For National Athletic Training Month in 2022 we are exploring the theme “Providing Health Care Everywhere” and we can’t think of a better way to do that than to showcase some of our own outstanding athletic trainers. We’ll spend the month sharing with you the inside scoop from athletic trainers who are working in emerging settings and unique positions. So read on and enjoy!
Mark Hanak, MS, ATC
Where did you go to school? University of Indiana 1972 BS, 1974 MS
Career Background: Mr. Hanak received his 25-year NATA Membership Award in 1988. In 2005,he was inducted into the East Chicago (IN) Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Hanak was formerly the Assistant Athletic Trainer for the New England Patriots of the NFL from1972-1980 and for the University of Notre Dame from 1982-1986. His other work experience includes the Head Athletic Trainer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Athletic Trainer for the Dow Chemical Company, and Athletic Trainer for The Braintree Hospital. Mr. Hanak has authored several articles on Sports Medicine, Protective Appliances, and Occupational Health and Safety in the workplace.
Current or Last Setting: Dept of Homeland Security-Federal Law Enforcement Training Center-Glynco. FLETC was established in 1970 and currently serves interagency training for 105 agencies and covers almost 2000 acres of in Brunswick, Georgia. FLETC has other sites in Charleston, SC, Artesia, NM, and in Cheltenham, MD. Cheltenham services agencies close to DC for advanced training. There are other sites that support the overall training mission to train those who protect the homeland. There are also international partners in South America and Africa. FLETC Glynco and Charleston ATs are federal government employees.
Years at Current Job: RETIRED on December 31, 2021 after 24 years,10 months and 28 days!
Who were your "athletes"? FLETC's athletes are the law enforcement candidates and the instructing staff. The Center has a candidate population of anywhere between 1500-2900 at any given time. In pre-Covid history, FLETC has graduated between 25000 and 35000 annually. Since Covid, the numbers dropped due to the careful management approach that was taken to curtail the infections.
What does your facility/ATR look like? Our facility has a waiting room, the main treatment with treatment tables and taping tables, a wet room for the Coldtubs, a tirage room, storage and office space. The ATs have a wide range of modalities from Ultrasound. Electrical Stimulation, Hot and Cold Packs, "Game Ready"s ., Every available space is put to good use for our purpose of keeping the candidates in training. Missing time in training could mean "recycling" of the student which is costly for the government and emotional for the candidate. The ATs strive to educate, inform and treat the injuries that occur. FLETC operates on a tight 7 am to 6:30 pm schedule with training blocks of two (2) hours beginning at 7:30 am and concluding at 4:30 pm.
The Certified Athletic Trainers (ATs) are housed within the Physical Techniques Division (PTD). This location puts the AT right in the middle of the area where injuries are more likely to occur, Within the PTD facility is a full indoor pool, numerous mat rooms for combative and non-combative training, full equipped weight rooms with free weights and machines, all variations of aerobic machines and also two outdoor tracks.
What's your schedule like? Typically M-F 7 am-5:30 pm. There are usually four athletic trainers on staff when fully staffed. The shifts of the ATs are staggered as to allow the 7 am staff member to go home at 4 pm and the 8:30 staff member leaves at 5:30 pm. Ideally, at least two (2) ATs are present during the day which allows for lunch and other assigned duties deemed necessary.
What do you like most about your job? My favorites are the people, the candidates and the staff. The candidates come from all over the country, from all types of backgrounds. Some with prior law enforcement backgrounds, others with none but come with a desire to serve and better themselves. The staff actively seeks out current law enforcement personal to join FLETC and impart their knowledge to the next generation of law enforcement officers. The environment is not a college and it's not the Army. It's somewhere in between. The time spent at work is different as compared to a college/university/high school where you spend hours in the training room and on a field. There is little travel, if any.
Any exciting events with this job? Once in a while a ranking government official comes for a visit. In my time there, President Bush, Vice President Chaney, and Eric Holder have paid a supporting visit to FLETC. FLETC has also had visits for foreign countries ranging from Mexico to the Middle East. With these types of visits there is a lot of preparation and security protocols by advance teams. A lot of moving parts but it's not the Security Team's first rodeo - it's what they do.
Any advice for an AT who wants to work in this setting? A position rarely opens which is a good thing for the AT. But when they do, they will be advertised in USJOBS.gov. One can register to be notified when an AT job becomes available. Seems like I remember a position opening recently was advertised. More information can be found on FLETC.gov. FLETC also has a Facebook page.
The military also employees ATs as two of our current ATs, Lori Howard came from Camp Lejeune and Taura Anderson from Camp Stewart. I would be in remiss if I didn't also mention Larry Thompson who has been employed by FLETC for over 35 years.
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