not always be addressed or clear cut. This committee will work on defining the ethical and legal standards on what to do in those difficult situations as an athletic trainer. It will give trainers knowledge and resources in order to handle them confidentially and confidently.

“We want to inform students the proper preventive actions so they don’t get named in a lawsuit,” Beckett said. “But on the other hand, say you do get served. Somebody shows up at your door. They serve you with papers. What do you do? A lot of people don’t know.”

Beckett said this committee is a founding committee, which means that this is the first time this group has been brought together.

Beckett said the committee was important because the field is changing so much that they don’t want any trainers to not know what to do, or worse, to think there is nothing they can do.

Noah Gillispie can be contacted at [email protected].