Visiting NASA Athletic Trainer Shares Insights and Career Options
The body is the body is the body. How you prevent injuries and rehabilitate that body is where the differences lie.
So said Mary Kirkland, NASA occupational athletic trainer from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. On December 6th, Kirkland shared an overview of the job she has held for nearly 30 years with 15 Washington Township High School student-trainers and members of the school’s Air Force Junior ROTC. Kirkland explained her innovative position that has her providing prevention and treatment of injuries to a current workforce of approximately 13,000 professionals - everyone from astronauts, rocket scientists and physicists to groundskeepers and custodians. Kirkland has had the good fortune to design her own rehabilitation facility.
“I am so fortunate that NASA sees the value and recognizes the benefit of employing an athletic trainer who can help keep their employees healthy and on-site,” Kirkland said. “They recognize that our efforts save NASA $1 million annually in lost productivity.”
Kirkland’s visit, arranged by the school’s head athletic trainer Tanya Dargusch, was eye-opening for the students, not only for the specific training concerns that are central to space travel, but also to the opportunities that are available for those interested in the field, outside of just athletic venues.
“Obviously, astronauts working in zero gravity face unique challenges – space sickness, reduction in bone mass, exposure to radiation, circulatory issues and other issues related to the central nervous system,” she said. “But the way we handle these things from an athletic training standpoint are standard points of emphasis – balance training, weight-bearing exercises, strength training, good nutrition. The services of occupational athletic trainers are more and more in demand.”
Blue Man Group, Cirque de Soleil, the Radio City Rockettes and the United States Navy and Marine Corps all employ athletic trainers to combat heat exhaustion, repetitive trauma and muscular-skeletal issues among their employees.
“There is a growing need for athletic trainers to support industrial athletes, warrior athletes, performing arts athletes,” Kirkland said. “Companies like Boeing and Amazon employ dozens of athletic trainers who are medically, professionally and orthopedically trained to ensure the health of their workforce. If you are interested in the field, there is an explosion of job opportunities.”
NASA occupational athletic trainer Mary Kirkland (right) addressed Washington Township High School students at the request of the school’s head athletic trainer Tanya Dargusch.
NASA occupational athletic trainer Mary Kirkland addressed Washington Township High School students during a visit on December 6, 2018.